"The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers and be capable of reading them." --Thomas Jefferson to Edward Carrington, 1787

"The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary, to keep the waters pure." --Thomas Jefferson to Lafayette, 1823

I’m a Jeffersonian type of guy. I believe in the need for a free and healthy press to provide people with information and a vehicle for the exchange of opinions as a foundation for a working republic.

But even on a local scale such as the one in Springfield Massachusetts that’s an iffy proposition.

I’ve pretty much given up on national television to actually give us necessary information. The boiled-down to a sound bite story now competes for time with whatever stupid thing some celebrity is doing resulting in a battle of feeble news elements.

My real concern is with local media. It’s in bad shape. Does the local press give people the necessary vehicle they need to be informed citizens?

Let’s take my hometown of Springfield and its media market as an example. It’s a medium-sized market that has seen outlets for local news shrink and disappear. Much of this has had to do with two on-going trends: the displacement of a local advertising base with one dominated by non-advertising chains and the acquisition of media outlets by outside conglomerates.

Lack of advertising killed off the daily newspaper in Holyoke. A group of investors with no vision deep-sixed the area’s first and dominant local talk station WREB. The corporate dominance in local commercial radio by Clear Channel has resulted in many years of what I call “angry white guy radio” with relatively little local content and only one political point of view.

I’ve welcomed the emergence of progressive radio on one station, WHMP, but even that station has only a few hours of local programming and no local call-in shows.

The local PBS station does have local television programming something the commercial stations have abandoned other than the local “newscasts.” The local NPR station does a bare minimum of local news and basically ignores the largest part of its market, the city of Springfield. The Albany, NY, station WAMC has made a commitment to our news that is quite admirable.

It’s interesting to note that talk radio experts I’ve heard speak all say that a good local call-in show will beat a syndicated one. People want local content.

The dominant regional daily paper, The Republican, has gone through a series of lay-off and cutbacks that has affected the scope and depth of its coverage. The spin-off company of theirs that produces their Web site, MassLive, is based on an economic model that requires free content or content paid for by the newspaper. That’s a bad model right there.

The Republican has become a five-minute read most days. Ironically, there are still plenty of good writers there who are capable of very good reporting.

The Republican has through many years of ham-handed political interference and attempts at king making has made itself suspect when it comes to the coverage of local politics.

Its weakness has allowed the growth of local weeklies, such as the ones I edit. We, too, feel the crunch of the changes in the advertising base and as a weekly can only do so many stories as compared to the daily. Yet we frequently beat the daily in covering stories. I keep a file of their swipes from us.

Our advertisers say they get results and our papers are well read according to independent audits, but I would hate to see our area without a daily paper, something that might happen if trends aren't reversed.

I’ve come up with a plan that would strengthen our paper’s position, but my publisher has yet to adopt it.

Local television news also has some reporters capable of good solid reporting, but they are hampered by formats that emphasize incorrect weather forecasts above real news. Seeing attractive young people report about communities they barely know or care about isn’t a good formula for success in my book.

So are Web sites the answer? That is the huge question because if Jefferson were alive today, I’d bet he’ d be a blogger.

The issue with Web sites is developing an economic model that would support local reporting. Right now, most of the blogging done locally is a sideline supported by another career. That hampers the marketing of the blogs, which is crucial for commercial success.

Will people pay for blogs when they have been trained for generations that news is relatively free with the costs of producing content underwritten by advertisers instead of being purchased by consumers?

People want local news, but would they be willing to pay $1 a day or more for a newspaper or a blog subscription to insure the economic viability of that news outlet?

The other element that is restricting the commercial growth of blogs is the technology needed to view them. Newspapers are cheap and completely portable. One day everyone might have a device to be on-line wherever they happen to be, but now is not that time.

In this market what is truly creating a Jeffersonian press are the wide variety of news and opinion blogs we currently have. I’m thankful for that.

© 2008 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Below is the latest poll from the Zogby group. Here's what I'm doing: cutting down on trips for work – where I use most of my gas – and looking to see if I could use the bus service on Mondays when I'm at the desk all day. What are you doing?

If my memory serves, one of the reasons Jimmy Carter was booted from office was due to the OPEC gas crisis and yet I seem to hear very little – the corporate media filter at work – about what the current presidential candidates are going to do about this crisis.

Our fragile economy – weakened by NAFTA and bled by corporate greed for short-term profits – isn't robust enough to tolerate rising energy costs.

Boy, I wish the electric cars were on the market.

"UTICA, New York— Record-breaking oil and gasoline prices are causing many Americans brace for even steeper hikes, with 87% who say they expect the nationwide average price for regular unleaded gasoline to hit $4 by Memorial Day, a new Zogby Interactive poll shows.

"This pessimism at the pump isn't just in the short term—nearly two thirds (62%) believe $5 per gallon gas will arrive sometime this summer and the vast majority of Americans (93%) say they are concerned about a potential rise in gasoline prices over the next year—67% say they are very concerned. As Americans spend more for every fill-up, those with the least to spend are the most worried—77% of those with less than $35,000 in household income say they are very concerned about the potential rise in gasoline prices over the next year. Gas-price anxiety might not be quite as strong among those from wealthier households, but even among those with more than $100,000 in household income, 60% say they are very concerned.

"Most also fear that the days of inexpensive fuel may be gone for good—66% are doubtful the nationwide average price for regular unleaded gasoline will ever again fall below $3 per gallon. The interactive survey of 7,815 adults nationwide was conducted May 6-9, 2008, and carries a margin of error of +/- 1.1 percentage points."

© 2008 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Hey, Barnes and Noble already have a page up for my Springfield postcard book, so go here and order it dammit!

Buy a couple of copies of "Escape" as well or send me $25 for each copy and I'll send you a personally autographed edition.

It looks like I will be having some sort of signing event for "Escape" in NYC and in White River Junction VT later this summer. Distressingly, the indie bookstore where I was going to debut the Springfield book is out of business tomorrow. If you have local non-chain businesses in your community please patronize them.

It's a sorry state of affairs when a city of 152,000 people with four colleges allows its ONE indie store to die. Yes, I'm both a frickin' bleeding heart corporate critic and a local patriot. Sue me.

I haven't posted any DVD reviews in a while, so here is some of the titles I've endured or enjoyed recently

Indiana Jones: the Adventure Collection

Just in time to help publicize the new Indiana Jones movie, Paramount has released the first three films in a boxed set. The films had been released in a previous boxed set, which is still available and the difference is in the extras they are all new for the new edition.

As for the films themselves, they are a mixed bag, although all hold up very well. I vividly remember my friend Dave Mackey and I catching a peek of the first film at a sneak preview and both of us were bowled over. I'm happy to say I'm still bowled over 20-plus years after the fact.

Director Stephen Spielberg explains in his introduction to the film in the new DVD edition that "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was a test for him to prove he could make a commercial film at or under budget. He deliberately wanted to make a film that was inspired by the Republic serials of the 1930s and '40s and he wanted the production to be fast and relatively inexpensive.

The result was a fast-moving adventure film with a truly different kind of hero that might have seemed vaguely nostalgic to some in the audience, but not to most of them.

In this era of computer-generated images, the three Jones films, which relied on old-fashioned stunt works and physical props, don't seem dated at all. Instead, there is a bracing quality to the "real" action.

