Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Oreo, Southeastern Fire Football & Primark

Now I am finally caught up to the randomness of my life and what I've done as of late. Recently, I viewed Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. In fact, the original was viewed by me both as an adult and a kid; it's always remained enjoyable. The entire era where Tim Burton has made bad movies-it's entirely been avoided by me, as hearsay was enough for me to stay away. There was skepticism as to if the sequel would be like most of the bad, needless, creatively lazy sequels/reboots/whatever of recent years. Of course the original is better but Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice was still pretty good. While not all the humor hit nor were all the weird new ideas successful, some of them did work and it was REALLY appreciated by me that the movie wasn't full of fan-service, fell into the modern tropes or had the title character act politically correct. Instead, it felt in the spirit of the OG property and thank goodness it wasn't “safe.” Even the musical choices I approved of-it was different from the Harry Belafonte heard in 1988. By the way, the limited edition Haunted Apple from Fanta—it has a mixed reception yet the flavor is good to me.

As a random aside, the new Oreo flavor for Coca-Cola Zero Sugar was tried. The regular Zero Sugar was never tried before, mind you... nor will I ever try that! There are good reasons why I don't drink diet or zero sugar sodas—the taste is like sewer water, to borrow a phrase. Sorry, even w/ the taste of Oreo, it was not a taste preferable to me.

Recently I drove to the Florida Mall where the new Primark store was visited. I have it on good authority that their location at the Sawgrass Mills Mall near Miami is huge & has a great selection. The Orlando location of this famous Irish chain is small, has a bad layout and the selection was rather poor. What a massive disappointment. Otherwise, no new places have been visited as of late that weren't mentioned recently. This includes restaurants... although for the first time in at least 15 years, I ate at the California Pizza Kitchen restaurant at the Mall at Millenia. They've been open as long as I can remember and their food is fine, so might as well go there, right? The quality of their food hasn't changed, thankfully.

A few days ago, I went to the AMC at Disney Springs to see The Killer's Game, a film starring Dave Bautista, some other people from Marvel movies, various B-movie actors and even Ben Kingsley. It was Great Value Guy Ritchie, Tarantino and John Wick stuck in a blender; nothing more needs to be said about it.

Finally, I'll mention that last Saturday I went to Lakeland to see an NAIA football team play—the Southeastern Fire. I've been there before to see games as they have a nice stadium which is great compared to some other teams on the same or similar level who typically play in random municipal stadiums. Albeit, those previous two games were in 2015 (against a college which would soon then close its doors) and 2018, so my return was long-overdue. This time it was against Reinhardt, located north of Atlanta. It was a muggy night and during the game, there were flashes of lightning in the distance. Suddenly those came closer... yes, there was a delay, which ended up lasting two hours. No, I did not stick around to the end. The delay began late in the 3^rd quarter w/ Southeastern leading 21-10. Plus, the heavens opened up and it started pouring; waiting around in the car for an indeterminate amount of time wasn't going to happen. I saw enough where it was a satisfying experience at the stadium. There have been changes in college football in recent years—to an old goat like me, most aren't for the better but plenty can argue about that. While this also applies to NAIA football it's not to the same degree so I can view those games without feeling conflicted.

On the way back I did stop at a Harvey's Supermarket; they are owned by Winn-Dixie so the products are the same. As I left, a couple best described as “derelict” were arguing w/ each other to an uncomfortable degree. They were ignored the best that I could and thank heavens they paid no heed to me.

My return will be sometime in October.

Gochujang Sauce, Alien: Romulus, Coraline, Afraid, Sid Vicious & James Earl Jones

Around this time next week I'll make my next post & finally I will be caught up. For now, discussion of a few theatrical movies plus several random tidbits. First, just why my opinion of Alien: Romulus was lower than that of most people. Alien is a classic & Aliens is one of my personal favorites. Romulus was just dumb from the beginning, was even more dimly-lit than most modern movies, had insufferable characters, the inclusion of a certain actor & the size of their role was just a horrendous idea and by the final act it seemed like a fan film... a bad fan film. Why many people liked or even loved it is beyond me.

