RenoVous

  We found a time capsule in the middle of the desert. Some filming for Independence Day  took place in Rachel, NV. Specifically, the mobile home park Russell Casse lived in with his kids. And it was during this time that SR 375 officially became known as the Extraterrestrial Highway. The studio is now owned by Disney. It's important to note that when Will Smith is walking towards Area 51, he is on the Bonneville Salt Flats.  Not even Nevada desert.

  One of the most famous books in English literature was released on this day in 1897. While it has inspired numerous movies and vampire lore in general, it wasn't the first. Carmilla  came out in 1872, and heavily influenced later Gothic vampire fiction.  It may be that a female antagonist was less appealing to early film adaptations, but it's also noted that Stoker's "monster-hunting plot" was better for the stage and screen.  There's also some history that predates all of this, that of Vlad the Impaler. Vlad II joined the Order of the Dragon in 1431 and took the name Dracul.  His son, Vlad III, would then take the name Dracula, or son of the dragon. Bran Castle has become the tourist destination for the look that inspired Stoker, but his real home was Poenari Castle. Despite the fact that Stoker did not invent the name Dracula, his wife pursued copyright protections against the studio making Nosferatu.   They changed the vampire's name to Count Orlock, ...

  I read an article about a movie that recently came out, a fictionalized account of understanding plant consciousness. "Researchers tend to define consciousness loosely as the ability to experience - the subjective, ineffable feeling of being alive." From the neural network mycelium provides, to the physical responses plants can have to the world around them, there is definitely a sense of being alive. I was once ridiculed by a behavioral psychologist for suggesting an animal's thought process, because to him there was no such thing.  But even if it's different than how we think, I do believe it is evident in other life forms.

 This was our old Century theater - domes, and I remember red curtains on the stage around the screens.  Not like today's IMAX theaters, with reclining chairs and all that. The vibe is still there.  The popcorn, of course, and the social experience of sharing a reaction with the audience in the dark.  I have some great memories of moments like that. I honestly don't go often, but when I do, it's usually horror.  My sister and I saw one recently, and I took my niece to see a Flashback Cinema showing of The Shining. I do like the drive-in. We picked up a projector that will connect to your phone.  Hubby has some movies downloaded on his for our camps, and this was one night in Mattole. Super Troopers.

 A cultural icon, born on this day, 1946. Of course, being the daughter of another icon helped pave the way, but "the original nepo baby" still had to work hard to make it on Broadway. In 1965 she made history as the youngest actress to win a Tony, for Flora the Red Menace. She was first on the silver screen in 1949 with her mother, and her first credited role came in 1967, in Charlie Bubbles.   She was nominated for an Oscar for The Sterile Cuckoo  in 1969. She would win it in 1972. And two days ago, she released her memoir, Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! You can bet she has stories to tell.  From a childhood steeped in Hollywood and addiction, to her times with Andy Warhol, Halston, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Frank Sinatra, and Michael Jackson - to name a few. "I survived it," she says, while a social media account marks all the things she continues to outlive.

From the movie Sinners  comes this Oscar-nominated song, written by Ludwig Goransson and Raphael Saadiq, performed by Miles Caton. Here they performed all together. Hailee Steinfeld played Mary, but she also wrote and sang a song for the soundtrack. Ludwig co-wrote a song with Brittany Howard. As well as Jerry Cantrell. This is an old Scottish/Irish folk song, dating back to the 1700's.  It was first recorded as "Wild Mountain Thyme" in 1957.

 I've been looking at this poster my whole life. It hung in my parents' room growing up, and after their divorce, they still each had one. I kept my dad's, and it hangs in my office now.  Along with the 80th anniversary ticket stub. Today it celebrates 83 years from its premiere date in New York City. Release had been slated for 1943, but following the capture of Casablanca in Operation Torch (the Allied invasion of French North Africa), the studios decided to capitalize. The movie won three Oscars - Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.  It was the first movie to be selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry. "Here's looking at you, kid."

 My first and forever favorite. I've been into horror movies since I was too young.  I started pulling from my mom's collection and found this, which confirmed my penchant.  I watched it often, along with The Haunting and The Changeling. When I was in elementary school there was an 89¢ Video rental and we found some goodies.  One I remember in particular is: When it comes to slasher films, I've seen nearly all of them, but I prefer the weirdness of Texas Chainsaw Massacre .  There's more to it than just a maniac killing teenagers. I watch it almost every year for my birthday, which is also Texas Chainsaw Day.  ^_^ In newer horror, I found Hereditary  surprisingly good.  Not in the sense that I expected it to be bad, but it had moments I did not expect, and the entire theater was shook. Revenge  is another one I quite liked. Even though women in horror are subjected to violence, they also persevere, and that taught me a strength at a young age...

This week I thought we might check out some fashion along with some background. The festival began in 1932, and includes the Venice Biennale, one of the world's oldest exhibitions of art. The first film to be presented: Helen Hayes was voted best actress, which she followed up with an Oscar. This year: Cate Blanchett, Father Mother Sister Brother Emily Blunt, The Smashing Machine Noomi Rapace, Mother Colman Domingo, Dead Man's Wire Shailene Woodley, Motor City

 Summer of 1999, and the release of The Blair Witch Project. I still remember the marketing campaign, which really set the tone for this being real found footage. While it wasn't the first movie to use the film technique, it certainly popularized it for years to follow. And for all the jokes it gets now, it really did scare the lot of us. It was an independent, low-budget film which ended up making $250M worldwide.  Much of the filming was done by the actors themselves, and they were left to improvise much of the dialogue.  They also didn't really know when the director would be out there shaking the tent to get a realistic response. It takes place in Burkittsville, MD, where Elly Kedward terrorized the town and was banished.  But then children disappeared, and the town was abandoned.  The movie makes reference to a book called The Blair Witch Cult, published in 1809.  The Maryland Center for History and Culture received many phone calls inquiring on the fi...

