The Valentine Film Series

In my home town of Toledo, there is a grand theater known as The Valentine. This theater sat abandoned and languishing in downtown for years, until there was a push to restore it to its former glory.

And I gotta say, it succeeded.

I've been to a few events in this theater. Plays, Operas, and, most importantly, showings of vintage Hollywood films.

Downtown Toledo does not have much to attract. Department stores and shopping centers that once attracted thousands of customers have long since moved to the suburbs. About the only people that still hold regular jobs in downtown Toledo are the people that work in City or County government like me. And the only people that don't hold that kind of job work in the restaurants that serve those employees.

But our city fathers keep trying. They work to ensure that the few remaining businesses that stay downtown draw in as many people as they can. Like the Toledo Mud Hens. And the Toledo Walleye.

And the Valentine Theater film series

And, as I sat and enjoyed Jaws yesterday as part of the VFS, I laughed as dozens of audience members screamed after that face popped out of the sunken boat.

(Look it up. How many times do I have to tell you people that I'm not your search engine?!)

I think that it is impossible to express how proud I am as a dweller of a major urban area of the folks who try to keep urban areas thriving. It's an uphill battle.

As if I needed any More Proof...

There's a movie coming out next month: Friends With Benefits.

As far as I can tell from what I've seen from the trailers and media reports, this movie's plot is almost identical to the movie that came out less than half a year ago. You may recall it: No Strings Attached.

May I also point out some other similarities?

NSA starred Natalie Portman, the Oscar-winning actress from Black Swan. Her co-star was Mila Kunis.

FWB stars Mila Kunis. She was the actress who appeared opposite Natalie Portman in Black Swan

NSA featured Natalie in numerous sexual situations, while exposing her to no actual nudity.

FWB appears to feature Mila mostly the same.

Both movies feature male and female friends who attempt to engage in purely physical relationships. Against the advice of their friends.

Both movies show that such relationships are impossible.

And again I point out that both movies appear less than half a year from each other.

Further proof that there are no original ideas left in Hollywood.

I Pledge Allegiance...

This may be the funniest--and scariest--thing I've seen in a long time!




I love the "Now come and get your Ritalin" at the end!

My Favorite Expression

It has always been the one mostly attributed to the Spanish-American Philosopher George Santayana, who wrote--paraphrasing--"Those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to relearn them:.

Those are not the exact words attributed to him.

But wiser words were never spoken or written.

And no words have ever been been more ignored.

Take a look back through history, and think a minute about how many times variations of the same events have been repeated throughout the history of humankind.

Take one of the more recent examples: World War 2.

Only a little more than 20 years after World War 1, a cataclysm that claimed the lives of half the population of Europe, another, even bigger war started--World War 2. And this war claimed even more lives, and was responsible for unleashing the Atomic bomb, currently the most frightening weapon of mass destruction known to the world.

The world now sits in dread of what might happen when and if World War 3 comes.

We, as a species, do not seem to be able to learn from our mistakes. Even mistakes that nearly wipe us out.

This is not the behavior of a rational race. And I fear that this behavior may be our doom.

On the other hand, however, we have survived these errors in judgment for centuries. Maybe someone IS looking out for us. For our own good.