Coraline in comparison was much more appealing to my tastes; while it was something I should have watched when it first came out 15 years ago, at least my initial viewing was on the big screen. Between the stunning stop-motion animation, the macabre story and the score, it was a delightful experience. Not as delightful was viewing a movie I suspected would be bad, and Afraid was indeed that. At least it was at the AMC at Disney Springs. Afraid has John Cho and his family receive an AI device that runs the house-as they constantly remind you, it's much more advanced than Alexa. The movie was just a dumb mess which did at least try to be modern but it was so disjointed and the final 10 minutes became so hysterical, I can't give it a passing grade yet at the same time it can't be rated as terrible. It was viewed in one of their 10 Dine-In auditoriums, meaning a dinner of boneless wings was had by me. For the first time I tried it with gochujang sauce, not knowing for sure what the taste would be. You know what, it was actually pretty good; it's a sauce that should have been tried by me in the past.

As a pro wrestling fan of course I have to mention that Sid Vicious (i.e. Sid, Sycho Sid, Sid Justice, etc.) passing away recently was sad news. Sure, he was eccentric-that's why he never stayed in one federation for too long-but what a million dollar look and million dollar charisma he had. People I know who haven't watched in ages still remembered him. I did see him wrestle live once: at a WCW Nitro show in Rockford, Illinois. For a show in a minor market like Rockford they went all out with surprises and big matches. Besides getting to see a match in the perennial feud between Sting and Ric Flair, Sid wrestled against none other than Hulk Hogan.

Finally, like everyone else I was saddened to hear that James Earl Jones died. Yet I shouldn't be too sad—he lived to the age of 93 and for decades was beloved by millions around the world. It's a voice that will be missed as it's literally been heard by me since my childhood.

To reiterate, sometime next week I shall return.

Cook Out, Sinclair Gas, Mountain Dew Overdrive, Toasted Ravioli & Other Kansas Road Trip Anecdotes

Sometime in September I'll mention the other things I've done as of late (including my explanation of why unlike many, Alien: Romulus was a movie I did not like, and I love both Alien & Aliens) but there's plenty for me to say about how I took my first road trip in fifteen (!) years and drove a vehicle from Florida to Kansas then flew back home several days later. The reasons why aren't important—it's nothing for anyone to be concerned about. The long drive on my own wouldn't be a concern; sure, the only times that I'd been in a car on the way to Kansas as an adult was w/ someone driving but I've driven from Illinois to Florida on several occasions in the past. I had podcasts and music to listen to so that wasn't a concern.

I left on Sunday the 11^th and drove to Tupelo, Mississippi; America's Best Value Inn was just that. It wasn't fancy but at least I slept in a king bed, had a mini fridge/microwave and it was less than 100 bucks. First, food was at at a Cook Out restaurant, a popular Carolinas joint but they had one in Troy, Alabama. Their famed shakes were good but I hope their burgers aren't always burned like they were here. Dinner was at a Jack's... no, not Jack in the Box but an Alabama staple known as Jack's.

The chicken fingers were tasty; the service, rather horrible. It took me a half hour to get my food! They had an issue making food but of course it took me overhearing a conversation to know this instead of anyone informing me of that fact. Never stop at the Jack's in Parrish, Alabama. What I learned on this trip: the theory concerning how workers in certain occupations went to other jobs after COVID so at places like gas stations and restaurants in general, the average worker is not that great at their job, to say the least. I wasn't sure if it was just a Florida thing but it seems to be true nationwide.

Monday the 12^th I drove to the Wichita area of Kansas and oh boy, it left me frazzled. Not only was there busy traffic in Arkansas and Oklahoma, I was stunned by how many bad, erratic drives there were. No details but I was relieved to be at my final destination. It was at least amusing to get gas and then a quick bite to eat at a KUM & GO station (that name will soon be eradicated as they were bought out recently. Might as well, given that the food service & maintenance on their soft drink dispenser was only mediocre. It's always neat to stop at a Sinclair as hey, a dinosaur is their logo and dinos are cool.