 As I mentioned last month, I started Bruce Campbell's autobiography, If Chins Could Kill. He writes comically, which I expected, making a normal Michigan childhood sound entertaining. And now we're getting to the making of Evil Dead , learning behind the scenes magic and mayhem. The cabin was found in Morristown, Tennessee. They had to do some interior work, including digging out the basement area for particular scenes. That hole, and a chimney, is about all that remains today.  Filming alone caused a bit of damage. There's also some background in the book regarding the car, dubbed "The Classic," a 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88.  Sam Raimi has included this in nearly every film he's ever directed. So what are you reading?

 We have a Roku so streaming is our only source of television and movies at home.  (Well, we do have DVDs still too). We mostly use Netflix, Paramount, and HBO Max - but Shudder is my favorite.  If you like horror, I highly recommend it.  You get some oldies and you get some originals that are pretty great. Weekly I've been watching Beverly Hills 90210 through Paramount along with the 90210MG podcast.  I grew up with the show but hadn't really watched from start to finish.  It's been fun revisiting the 90's. We finished a documentary on OJ Simpson last night.  I was young during the trial, and there was a lot to learn about what all was going on at that time, not to mention his actual football career.  I mostly like to watch true crime docs, surprised? Hubby likes the access to anime, from Netflix to Crunchyroll. We spend time surfing the options much like we all once did through cable channels, never really sure what movie you want to watch until...

  Hubby sure loves the movie, which was released this week in 1986, but I figured we'd look more to the real thing. The US Navy TOPGUN school, which is now called the Strike Fighter Tactics Program, is located at the Naval Air Station here in Fallon. The school was initially established in Miramar, CA in 1968.  It was moved to Nevada in 1996, driven by the need for more air space and air-to-surface range space.  Filming of the first film was, therefore, in California, but Top Gun: Maverick  showcased Fallon, including real-life training. The training focuses on advanced fighter tactics, combat skills, with air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons employment. The airfield was built here in 1942, as part of a defensive network against a feared Japanese invasion.

  It's not his birthday or any other milestone, but it is Hitchcock Day. Known as the "Master of Suspense," he literally helped shape the thriller genre. Blackmail  from 1929 was the first British film to feature synchronized sound. Psycho  is a horror classic, and was presented to be as much even as it premiered.  The marketing of fear was a brilliant approach. And the score is one of the most haunting tracks ever used to this day.

  From The Big Lebowski , released on this day in 1998, a sort of religion has been born. It's called "Dudeism," and is a kind of modern form of Taoism. A philosophy to take it easy and embrace simplicity, promoting a relaxed lifestyle. I'd like to add one: "This aggression will not stand, man." So yeah, a chill open thread as we'll be going camping tomorrow.  😎

  Over the weekend, Hubby and I took our nieces to the planetarium.  Neither one of us had been since we were kids on a field trip.  This is something we need to do more! The movie we caught wasn't entirely space related, but of course we went over the night sky first.  With the dome theater, anything is cool. We learned that the dome is getting a full LED upgrade, and will be the first on a college campus.  Not only does this mean better movie quality, but it will also provide a new way for students to learn with astronomy simulations and immersive software. This is through a partnership with Cosm, a global technology company, and a donation from the George W. Gillemot Foundation to establish an Aerospace Engineering Department at UNR's College of Engineering. Built in 1963, the Fleischmann Planetarium was the first in the country to feature a 360 degree projector.  It was built by local architect, Raymond Hellmann, and is protected on the National Registe...

  George Melies was a French filmmaker who led many technical and narrative developments in the early days of cinema.  Before his famous sci-fi, A Trip to the Moon , he created what is considered to be the first horror movie in 1896. Between 1900 and 1920, literary classics were sourced for movies, such as the first adaptation of Frankenstein. And in 1922, the first unofficial Dracula adaptation, Nosferatu. To this day, some of the best and creepiest shadow work. There's a new one coming out later this year. Happy October!!

  A couple of our Best Dressed yesterday were on the red carpet. The festival showcases a diverse range of films, from blockbuster premieres to indie gems. Florence Pugh, along with Andrew Garfield, premiered in We Live in Time. Amy Adams showed up for Nightbitch. Jennifer Lopez is there for Unstoppable. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley for THE SUBSTANCE. Anything you're interested in? Films and Events

  The United Nations General Assembly first declared this day in 2002, following UNESCO's adoption of the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, recognizing the need to "enhance the potential of culture as a means of achieving prosperity, sustainable development, and global peaceful coexistence." I came across a recommendation of documentaries that feature cultural insight and which are considered important in the ethnographic field. One of the most respected films is from 2002. The oldest is from 1922. From 2013, witness the changes to a village in Bhutan as television and internet are introduced. More on that one here:  Independent Lens Lastly, about three of the Lost Boys of Sudan, among those who fled the civil war in the 80's. Embrace diversity.

  Her birthday is coming up next week, but today is Animal Crackers Day, so there's this. This was on some sing-a-long cassette we had, so it's long been in my life.   I told my mom I wanted to dance like Shirley, but I only lasted a few intro classes. And surely you've had a Shirley Temple. Grenadine with ginger ale and/or lemon-lime soda. Add some vodka to make it dirty.  ;-) Top with maraschino cherries!