My favorite still remains the first. I love the chemistry in the film between Harrison Ford and Western Massachusetts' own Karen Allen and I think the casting of the villains was inspired.

The second film is essentially a horror movie and once you embrace the notion, I think it works very well. "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" is a historic film as its rating of PG caused such an uproar among parents that the Motion Picture Producers Association amended the rating system to include PG-13.

The third film, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," was my least favorite film when I saw it during its theatrical release. Upon another viewing, though, I really liked the film's humor which is more prominent than in the previous two films and I liked Sean Connery's performance as the elder Jones.

The extras are quite informative and I especially liked a discussion taped in 2003 between the three female leads of the film as well as a discussion on how the filmmakers worked with thousands of bugs, rats and snakes during the course of the three films.

This set is a must-have for your movie library, if you don't already have the films.



First Sunday

Ice Cube has carved out an interesting genre for himself: films depicting urban life that have humor but more importantly a strong dramatic core. I really liked "Barber Shop," which was sold as a flat-out comedy, but was really an engaging drama.

"First Sunday" is from the same cloth. Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan star as two young men raised in the foster care system who have drifted in and out of trouble with the law. When Durell (Ice Cube) learns the mother of his beloved son might be forced to move out of the state because the landlord of her hair salon has demanded a year's worth of rent up front, Durell is confronted with how he can obtain the money for her. After stumbling into a local church with his friend Lee John (Tracy Morgan), Durell decides to rob the church.

What transpires is an involving story about true faith and hypocrisy.

Director and writer David Talbert keeps the action, both comic and dramatic, moving well and the performances are on the mark. Katt Williams almost steals the show as a wisecracking chorus director.

The DVD features the usual extras of a gag reel and deleted scenes.

Well-worth watching, "First Sunday" is a comedy with heart.

For more information, log onto www.sonypictures.com.

The Loch Ness Terror

Here's a simple rule of thumb: television series on the Sci-Fi Channel have a solid statistical chance of being good. Their original movies, on the other hand, are almost bound to be awful.

Why? I wish I could tell you and "Loch Ness Terror" follows that rule. This bloodthirsty dino movie offers the idea that aquatic dinosaurs have survived over the years and have migrated from Scotland through various undersea tunnels to Lake Superior where they find a new group of humans to munch.

The hero of this film is a nomadic cryptozoologist played with a Clint Eastwood swagger by Brian Krause. This guy even smokes little cigars like Eastwood's heroes in his spaghetti westerns of 40 years ago.

Our hero has to convince the skeptical small-town sheriff is there any other kind? before her own son is dino food.

The effects are acceptable and have a level of gore that might offend more sensible viewers, but more sensible viewers aren't the target audience for this by-the-numbers horror film.

Log on to www.sonypictures.com for more information.

Oban Star Racer: Volume One

This French-Japanese animated television co-production is a lot of fun and I found myself watching episode after episode.

Set in the future, the fate of Earth is going to be determined by an intergalactic race set on the planet Oban. The Earth team is headed by rocket racing producer Don Weis who is unaware that his 15-year-old daughter Molly has joined his crew. He hasn't seen his daughter for years and she is just another mechanic to him.

Part "Speed Racer" and part "Last Star Fighter," "Oban Star Racer" is funny, fast and surprisingly touching at times.

I love the design of the show and the animation seamlessly meshes more traditional two-dimensional work with computer-produced three-dimensional animation.

For more information, log into www.shoutfactory.com.

Paranormal U: Season One

My wife pretty much hates the trashy reality shows I will admit I watch. She particularly dislikes "Ghost Hunters" as she says that nothing really ever happens on the show other than some one says they feel cold all of a sudden.

She's right. "Ghost Hunters" is pretty lame at times, especially when compared to "Paranormal U," a reality show featuring a student organization from Penn State that investigates possible paranormal activity.

While "Ghost Hunters" is shot in a straight-ahead no-frills fashion, "Paranormal U" is shot and edited as a horror film. And in this series, there are events captured on camera that are genuinely creepy.

The star of the show is Ryan Buell, a journalism student who has been fascinated with the paranormal since he had a visitation when he was a young child and is the founder of the group. The producers have Buell doing a voice-over that is often times too theatrical.

Certain episodes are better than others. I especially liked one about a bar haunted by a guy identified as having committed suicide there in the 1930s. "Charlie" doesn't like wine glasses and smashes them. During one on-camera interview, a wine glass comes tumbling down and freaked out one of the team members who had to exit the building.

This series is bound to invite criticism from people who believe that ghosts are in our minds rather than the attic, but if you're like me and am intrigued by such subjects, give this series a try.

Sweeney Todd: Two-Disc Special Edition

I've been a big Tim Burton fan for years, but I have to admit I didn't rush to the theater to see his adaptation of the 1980s Broadway hit "Sweeney Todd." Granted, I'm not a big musical fan and the concept of transforming a near iconic horror legend into a song and dance film just didn't interest me.

"Sweeney Todd" under Burton's hand as director is a stylish, beautifully realized film. It is perhaps his best produced film as Burton, while having a great eye for the visuals, has had trouble telling his stories effectively. "Sweeney Todd" wraps every little story point up very neatly.

If you've not heard of the Sweeney Todd legend, something that originated in penny dreadfuls of 19th century England, then you need to know Johnny Depp plays "the demon barber of Fleet Street," a man who is seeking revenge against the judge who wronged him. His disgust with humanity, though, leads him to start killing just about anybody who comes off the street looking for a shave.

Todd has formed an alliance with an impoverished baker, Mrs. Lovetts (played by Helena Bonham Carter), who needs meat for her meat pies. Need I say more?

Murder, cannibalism, sexual perversion and bloodthirsty revenge are at the center of Burton's film which brings a revised version of Stephen Sondheim's musical to the big screen.

While I admire the film for its look, I really couldn't get into it. While there are several sympathetic characters in the movie, they are relatively minor ones. Without some sort of conflict between good and evil there isn't any real suspense. We know Todd will eventually kill the judge and we know that generally things must end pretty badly for all of the central characters.

The result then is a very bloody ride to a predictable conclusion.
There is a whole DVD's worth of extras including a very interesting one on the origins of the Sweeney Todd character and another on the legendary Grand Guignol Theater of Paris that specialized in gory melodramas.

For more information log onto www.dreamworks.com.

Cloverfield

Although the idea of telling a story through "found" footage is not new the modern trend for this style of storytelling originated with "The Last Broadcast" and was popularized with "The Blair Witch Project" "Cloverfield" is still quite a singular movie experience.

Everyone who has ever sat through a giant monster movie has seen scenes in which the creature is stomping through city streets raising havoc and inevitably squashing victims just trying to get out of his way. What if the story was told from the perspective of those hapless city dwellers people who have no real idea of what is happening except there is something very big and inexplicable trying to kill them?

Producer J.J. Abrams and director Matt Reeves take this approach to the story. A group of young people is at a party. One of them is taping the event. When all hell breaks loose he keeps taping it. What we see is the tape that has been recovered.

While the first 15 minutes or so of the film seem a little long as the characters are introduced, once the monster makes his debut the film rolls along a quick clip. There are plenty of scares as the group we are following make their way to midtown Manhattan to attempt a rescue of a friend.

