Musings on Walking, Weather, that Socialist Captain Blood, Rossellini, Sequels and a Medical Comeback

As I was walking home a minute ago guess who ran into me? A jogger! If it's not a bicyclist or a skateboarder terrorizing us pedestrians, its some idiot using the sidewalks as a track. This klutz was apparently startled to see someone afoot. I had just recovered from being banged into when a another jogger sped by me startling me in the process.  Silly me, I do my running on a treadmill at the gym where I've yet to collide or interfere with something taking a stroll.  I also don't have to bounce up and down when I get to a red light as there are no red lights nor even intersections on the treadmill.

Got an email from a friend who always mentions current climate conditions. Today he closed by saying: "gorgeous weather." Where does this far flung acquaintance reside? In the same exact city that I do. Berkeley is not so sprawling a metropolis that one end of the city experiences different weather than the other. Moreover I do not share my friend's obsessive love of warm, clear weather. Oh, I like a sunny day every now and then but day after day of it is boring. I'm particularly fond of rain especially when local environs such as ours have experienced below average rain fall these past few years. I've made my views on weather known to this friend so am led to believe that his weather updates are the equivalent of reminding someone that their favorite sports team lost. "ha, ha, we're getting the kind of weather I like..."

Anyone out there watch Glenn Beck? (If so this blog is strange one for you to visit given my left wing proclivities.) I sure don't. I'm just wondering if he caught Captain Blood (1935) on TCM last night. If so I'd imagine he'd be in a real lather right now. For he'd have seen Blood (Errol Flynn) gather his crew and tell them that all loot was to be shared equally (socialist!) and that anyone losing a limb in battle would be compensated with a set amount in gold (health care!). In Beck's fantasy world (now there's the making of a horror movie) pirates would no doubt be paid according to rank and would have to use their own funds to pay for medical care.

If any of you lot (as my British friends would say) has not seen the new Roberto Rossellini war trilogy released on DVD in February, do so soonest. It features not one, not two but three GREAT films: Open City (1945), Paisan (1946) and Germany Year Zero (1948). I'd not had the privilege of viewing the latter until recently and it is as powerful as the other two which is saying quite a bit indeed. I think it better that I devote an entire post to these three films at a later date. But I do think that anyone who loves film should see them. You don't need to be a fan of Italian, neo realism, war films or Rossellini to appreciate these masterpieces.

At the theater the other day I saw a preview for Iron Man 2. I realize I've made this point before but it bears repeating: what a novel idea to make a film about a comic boy character and then to create a sequel! This type of original thinking is what separates the geniuses in Hollywood from us mere mortals. Kudos for thinking outside the box!

Several months ago I mentioned on this blog that my brother had just faced a very risky operation. He recently returned home after two full months in hospital and is on the road to a full recovery. There was great feat for his future prospects but in this case all's well that ends well. Way to go big brother and thank you medical profession. Just think, we may be getting to the stage when one and all in this country will have access to the best health care (sorry, Glenn, medicine isn't a privilege anymore).