Oh, and in Memphis a rest room stop was needed and as I literally drove by the giant pyramid that used to be an arena but now is a giant Bass Pro Shops, that's where I stopped then looked around for a short amount of time. They have a LOT in there, including a pond in the middle, restaurants and a museum. Believe it or not, me and two pals once went on Spring Break in Memphis 21 years ago and we saw the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Chicago Bulls in a game as tickets were only like 9 bucks each. The area looked great but otherwise was rather lousy. They were still building their current arena at the time. It sat abandoned for years until the bizarre idea happened for it to become a huge store. It was nice to visit there again, in other words.

I won't dwell on my time in Kansas, except that of course it was nice to hang out with family, and at one point babysit a toddler for a bit. Thankfully that turned out fine as he was usually preoccupied and otherwise didn't have any meltdowns. Nothing new was visited in Wichita yet that's OK. I did visit a Casey's in Oklahoma for a Monday evening meal the another afternoon in Kansas for a drink. I hadn't visited a Casey's General Store in many years. That's where I had Mountain Dew Overdrive (a punch) and Goji Citrus Strawberry. Both were good, as was me having LiveWire. They haven't sold LiveWire in Florida in years, sadly.

Friday the 16^th, it was time to fly home. Allegiant doesn't have direct flights to Orlando or the Tampa area so instead, it was Southwest for me. I'd never been on Southwest before; heck, I'd never been on a flight w/ a layover before either. The first flight was to St. Louis then a 2 hour wait until the flight to Orlando International. The first flight was bumpy but otherwise fine. In St. Louis it seemed a neat idea to try a local delicacy, which was sold in more than one restaurant. I had the toasted ravioli; interesting yet good.

The flight to Orlando was in the evening so was only 1/6 full. Pretty soon they'll end this practice but they still currently assign you a spot in line, where you then enter the plane and pick your own seat. Both times were aisle seats so it was much more comfortable than the typical Allegiant flight. The service on both legs was rather good; there was free (salty) pretzels and a beverage, my checked suitcase was free—so overall I was happy w/ Southwest. The airline has occasional hiccups due to their ancient computer system but don't worry, there was no issue on either Boeing 737 I was on, even the MAX that was the second leg. What a horrible past few years Boeing has had but that's another topic for another time.

Overall, even with the negatives, it was nice to see that I can still drive 20 some odd hours over the span of two days even as a middle-aged person, experience some new things, and spend time w/ family. Like I said, I'll see you in September.

Twisters, A Quiet Place: Day One, Paris Olympics & July Craziness

As it's a rainy afternoon now & the Olympics are on the TV, it was time for me to do one of these. Now, it's not been too eventful a July. Mainly, I've returned to various places to eat and for entertainment. For example, Mecum had their smaller-scale version of their auto auction in Kissimmee earlier on the month, so I went one day. The same goes for various restaurants; yesterday I ate at a Yard House for the first time since last year. Oh, and one afternoon I got a much-needed haircut; in fact, more needed than usual.Otherwise, I've watched various sports on TV (like the MLB All-Star Game) and marveled at all the wild events in July. This includes the attempted political assassination and general shocking moments in that world along w/ too many celebrity deaths of figures that were popular when I was a kid. You know, like Richard Simmons and Shelley Duvall.

The Olympics probably aren't seen as “cool” by some and I realize the exorbitant cost of hosting one. It's still entertaining to me, whether it be the popular sports or the niche ones like handball, archery and field hockey. I was amused by the opening ceremonies and how they were even more bombastic & weirder than typical—the parade of athletes in boats down the Seine, a Celine Dion musical number on the Eiffel Tower, French heavy metal bands doing a musical number about the French Revolution, a piano lighting on fire, etc. Anyhow, I know Mom would have loved watching this edition of the games; she always did. I still can't believe she passed away on the 25^th of this month 4 years ago already. Sigh...