What I loved about this film is even when we get a clear view of the monster, the beast's design is so original I still did not truly understand just what I was seeing. And the subway tunnel sequence in the film goes down in my book as a modern horror classic.

The extras include the now standard "making of" featurette, which in this case, is actually quite interesting. There are two alternative endings to the film presented as well, but neither actually makes narrative changes to the film.

"Cloverfield" is an original, very scary and relatively bloodless fright fest.

For more information, log onto www.paramount.com/

homeentertainment.

Jungle Queen

Ah, the relentless silliness of a 50-plus year-old serial is the balm I frequently seek after a day of laboring in the media vineyard and "Jungle Queen" surprisingly took care of my chapter play jones.

I say "surprisingly" because of the three studios that produced these action films aimed at juvenile audiences, Republic Pictures made the best, Columbia Pictures made the loopiest and Universal Pictures made the talkiest. If a sequence could be made in which characters spoke about something rather than showing it, the folks at Universal would do so.

What makes "Jungle Queen," a 1945 13-episode serial, so interesting is its mixture of actual action, implausible plotting and a level of respect for supporting characters one seldom saw in serials. In a nutshell, two American agents are racing around the unexplored jungles of central Africa in 1939 trying to thwart Nazis from taking over the continent. The Nazis are manipulating tribal politics for their own goals, while the mysterious Lothal, "queen of the jungle," is helping the good guys.

What fascinated me was the treatment of the African characters who are portrayed as intelligent and as both good and evil. One doesn't see this kind of characterization very often in American films as of the time.

Will Lothal save the day? Will the Nazis succeed? Log onto www.vcient.com to get your copy and find out yourself.

© 2008 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

There's lots of Indiana Jones stuff floating around in the media these days with the release of the new movie. Paramount is releasing the first three films in a new boxed set with new extras and the company is putting out the third volume of the television series. I had the opportunity to speak with Sean Patrick Flanery for a story and he came off as a humble, working class kind of guy despite the nature of his career. He kept calling me "sir," a habit I have with people thanks to my father who was not only from the South but an career Air Force officer as well.


It might be daunting for some actors to be cast in a role made famous by another performer, but for Sean Patrick Flanery, the star of "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" there wasn't a lot of pressure.

Flanery told Reminder Publications in a telephone interview last week there was a "little leeway" in his characterization because his role revealed the elements that were "all of the things that created the Harrison Ford character we all know and love."

Flanery had the chance to portray events such as Indy's first kiss and the first time he took a life, he said.

The third volume of "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" will be released April 29 on DVD. The series, which was originally broadcast in 1992 and 1993, is currently being shown on The History Channel.

What made the series unique was placing the Jones character either as a boy of 10 or a young man in the middle of real historical events or meeting historical figures. Pancho Villa, Lawrence of Arabia, Louis Armstrong and Sigmund Freud were among the real people who shaped the life of the fictional archeologist.

And for people who might think history is boring, the films have the same kind of rousing adventure as the big screen Harrison Ford outings.

The DVD release of the stories which run close to two hours long is accompanied by documentaries that highlight the historical events and people.

Flanery said he is "super, super proud" of his work on the series. Although he said he doesn't have a lot of access to the show's fans, he's been told the shows have been well received by new audiences.

When asked if he was spoiled by the series with its high production values, Flannery said, "It did and it didn't."

Because the series was something no one had ever tried before, he really did expect other television shows to be similar to the experience. He appreciated the chance to work with the talent that was attracted to the chance to write and direct on the show. The roster included noted directors such as Nicolas Roeg, Mike Newell and Terry Jones.

Flanery has been very busy with both film and television work and he said his time on "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" also taught him not to prefer one medium to another.

"Young Indy is a great example of why I don't care," he said.

A very busy actor, he had a re-occurring role in the television series "The Dead Zone," as well as guest appearances in hit shows such as "C.S.I." and "Numb3rs."

On the sets of "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles," Flanery began his own interest as a filmmaker. He made his first film using the "short ends" the leftover film stock while starring in the series. He has made four other short films since then.

Right now, Flanery is waiting to hear whether or not his first feature film, "Sunshine Superman," will be able to go into production due to a looming strike by the Screen Actors Guild. The film is described at its Web site as "a grand love story that can only happen in that vortex in one's life when they are neither too young to reason, nor too old to dream."

Although many actors turn to directing as part of an evolution of their career, Flanery is actually going a bit backward. He actually wanted to write and direct, rather than act. He explained a friend suggested him for a part and was accepted and since then "I haven't not had a job."

His window for the shooting of the film is tight as he is going to begin filming the sequel to the cult hit "Boondock Saints" on Aug. 25. He admitted feeling "a mixture of desire and trepidation" toward the sequel and compared it to coming back from "the perfect exit" at a date because "the girl is so beautiful you just have to see her again."

© 2008 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

One of my greatest pleasures as a editor/reporter is to interview the comics who come through our area and i was really looking forward to speaking to Larry Miller, one of my favorite comics, character actors and voice actors.

Comedian, actor and writer Larry Miller had a job the day he spoke with Reminder Publications: he was to provide the voice for a French-Canadian goose in the upcoming animated film "Alpha & Omega."

The assignment was an example of Miller's far-reaching career in show business. He has been a top stand-up comedian for years, but he has been a busy character actor as well. His on-camera roles have been in such movies as "Pretty Woman" as the salesman who "sucks up" to Richard Gere and Julia Roberts; the two "Nutty Professor" movies in which he played the exasperated college dean; and the two "Princess Diaries" films.

He has worked in animated productions such as "Bee Movie," and in one of this writer's favorite animated series, "Dilbert," in which he was the evil pointy-haired boss.

Miller will be appearing for the first time at the Comedy Connection at the Hu Ke Lau in Chicopee on May 17.

Ask Miller what he likes to do best, though, and he says "all of it."

He considers himself like baseball great Lou Gehrig, "the luckiest man in the world," although after a beat Miller added, "Well, that didn't work out, come to think of it."

Miller attended Amherst College and after graduation in 1975, he said he decided he wanted to do "something as an entertainer." His subsequent career has been "frankly astonishing" to him. He started performing stand-up comedy in the mid-1970s in New York City where his friends included Jerry Seinfeld and Jay leno.

"I should be horsewhipped if I wanted to change something," he said. "What a joy it is."

Despite over 20 years in show business, Miller is still thrilled by it.

"I had an acting job last week. I was thrilled to be on the set. I waved at the tour buses in Universal [when they passed the set]. I wanted to say to them 'I know why you're on that bus. I'd be on it, too.' It's cool."

Miller became well known for his routine called "the Five Stages on Drunkenness," and he said that he might include it as part of his Hu Ke Lau performance, which mostly will be new material. He admitted that while excessive drinking and its effects are "horrifying," he does find humor in it.

He said he tries to "write all the time." Miller has written a book titled "Spoiled Rotten America," as well as opinion pieces for the "Huffington Post" on the Internet and the "Weekly Standard."

Writing for a stand-up routine is different than longer forms, he said, likening comedy writing to a still: "One drop comes out every 10 seconds." He said a friend of his said a good comic should put in an hour a day. And if you put in two hours, "you're really going to be a good comic, a monster."

He views himself as a professional who can follow a director's requests on a set or in a recording booth but also bring his own skills as a writer to a production.

The difference between theater, the movies and television is that theater is the actor's medium, while film is the medium for directors and television is controlled by the writer/producer, Miller said

"Each captain is different and I follow what the captain wants," he explained.

He did say that being in a recording studio for five hours portraying a goose could be a little taxing.

"It's not tarring roofs, but I can get a little dizzy," he said.

© 2008 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Pages from "Progressive Springfield," a photo book published by George Graves in 1914. It always heartens me that there are still so many historic buildings left in the city, and grieves me when they are taken down.

Autographs are in themselves fairly worthless I've always thought. The folks who hound people for their signature don't seem to be interested in some sort of exchange with the celeb. They seem to just want to have bragging rights.

Over the years I've interviewed quite a number of famous or accomplished people and have met many others. Sometimes an autographed photo has been offered and sometimes I've bought an autograph at a fan show of someone whose work I've really liked.



The horror star from Brazil, Jose Mojica Marins, made the round of the horror conventions in the 1990s. At one Chiller Con, I had the good fortune of being invited to a dinner with Marins, known to his American audiences as "Coffin Joe." Yes, that his his real thumbnail. In fact, nearly all of his nails were at absurd lengths. That was his trademark. I really couldn't watch him eat as I didn't want to stare at how he was able to hold a fork! Despite a language barrier, he was a nice guy and my buddy Steve Bissette later gave me this great photo.



This is one of the handful of autographs I've purchased. I couldn't resist speaking for a few moments with something I've had a crush on since I was capable of crushes...Stella Stevens. I told her that and she laughed and seemed pleased.



Film historian Scott MacQueen surprised me with this photo signed by the female lead of Lon Chaney's "The Phantom of the Opera." Scott was assembling a book – some of which saw print in several articles in "American Cinematographer" – on the various film versions of the French horror novel and he managed to track down in the 1980s the long retired Philbin.



I've been a fan of The Ventures – who were recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – since I was a kid and I interviewed drummer Mel Taylor on my radio show in the 1980s. I also eventually saw them perform live and it was great....a very fond memory.



Growing up I always thought Tony Curtis was one of the coolest guys on the planet and today I think he was a truly under-appreciated actor who could perform both dramatic and comic roles with equal ease. In 1994, I covered the Video Software Distributors Association show – the trade show for the home video industry – in Las Vegas. The show was designed to sell the mom and pop video stores – remember neighborhood video stores?– the new releases by giving them an amazing amount of souvenirs and freebies as well as having literally dozens of stars there to schmooze them. Curtis was one of them and he was about five minutes late for a signing at the booth of a distributor hawking a cheesy Hollywood scandal video. Curtis went up to the first few people in line and apologized for being late (!) When it was my turn to say hello, he looked at my name badge and then in my eyes and said, "Michael. I'm Tony Curtis. What can I do for you?"

I wanted to say, "A hug!" I settled for a photo.

Later that day I was in an upscale gentlemen's club and I heard a lot of laughter from the VIP area. As I was leaving the club, I looked in. There was Curtis surrounded by dancers, obviously having a good time. Somehow that just seemed right!

© 2008 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Here's a few more examples of how animated films have been sold over the years and I really don't see a hell of a lot of difference today despite the fact audiences are supposed to be more sophisticated.

Now ain't that a laugh?!

If you produce a horror movie, an action films or a romance you sell it by its content. Animated films are generally sold with a lot of explanations because are they all supposed to be funny animal cartoon films?

By the way, anyone who thought that a rat in a kitchen would sink "Ratatouille's" chances for an Oscar over the infinitely more interesting "Persepolis" doesn't understand the power of the elevator pitch to sell a picture. "It's a funny look at a rat who likes to cook helping a human who can't. And it's by Pixar. And Brad Bird."

Now consider framing a pitch for Persepolis: "It's from a graphic novel..." "What's that?" "It's like a comic book." "So, it's a superhero movie?" "No, it's an autobiographical piece about an Iranian woman." "Iranian? Like in from Iran? In this day and age? What's funny about that?" "Well, it's not supposed to be a comedy." "It's animated, isn't it?"

By the way, Marjane Satrapi was robbed, in my opinion. "Ratatouille" was funny and well done, but her film actually advanced the medium. But it had a tough pitch.

Anyway, I love the fact Roger Corman's New World Picture really art-housed "Fantastic Planet" up in this ad:



Look at how the guys over at AIP tried mightily to come up with a way to sell "Heavy Traffic." They seemed to be struggling a bit:



Now this ad was designated for "underground papers." I love it this ad because they took a typically messed-up Bakshi moment from the film and simply reminded people about "Fritz the Cat." Brilliant!



I'll post more as I come across them in the files here.

© 2008 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Isn't interesting how often animation has been sold to the public as either a novelty or an event? Despite there having been animated features for 70 years the motion picture industry still often follows this approach.

Granted the movie ad lives in the world of hyperbole where every film is compelling viewing, but over the years its seems to me that animation is always treated differently. More to follow!

I wrote about a new Arcadia Publishing book on Mountain Park this week. Jay Ducharme, the author, made an interesting point about the shifting of "common spaces" in society where people can gather. The park, thouhg privatley owned, didn't charge admission and didn't charge for parking. People – a large percentagle of them families – went there to simply hang out.

That is something you don't see very much in today's amusement park industry.

The last time I went to the park was in the mid-1980s when I was a talk show host on WREB. Killer Kowalski was at the park with a wrestling show and I went up to interview him.

Kowalski, who was retired from competing, was a re-occurring feature at the park, bringing wrestlers from his school to perform for an audience.

The man who was known as a soulless villain in the ring was friendly, articulate and a great interview. I conducted it right in the midway area near the stage used for the matches. My father-in-law came with me and he had his camera. When he asked for a photo, Kowalski cheerily obliged. He grabbed me by the neck and hoisted me up. I was smiling out of sheer terror as I was on tiptoes for the snapshot.

Perhaps it was riding the rides, seeing Hal Holbrook introduce "Mark Twain Tonight" or dancing the polka to Larry Chesky's band. For almost a century, Mountain Park in Holyoke inspired memories.
And those memories are reflected in the new book "Mountain Park" (www.arcadiapublishing.com) by Holyoke Community College Professor Jay Ducharme.

Ducharme worked at the park for 13 years and wrote his book because "one of the things that always amazed me is there are more good memories about Mountain Park than another park in New England."

With the knowledge of an insider and hundreds of photos, Ducharme tells the story of the park in his book.
Ducharme explained the park came about as an ulterior reason in the business plan of William Loomis, one of the directors of the Holyoke Street Railway Company. Loomis figured if he built an attraction at the end of his rail line he could get more people riding the trolley on their day off. So he bought over 300 acres of property that included the summit at Mount Tom and constructed a open-air pavilion and park.

For the thousands of people living in apartments near the paper and cloth mills where they worked, a trip to the relative cool of natural forests was only a trolley ride away. In 1897, Loomis received a state grant to build a resort and Ducharme noted that Mountain Park was formally born.

Loomis was the father of the park, but the succeeding owners put their own stamp on the place. The summit house built at the top of Mount Tom was rebuilt after two fires but was eventually abandoned as an attraction. The next owner, Louis Pellissier, brought in the park's first roller coaster.

The natural park element was maintained by Pellissier, and then by subsequent owner Jay Collins. Ducharme said that unlike some parks, Mountain Park was "geared towards families."