To close this out, what I've seen theatrically since the 4^th of July:

First I'll mention Kill, a Hindi-language movie from India that not only is more interesting than its generic title, is not the wild 3 hour blend of many genres that includes musical numbers that many people assume all Indian cinema is. Rather, it's more along the lines of John Wick or the Indonesian Raid movies. The lead does battle with many villains on a train and wow does it being graphically violent. It was a blast as there was still the melodrama that you usually find in Indian cinema. It was neat seeing a serious, gruesome bloody martial arts picture from that country, and on the big screen no less.

A Quiet Place: Day One I realize is a film that some didn't like as it was more about a personal story between two characters (and a cat!) rather than an epic blockbuster about how those aliens first invaded Earth. If you're fine with that, you can be like me and enjoy a drama-thriller with many introspective moments alongside the scary alien bits. Thankfully, I've liked all the movies in that franchise so far.

Finally, last weekend was Twisters. The crowd experience wasn't the best but I won't dwell on that. Instead, it was dumb popcorn entertainment that I still had fun with, no matter how scientifically implausible it probably was. The original Twister I don't love yet does have a nice memory attached to it: the entire family saw the movie theatrically during the summer of '96.

Sometime in August I'll return. Nothing is on the agenda... yet.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Thelma, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 & 4th of July

As I had the free time to do one of these (nothing is ever done on the 4^th of July... which is not a complaint as it's easier to relax at home & view fireworks on the TV rather than going out among the masses & trying to see some when the weather may not cooperate anyhow.), this was part of my afternoon entertainment. Aside from a haircut that was in fact much-needed, the only thing I've done of note was viewing some films.

The first one I'll mention is the Netflix special I experienced last night. For YEARS there were rumors of a Beverly Hills Cop 4, to the point I never thought there would ever be one. The first two are cool, while the third, rather bad. Finally, it happened, and... while not as terrible as 3, I otherwise wasn't a fan. The story was just lame & obvious, the presence of too much modern humor was a turn-off, Axel Foley wasn't the legacy character done the dirtiest by Axel F, and the character of Axel's daughter I could just never warm up to. When even the action wasn't shot in a thrilling way—disappointing. Still, many others like it more than me so your mileage may vary.

Last week I saw an independent movie theatrically called Thelma. It starred June Squibb, an actress in her 90's who has voiced some Pixar characters and I know her best for the 2014 independent movie Nebraska, starring Bruce Dern. Whether on stage or on screen, this was her first starring role, which is amazing. It's about a senior citizen who is ripped off in a phone scam & she wants her money back. It's a charming movie about the perils of aging which does not become condescending and it is great she teams up with Richard Roundtree-this was his last role before he died last fall.

Finally, several days ago I viewed Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1. I don't love everything he's ever done and have never seen his former show Yellowstone but I do respect how he used millions of dollars of his own money to bring an ambitious passion project to the screen—of course, this decision literally ruined his marriage and the box office performance was as mediocre as I figured for a movie that skewed towards audiences even older than me, but alas... a 12 hour epic saga Western in four different chapters in a theatrical setting is a tough sell. Me, I appreciated how it did NOT feel like a modern movie and instead I greatly enjoyed this 3 hour film (flaws & all) which juggled many different characters in several distinct settings; presumably everyone from all the settings will meet up in Chapter 4 but regardless, I saw enough where I am on board to see Chapter 2 and where they take the film. Thankfully, Chapter 2 is in early August although the rest won't be until next year.

When I return later in July, there will be more to discuss. Hopefully everyone has a nice 4^th.

Mountain Dew Summer Flavors, Run Lola Run, In a Violent Nature & Pinocchio Village Haus

Now I should finally be caught up. One thing I've enjoyed so far this summer is the THREE new Mountain Dew flavors that for me unexpectedly appear at the grocery store; of course I enjoy Liberty Chill (formerly Liberty Brew, which combines FIFTY flavors), the raspberry/strawberry Star Spangled Splash and the peach lemonade Freedom Fusion. Also good are both Pepsi Peach and Pepsi Lime along with the coconut-flavored Dr. Pepper, most of which I mentioned previously. By the way, I just learned that there is yet another new flavor, this one only at Speedway & 7-11 stores: Infinite Swirl, which sounds awfully similar to the old Typhoon flavor as it's also strawberry-pineapple. That will have to be discussed next time.