"What was different was there was stuff every member of the family could do," Ducharme explained. Grandparents could relax in the picnic grove while other family members played miniature golf or rode the rides. The park didn't charge for parking or admission, so people saw it as an affordable local get-away.

For Ducharme, working at the park was a family affair. His aunt started working there in the 1970s after she had retired and his father joined her after he retired. His father operated the rides and loved the place and encouraged his son to apply for work when he was in college.

Needing money for college, Ducharme applied and was hired. He was assigned to a ride other operators shunned: the merry-go-round.

While other people hated the loud band organ, Ducharme enjoyed it. He also liked how the job called for him to keep moving. Eventually he learned how to operate all of the rides and served as the "break man" the person who filled in for others while they took their lunch or breaks.

In the fall of 1987, owner Jay Collins closed the park. Ducharme said he was "just as shocked as anyone." He was working as a watchman for the park when he heard Collins made the decision to close the attraction.

"You don't think of something like that leaving," Ducharme said.

The park had been doing fine with attendance and finances, but insurance costs were eating up more of the profits and Collins, who surrounded himself with friends to help run the park, had found himself increasingly alone many of his closest friends had died.

Collins started selling off the rides one by one after not being able to find a buyer for the entire park. Of the attractions that thrilled thousands of people, the only one that remained was the merry-go-round. Ducharme was part of the group of people who successfully brought the historic ride to its present location at Holyoke Heritage State Park. Collins had offers up to $2 million, but worked with the local group and sold to them for $875,000. Calling it "a jewel," Ducharme said it is the only self-sustaining freestanding ride in the country.

Today, Ducharme said it's amazing to see the area transformed as nature has taken over much of what was once developed. Northampton businessman Eric Suhr has bought much of the property and has cleaned up the picnic grove and baseball diamond as well as preserved the miniature golf course. Ducharme said there is an intriguing sign erected reading "Mountain Park See you in summer of 2007."

Could Mountain Park survive in an era in which amusement parks are multi-million dollar extravaganzas that can take several days to go through? Ducharme said he believes the park's low-key qualities could have allowed it to reach the 21st century. He noted there are other picnic groves with amusement rides that have prospered such as Kanoble's Grove in Elysburgh, Penn., Waldameer Park in Erie, Penn., and Lake Compounce in Bristol, Conn.

Mountain Park was a "common space," Ducharme explained, and has been replaced by shopping malls as someplace where people spend their free time. The change in state "blue laws" affected attractions such as the park, he said.

"I think there is a need for Mountain Park," he said.
© 2008 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

It's flea market season here in the Pioneer Valley with the opening of what I think is the best outdoor flea market around, the Hadley market on Route 47 under the shadow of Mount Holyoke and the historic Summit House.

These were two of my finds last Sunday. It's too bad I didn't obtain these cards for the Springfield postcard book (to be published Aug. 25!)

In 1936 there was a "perfect storm" of melting snow, ice dams and rain that accounted for the worst flood in our area in recent memory. Northampton, Hadley and downtown Springfield were greatly affected. WGBY did an excellent documentary on the flood which is available here and is a bargain at $20.

If you have an elderly relative from here ask them about the flood. I bet they'll have some vivid memories.

© 2008 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

I get some interesting mail as an editor – see below – but first a shameless plug: The Valley Press Club's annual roast is slated for May 2 at 5:30 p.m. at the Keg Room, 87 State St., Springfield.

This is where elected officials make fun of us and we make fun of them openly, instead of behind our backs as usual.

If you're a Western Massachusetts news junkie, this is a must-see event.

The emcee is my friend Jim Polito, the former reporter and anchor for abc40 and radio bad boy John O'Brien of the "Bax and O'Brien Show" on Rock 102 will also participate.

I will be on stage at one point reprising my characterization as Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe. But don't let that stop you from coming!

Tickets to the roast are available in advance by sending a check made out to "Valley Press Club" for $10 per person, mailed to Valley Press Club, P.O. Box 5475, Springfield, MA 01102. To reserve a ticket, or for information, call 335-8551. Tickets at the door are $15.

For Immediate Release

International Day of Prayer & Fasting against the MARK OF THE BEAST

MAY 21st—Join us!

The Real ID will ultimately be the mechanism used to implement the Mark of the Beast, if not repealed.

IT’S A GLOBAL PLAN!

186 of the 192 nations on earth will have a national ID system in place by 2010. This is all happening at the request of the UN’s ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization). It is a plan to number, enter into a database and monitor every person on earth!

The Bible prophesied 2,000 years ago a time when every person will be required to have a mark or number in order to “BUY OR SELL.”

Homeland Security is proposing to force every person to have a national ID card in order to hold a job. Without a job, how much BUYING OR SELLING will you be able to do?

CONGRESS: Repeal the Real ID Act now!

Endtime Ministries will send a special edition of its Endtime magazine to every U.S. Senator and Representative and to every State Governor, Senator and Representative. This special edition proves that the Real ID is unconstitutional and explains how it will be used to CONTROL every American. CONTROL and FREEDOM are opposites!

The Real ID Act is in trouble! Eight states have passed laws opting out of Real ID. Another 10 states have passed bills expressing opposition against it. Eleven more states have passed bills against Real ID through one house of their legislatures.

Americans don’t want a national ID. Americans don’t want to be numbered, tracked and controlled.

CONTACT CONGRESS: This is the message each person should send to every congressman, senator and governor—both state and federal.

REPEAL THE REAL ID ACT–NOW!

The Real ID Act establishing a national ID is the worst single piece of legislation ever passed in America.

It will allow the numbering, registering and tracking of every American. This legislation, if enacted, will spell the END OF FREEDOM for Americans.

Homeland Security says it needs the national ID for control. Control and freedom are opposites.

Prophecy teacher Irvin Baxter predicted in his first book: "A Message for the President" that the Berlin Wall would fall and that the nation of Germany would be reunited. The book was published in 1986. The Berlin Wall came down on November 9, 1989. East and West Germany were reunited one year later. This inspired Irvin to launch Endtime Magazine http://www.endtime.com/EndtimeMagazine.aspx . He is the president of Endtime Ministries .

I'm doing something I've not done before really...puting a piece I wrote for the paper up here before it gets published next week. I've been tempted before to do something like this but have not done so out of some sort of sense of propriety – that I'm violating some sort of loyaty to the 'paper. But since these are now my words, then what the heck.


SPRINGFIELD – Mayor Domenic Sarno did something last week that few area mayors have done in recent memory: released a progress report of what his administration has done within its first 100 days.

The 100-day mark is something usually applied to presidents and governors and was popularized as a device to show progress by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the first three months of his administration at the depths of the Great Depression in 1932.

Sarno promised an open, inclusive and transparent administration and the report is undoubtedly part of his approach to governing. While Sarno did not inherit the financial turmoil that his predecessor Charles Ryan did, he did walk into unresolved situations such as the Merrill Lynch investment loss and the searches for a new police commissioner and a new school superintendent that demanded his immediate attention.

Sarno has kept on some key appointments from the Ryan Administration, including Chief Development Officer David Panagore, which has provided a needed continuity in government.

And, despite the demands of his new position, he hasn’t changed his personal style. Sarno seems to know many of the city’s 152,000 residents personally and always makes time to greet people with a handshake and frequently a nickname.

The long-time city councilor won the mayoral race in part for his promises to remove the trash collection fee and to put more police officers on the streets. These have yet to be fulfilled, but Sarno has made his mark already on the city.
Sarno’s success with the Finance Control Board – a group he openly criticized during his campaign – must remain for evaluation in the future, however so far at public meetings there appears to be a good working relationship.

Among his key accomplishments listed in the report were the appointment of a new police commissioner; the creation of a quality of life flex squad of the Springfield Police Department and a director of constituent services in his office; the start of a business retention program involving visits to Springfield businesses; a conference for developers to show the city’s potential; and the start of a search for a new school superintendent.

Sarno wrote, “For this Administration, there were no honeymoon days. Since day one, we have been working to advance the Springfield renaissance by employing resources to achieve public safety; revolutionize the school system and stimulate economic renewal to redefine Springfield as not only a city of potential but of greatness.

“While 100 days is a short span of time, this Administration has established a track record of success during this period and, I believe, laid the foundation for Springfield’s long term success.”

Job creation and new businesses are also listed in the report although some of these were started before Sarno took office. They include:
“• Opening of U.S. headquarters for European Green-industry Company Socaplast USA in the Solutia Business Park in Indian Orchard; 15 jobs and over $3 million in investments
• Grand opening of Onyx Fusion Bar & Restaurant at River’s Landing
• Grand opening of a second Samuel’s Sports Bar & Tavern on the Riverfront
• Grand opening of Abuduanza Restaurant at Springfield “X”
• Announcement by Liberty Mutual to open a customer service call center at the Springfield Technical Community College Technology Park; more than 300 jobs”

The reports also lists Sarno’s present projects:
“Mayor Sarno continues conversations aimed at a much greater utilization of arts and culture as a revenue generating mechanism for the City. The Mayor has initiated conversation toward enhancing the Springfield ‘Sister City’ program as such a tool. Under the program, Springfield would operate an International Cultural Trades and Tourism hub to generate cross promotion and product sales between Springfield and our European and Asian sister cities. The Mayor has identified Old First Church as a possible location to house the program, which would involve promotion of ethnic and neighborhood festivals in the downtown area.

“The Mayor is pursuing a regional TIF concept with neighboring East Longmeadow. The aim is to keep and expand jobs for Springfield residents at companies such as Hasbro and Lenox.

“Mayor Sarno is vigorously involved in an effort to create a Springfield Court of Dreams, which is similar to Cooperstown’s Field of Dreams. The Springfield Court of Dreams involves attracting major, new private investment to the riverfront to fully exploit Springfield’s unique distinction as the Birthplace of Basketball.

“The Mayor continues urging the Legislature to provide some relief through a proposed extended payback of a $52 million state loan and is thankful to members of the local and state delegation for their dedicated work on this issue, with particular thanks Sen. Stephen J. Buoniconti and Speaker Pro Tempore Thomas M. Petrolati.

“The search for a new Chief Financial Officer is currently in the interview stage.

“Mayor Sarno continues to negotiate with members of the Finance Control Board, Department of Public Works, Department of Environmental Protection and others to eliminate or reduce the $90 annual trash fee implemented in July. The Mayor is focused on concepts that promote recycling and generate revenue.

“Considerations of the Mason Square Library continue under the Sarno Administration, with a decision from the Mayor expected in the very near future.

“Review and discussions regarding appointments to boards and commissions and heads of departments are in motion.
“The Mayor is in the initial stages of considering a drug prescription program within the GIC, which carries a potential cost savings of $2.5 to $4 million.

“Mayor Sarno continues to push the City’s 10-year plan to end homelessness and recently participated in a tri-county conference with Mayors Sullivan and Higgins.”

The full report can be read on-line at http://www.springfieldcityhall.com/COS/first-100-days.0.html.
©2008 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

I met Ed O'Reilly last summer at the annual political gathering sponsored by Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe and I wondered just how determined this guy was in his effort to unseat John Kerry. Well, months later O'Reilly hasn't seemed to slow up in his quest to become the Democratic candidate for Senate from Massachusetts.

I have to admit a certain prejudice: John Kerry has stuck me for years as an absentee senator. I voted for him for president because i couldn't vote for Bush, but I didn't support him. Out here in the hinterlands we don't see him very much. As a journalist I receive press releases from Kennedy and our congressman on a regular basis but nothing from Kerry. I hope to bring this issue of access to the public up if I get the chance to see him. Perhaps I will since it will be an election year.


Ed O'Reilly readily acknowledged incumbent Sen. John Kerry has an advantage over him in his effort to unseat Kerry in a primary battle and become the Democratic candidate and that is Kerry's considerable war chest.

"That's the only hurdle," O'Reilly said in an interview last week at Reminder Publications.

He said he has been receiving "outrageous" support as he has been visiting Democratic Party functions around the state.

For O'Reilly to appear on a primary ballot he must have the support of 15 percent of the delegates who attend the party's convention in Lowell on June 7 and he must gather 10,000 signatures by May 6. He feels confident that he will have the delegates he needs and his campaign has hired a signature-gathering firm to assist his volunteers to meeting the May 6 deadline.

The primary, if O'Reilly is successful, would be conducted on Sept. 16.

O'Reilly is a long-time criminal defense trial attorney who is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the New England School of Law. He has also worked as a firefighter, a corrections officer and counselor and as a commercial lobsterman. In politics, O'Reilly has served on the Gloucester City Council and School Committee.

Kerry is out of touch with people in Massachusetts, O'Reilly charged, and has an inability to lead. O'Reilly contended that Kerry has not accomplished much in over two decades in the Senate and has often been on both sides of an issue in the name of political expediency.

"He doesn't have a core set of principles, " he said of Kerry.

He noted a recent campaign kick-off for Kerry's re-election required a $2,300 contribution for a private meeting with Kerry.

"Access equals influence," O'Reilly said. "John Kerry really lives in that world. He visits the world where real people live, visits it every six years."

O'Reilly said that what motivated him to challenge Kerry was the senator's vote to support the initial entry into Iraq. O'Reilly accused Kerry of casting the vote as part of the senator's political ambitions.

"He's a great windsurfer, going downwind," O'Reilly said. "Anyone can go downwind."

If elected, O'Reilly would work toward the immediate withdrawal of American forces from Iraq. He believes there should be an international focus on Afghanistan.

He supports Congressman John Conyer's bill, the National Health Insurance Act, which would expand Medicare and create a national non-profit health insurance program.

Energy independence is also a large part of O'Reilly's platform. He would work to create a program that would use the model of municipally-owned electric companies to develop local control over renewable energy production.

He is also looking to close tax loopholes used by hedge funds managers. The money that could be recovered is in the billions, he said, and could fund necessary programs. O'Reilly said that a vote to close the loopholes was never brought to floor of the Senate and added lobbyists for hedge fund managers spend $6 million lobbying Congress to maintain the current status. The reason for a lack of a vote from Senate Majority leader Harry Reid was a lack of time.

"That's a smokescreen," O'Reilly said.

He would like to see the legislative branch of government be proactive rather than reactive and said his campaign is not only against Kerry but also against "all political institutions."

Noting another difference, O'Reilly said, "I'm a worker. He's not a worker."

O'Reilly will be meeting with voters at Romito & Sons at 21 North Main St. in East Longmeadow at 6:30 p.m. on April 21.