One activity I did a few days ago: return to Walt Disney World, the Magic Kingdom in particular. Thankfully it wasn't too unbearably hot or too unbearably busy. Tiana's Bayou Adventure-the replacement for Splash Mountain-will open in a few days; looking at the exterior, I noticed that a tree now partially blocked the popular view of people going down the hill... even more peculiar is that as of now, there are only small signs noting this new attraction. Why isn't there a giant sign at the entrance like there was w/ Splash Mountain? Disney has baffled me along with many others in recent years; maybe a sign will go up by the time it opens on Friday. At least for dinner I ate at Pinocchio Village Haus, a restaurant in Fantasyland which has decent food.

Regardless, I'll close this out by mentioning the two films I've watched on the big screen. First was Run Lola Run; yes, the German film from the late 90's that was 4K restored and released mainly at AMC Cinemas due to a lack of new movies. I had never seen it before. In 2024, the late 90's electronic music throughout most of the runtime tickled me pink but its unique plot/format still felt fresh now-I was glad to have finally given it a shot.

My opinion of the horror movie In a Violent Nature is far less glowing. It's a Canadian independent production which is designed to be like an 80's slasher out in the woods where the perspective is from the killer that's a blatant ripoff of undead Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13^th. Unfortunately, this means plenty of walking around doing nothing, a switch in perspective at times that belies the gimmick, insufferable characters all over the place, it was shot in a modern style, and gore so absurdly over the top it's just stupid. I HATED the movie and how the conclusion included a random 5 minute soliloquy from a new character which meant absolutely nothing. Yes, this was pretentious also & tried to “subvert expectations”, which usually really upsets me after experiencing how The Last Jedi followed that exact same formula. Naturally, many “film fans” dig it but Lord did I not.

When I return sometime in July, I should be discussing better films than that.

Oakland Athletics, Hogan’s Hangout, Eaton’s Beach, Red Lobster & TGI Friday’s

As has become customary now, this is Part 1 of what I’ve done in the past month, with Part 2’s posting to occur in around 24 hours. I’ll start with the negatives first. Several people I know (no, not immediate family) have had health issues as of late, which have included major surgery in one case. They are all fine now. However, someone I met a few times years ago—he unexpectedly died earlier in the month. The fact that he was only a few years older than me… in addition, Donald Sutherland passing away bummed me out too.

Now, onto my usual frivolity. Late in May I had the opportunity to visit the St. Petersburg area one afternoon/evening. First, I went to Hogan’s Hangout in Clearwater. Yes, that’s as in Hulk Hogan; long ago he used to have a standard restaurant in Tampa attached to a hotel but that closed. Now, he has a beach dive bar/restaurant which is as grungy as you’d expect but they did have pretty tasty shrimp. No, The Hulkstar wasn’t in attendance. Afterwards was the drive to Tropicana Field to see the Tampa Bay Rays lose to the Oakland Athletics 3-0. Not the most exciting game yet it was still fun; furthermore, due to a flash sale I had good seats for not a lot of cash. Neither team is full of superstars but that is OK.

Otherwise, nothing too extraordinary as of late. Several restaurants old to me were revisited for the first time in awhile; this includes Eaton’s Beach Sandbar & Grill in Weirdsdale w/ family, a Miller’s Ale House, Red Lobster (a shame what happened w/ them), and a TGI Friday’s where there was more staff than customers but the food was decent & the jukebox played 80’s hits… including Gerald McMann’s Cry Little Sister, as famously heard in The Last Boys! I also visited the likes of Citywalk one night and the Florida Mall one afternoon for the first time in months. Finally, a few days ago I went to Walt Disney World… the Magic Kingdom in particular.

I’ll definitely have more to say tomorrow, from movie reviews to new soda flavors.