For additional information, log onto www.edoreilly.com.
© 2008 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Okay, over at my book-in-progress blog "Made of Pen and Ink" is a newly added chapter on Betty Boop. Seen above is Helen Kane, the singer on whom Betty Boop was based.

I haven't posted films reviews in quite a while, so let me start off with some animation.

Sony Pictures has released "Blood +," an anime series which has been seen on the "Adult Swim" programming block of Cartoon Network.

Japanese animation or anime is much more adventurous than American animation in its willingness to use the medium to tell a variety of stories. The problem with anime is that like any other type of popular culture there is a large percentage that relies on clich s or on the conventions set by truly innovative productions.

Anime is filled with school girl heroines, hideous monsters and overly intricate plotlines that are like soap operas, as well as visual and animation devices that are used over and over.

I'm happy to say that while "Blood +" has a school girl heroine, hideous monsters and an intricate plot, its writing is compelling, the animation strives for a kind of realism other productions never achieve, and I was definitely hooked.

"Blood +" is about Saya, who at first resembles any other teenage Japanese school girl. The difference is that Saya is suffering from amnesia and her adoptive father has kept the story of her past from her. What she doesn't know but is to find out is that she is the one person capable of destroying vampire-like creatures known as "chiroptera."

Although there is plenty of blood-letting, "Blood +" seems to avoid many of the primary pitfalls of anime: the reliance on conventions in order to avoid having to do something different.

Sony has released the first five half-hour episodes onto one disc, "Blood + Volume One," and the entire 26 episode first season in a six-disc boxed set that comes complete with a T-shirt and a mini-comic adopting the story into manga Japanese comic book style.

There are no extras on the stand-alone volume, but in the boxed set , one of the six discs is all interviews with the series' creators.

Be aware that if you buy the stand-alone disc, those five shows are all repeated in the boxed set.

Animation fans who would like to try something different, should seek out "Blood +."

For more information, log onto www.sonypictures.com.

Bee Movie: A Very Jerry 2-Disc Edition

Entertainment writers have been spewing stories about the "Seinfeld" curse now for several years, and the box office success of Jerry Seinfeld's follow-up vehicle, "Bee Movie," certainly showed he was under the same dark cloud as some of his co-stars.

The film will be out on DVD shortly and if you're a fan of the film, the two-disc edition will give you all the "Bee" stuff you could possibly want.

The film is about Barry Benson, a bee who is challenging the status quo of the hive. While other bees know what they want to do, Barry doesn't and this eventually leads him to a friendship with a human (played by Renee Zellweger). This friendship and the realization humans exploit bees for honey leads to a class action suit against the human race brought on behalf of bees.

I have to admit that in an animated kids' movie I never thought the concept of a lawsuit for exploitation would be a plot point, but then there's a lot in this film that is more for adults than for children.

I took my nephew Douglas to the film when it was in theaters and although he liked it, he didn't laugh once. I did laugh several times, but we had far different reactions to "The Simpsons Movie:" a stream of belly laughs.

Seinfeld co-wrote the film and stars as Barry. I think it's fascinating to see him develop a property that is as about as far away from his hit television series as he could get.

I liked the film. It's pleasant and despite the class action lawsuit and genocide sub-plots, it's generally enjoyable. I just didn't find it as funny as many other recent animated offerings.

The extras in this two-disc set reveal a little of how the film was made. Seinfeld did not want to leave his New York City home so Dreamworks set up an office with a two-way television/computer system so Seinfeld could meet and collaborate with the production crew on the west coast.

There is one obnoxious featurette that is merely a commercial for HP computers, which were used in the making of the film.

The extras also have two deleted scenes and five alternative endings. It's interesting to see that Seinfeld and his directors were obviously unsure on how to end the picture and kept re-working the scene.

If you liked the movie or are a Seinfeld fan, this two-disc set is a honey. I'm very sorry, but I resisted the bee puns until the very end.

Okay, now some non-animated features.

The Monastery: Mr. Vig and the Nun

This Danish documentary tells less than what I would liked to have learned about an eccentric Dane and his wish to turn a castle into a monastery, but the film is still interesting viewing.

Filmmaker Pernille Rose Gr nkj r followed around Mr. Vig, a man in his eighties, for five years, recording his efforts to establish a Russian Orthodox monastery in the small castle he owned.

Although we learn much about Vig, he is still quite a puzzle. Although he looks frail, he seems to take pleasure in physical labor. He has an obsession with noses, has never been in love, and can recount there has only been one person he has truly admired his father.

He doesn't seem very religious at this point in his life, but clearly the study of religion has been important to him and he has decided that if he could establish a monastery at his run-down estate he will have created a lasting monument to himself.

The Moscow patriarchate agrees to send Sister Amvrosija to evaluate the castle and to work out the details with Vig. A positive but no-nonsense woman, she and Vig almost instantly begin clashing.

One realizes that when confronted with the possibility of seeing his dreams realized, Vig begins having cold feet. The Russian nun will have none of that and pushes forward to put an agreement in place and to repair the castle.

I really would have wanted to know more about Vig how he obtained the castle, what was his profession, how did he support himself at the time of the filming but we aren't given that information. It would have made the story much richer.

Even with these flaws, the film is well worth watching for folks who want to see a very unusual story.

For more information, visit www.themonasterymovie.com.

The Kite Runner

Based on the book of the same name, "The Kite Runner" is a movie that while not depicting a true story rings very true.

The movie tells the story of Amir, a boy whose growing up is marked by a horrible act of abuse on his best friend, his inability to face that act and his departure from his native Afghanistan to the United States.

While this part of the story is compelling enough, it is what happens to Amir as young man that elevates the story to something above most dramas. Amir receives a phone call from a family friend telling him to come home, as "there is a way to be good again."

Amir discovers Hassan, his childhood friend, has been killed by the Taliban and sets out on a quest to rescue Hassan's son who still is in Kabul.

I can't give you more details, as there are several surprises.

This film is part immigrant story, part current affairs and part self-discovery for the central character of Amir. The performances by an international cast of relative unknowns are superb with Homayoun Ershadi standing out as Amir's father.

This is a great movie and one that is worth seeking out. Be warned, though, much of the film is sub-titled, but I hope that won't put you off watching this film.

For more information, go to www.kiterunnermovie.com.

The Tudors, First Season

This Showtime series, now on DVD, has a lot going for it. A loosey-goosey depiction of the life and loves of King Henry VIII, the show probably will give historians hives as it does play fast and loose with many of the details of the monarch's life.

Where it does probably succeed English history professors are encouraged to write in and tell me if I'm right is the capriciousness and the bloody politics of Henry's reign.

Oh yes, that and the fact that he was, in today's parlance, a dog.

My problem is that while the shows can boast of great settings, costumes and performances as well as well-written scripts, it cheapens itself when the story turns to Henry's bedroom antic. What was once a historical drama now is soft-core porn.

These sequences are so gratuitous that one could clip them from the film and no one would know the difference.

So while I can give a recommendation to the show in general, I have to add a big warning for scenes you really don't want your kids to see.

For more information, log onto www.sho.com/tudors.

Southland Tales

I've never seen "Donnie Darko," the cult film by writer and director Richard Kelly, but I've received many recommendations about it. That's why I decided to waste two hours of my life and watch his second film.

That was a big mistake, but I watch these things so you don't have to!

A darkly comic, satiric science fiction film with bold political themes, "Southland Tales" is one of those films that has so much potentially going for it that its failure is even more spectacular.

Kelly had come up with a plan: the film would be preceded by a series of graphic novels and the narrative would be concluded with the film itself. Perhaps the film makes more sense if you read the comics, but as a rule it should stand on its own.

The trouble is the story simply makes little sense and the film veers from something serious to something stupid. It opens with a nuclear attack on the United States, begins a story about the aftermath, World War III and the suspension of many civil liberties and then descends into a low comedy look at a group of far leftists trying to upset an election.

Kelly assembled quite a cast headed by Dwayne Johnson and includes Sarah Michelle Gellar, Justin Timberlake and a whole bunch of comic performers in straight roles (Jon Lovitz, Seann William Scott, Will Sasso, Cheri Oteri and Amy Poehler).

There's a lot of talent wasted in this film that just can't tell a story.

Yes, there are extras, but I was so disgusted by this self-important farce, I couldn't make myself watch them. The film was punishment enough.

For more information, log onto www.southlandtales.com.

Mulberry Street

My fellow horror movie fan Mark Masztal and I discovered this film when it played as part of the After Dark Horror Film Festival. After sitting though a really terrible film "Lake Dead" we had little hope for this film that depicts New York City in the midst of a hideous epidemic.

Boy, were we wrong. "Mulberry Street" is an expertly made film that packs in the jolts at the same time it establishes realistic characters. Director Jim Mickle, who co-wrote the screenplay with Nick Damici, clearly understands what is lacking in so many so-called horror films today and gives us a scary story with a very humanistic core.

The premise, like many good fright films, sounds ridiculous humans bit by rats are turning into rat-like creatures themselves. The execution is another thing. This film works on every level.

Want a good scare and a good film? Check out "Mulberry Street."

For more information, go to www.mulberrystreetmovie.com.
© 2008 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

An update on the house on the street that was set ablaze recently: The city came and secured the home and cleaned up the property. Despite my efforts so far I haven't been able to contact the owner. Thanks to the folks in the mayor's office for responding so well.

Mark Not the Race Car Driver has brought up several points which deserve to be addressed. He asked why the neighbors couldn't have boarded up the house themselves. Well, it's illegal for us to do so.

Until the city takes the house for unpaid taxes – which is a fairly long process – it is private property. We just can't go over and seal it up. The city has to go to Housing Court and get an emergency order after a waiting period in which an attempt is made to contact the owner of the property.

What the city did was to properly board up the house and then clean away all of the fire-debris. Since there was a lot of leaves and trash all over the place, they also cleaned that stuff up.

All of that clean-up and securing would have been time consuming, expensive and again illegal if the neighbors had been able to do it.

Mark has also brought up the question of how or why a burnt house "hurts" a neighborhood. A shell that sit there for years – and these things can sit for years – sends a clear message that the owners of the property care little of their homes, that they walk away from their obligations and responsibilities. As a homeowner I must abide by the health and safety ordinances of the city. The owner of a fire-damaged home who does nothing is saying "Screw you."

Most people want to live in an urban neighborhood in which people are making the attempt to keep their property up to code and looking reasonably well. I've had to replace a roof (almost $10,000) repoint chimneys ($1,500) paint the house ($2.500) and am preparing to have it painted again, besides doing other things (plumbing and electrical work) as part of meeting city standards and up-grading my home.

If your property is next to one that is literally a wreck, your home's re-sell potential is greatly affected. Who wants to live next to a fire-damaged abandoned property?

Mark has also expressed questions on why I'm blaming the owner of the home rather than the people who started the fire. His analogy was what if my home was broken into when Mary and I were visiting Scotland; would it be fair to print my name in newspapers saying it was my fault I didn't secure my house well enough?

Well, I suppose I took for granted that everyone reading this blog would understand that I want the bastards who torched this place to suffer the proper consequences. I guess I was wrong. This isn't a liberal or conservative thing – although Mark's argument seems to leaning in the direction that I'm some sort of blame the victim guy. This is a getting-along-in-the-big-city kind of thing.

An absentee owner of property in a city knows that to protect their investment they need security and a local property manager. For a neighborhood to succeed, everyone needs to live up to their responsibilities.

One final thing, the question was asked about what was so bad about a landlord leaving a home open so a homeless person could get out of the rain. The problem is it's not just the homeless who might find the home, it's the drug dealers, it's the gang members. I don't want a place near me that is tailor-made for illegal activity.

If I knew there was a homeless person on the street I would make some calls to organizations that help the homeless so that person can get real help in getting off the streets. I've covered the homeless issue in Springfield perhaps more than any single reporter and we have some programs that are working here. Allowing someone to squat isn't going to get them into a real home, get real medical care, link them up to a real job.

© 2008 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

This just in: my book from Arcadia Press on Springfield history has a publication date of Aug. 25. That's two book projects published within 12 months.

Now if people would just buy them! I want to retire!

I've sent another chapter for the Fleischer book to the publisher who has expressed interest. I'll be posting it to the Fleischer blog in the next several days.

And I have two more projects on which I'll start serious work. I've got a little momentum and I'd like to keep it up.

An update on the house that was set afire down my street:

I called the appropriate person in the mayor's office and he has taken the action needed for the city to secure the house. I haven't checked about the tax status of the property, but I will. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to find there are back taxes due.

In my newspaper column this week I questioned if it was possible for the city to have a mechanism to try to prevent this kind of thing from happening. It's undoubtedly pie in the sky, but if abandoned, unsecured properties were reported, perhaps the fires that diminish the neighborhood could be prevented.

Mark M wrote," What are the reasons an owner would just abandon a house? More expensive to pay the taxes and upkeep than to just lose the house? I'm sure this is all 'common knowledge' to you guys who pay attention, the reasons someone would do that. What I'm wondering is, who can blame him? If it's a lose-lose situation for the guy, is he supposed to personally drive up here and make sure the house is secured? And how much would it cost to truly secure an empty house in Springfield?

"I'm not defending the guy. Just wondering what he coulda / shoulda done. I guess if he doesn't want the responsibility of being a good steward to the neighborhood, he should sell - but can he? Maybe he can't get back what he owes on the thing so he throws up his hands and says the hell with it?

"Or maybe he's a slumlord buying on the cheap to run the neighborhood down so he can sell it off and then get a big lucrative bulldozer contract with the city?

"It's baffling as hell. I'm inclined to say the culprits are the pricks who spray graffiti all over the house and catch it on fire, but maybe the Florida owner is at fault."

Okay, let me try to address this issue. In a city such as Springfield, out of town investors have bought a lot of rental property over the past 20 years. The up side is money can be made and the worse thing is that if you can't sell the property to someone else, you can simply walk away.

Walking away means avoiding having to fix up the place if there are code violations and not having to pay property tax. The city will eventually take your property in lieu of paid taxes. They can't sue you. They can't file criminal charges.

People who live here do this as well. The owner of Western Mass. Theaters walked away from the Calvin in Northampton, the Rivoli in Chicopee and the Bing in Springfield. And he's a local guy. He created problems for three communities.

I suppose the worst thing for the absentee owner would be the financial situation such an abandonment would cause with a lender.

© 2008 by Gordon Michael Dobbs