Sweltering Blurry Summer (August 2020 in Hindsight)

It's been a hot month.

Creatively, I can't complain.  I've spent the month writing something, anything, each day.  Some words may become part of this blog but most will be relegated to the digital paper archive.  This is my soul.

I've blogged a few times this month, but I expect each post will be my last.  So far Ive been able to use the old "Legacy" Blogger interface but irreversible change is looming.  I stopped practicing on the new interface when I inadvertently reverted a number of posts to drafts.  I managed to fix this potentially devastating mishap, but that was it.  I will wait and see if I can still blog when the new interface permanently takes its crappy, confusing hold.  This is my worry.

I also managed to release a video for The FreakOptic Files after a dry spell in July.  It's another installment in my riveting, never-ending Laundry Day series.  Creatively, I love my LD series.  Statistically, they are some of my least viewed videos.  Clearly, I don't give a crap what the mainstream public wants. This is my truth. 

Personally, I'm trying to remain calm as my country heads toward oblivion, no matter who wins the November U.S. Election.  The losing side, whichever side it is, will cry foul and unprecedented chaos will erupt.  This is my fear.

Throw in the continuing pandemic for added good-time fun.  The number of COVID-19 cases have been minimal in my county in Nebraska and are technically still low in comparison.  However those numbers have grown more rapidly in August.  From March to July there were only 43 cases.  This month has, as of this writing, added 30 more.  This is my paranoia. 

Thankfully, my cats convinced me to start a band (John and the Pussycats) to escape my worry, fear and paranoia for awhile.  This is my heart. 

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

See you in September. 

Hopefully.

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S. Another reader ordered a copy of DARK EXCURSIONS.  Maybe my 2020 will go down as the year of Dinkel. ❤️

http://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2018/03/dark-excursions.html 

freakboy on film: UNHINGED (2020)

                             (written by Carl Ellsworth / directed by Derrick Borte)

Rachel is having a bad day.  She is getting a divorce.  She lost her salon.  Her brother and his girlfriend have moved in with Rachel and her son.  Thanks to horrible traffic, her son will get detention for being tardy three days in a row and a client fired her.  

No wonder she vigorously honks her horn and angrily drives around a man refusing to go at a green light.  Unknown to her, Rachel has just incurred the wrath of a severely unhinged man who has nothing to lose.  He makes it his mission to show Rachel the real meaning of a bad day in a rage that goes beyond the road.

Just when I thought FANTASY ISLAND was going to be the last new film I would see in the theater, along comes UNHINGED.  A local librarian recommended this 2020 film because it was new and because she was surprised by how much she enjoyed it.  So, I attended a Thursday night screening.  Before you call me brave or crazy for risking my life during a pandemic, I was the only one in the auditorium.  Social distancing has rarely been so easy. 

Sitting all the way to the left in the back row, the perfect vantage point with my Mad Scientist Glasses, I experienced a disturbingly suspenseful ride.  Have you recently honked, yelled or flipped off a driver?  It's 2020 and the world is on edge, which makes UNHINGED a perfect film for these chaotic times.  Honestly, it almost makes me glad I can't drive anymore. 

Caren Pistorius is believable as Rachel.  Even my half-blind eyes could see the love she has for her son while dealing with the stress of life and extreme road rage.  Russell Crowe is convincingly unsettling as the man gone over the edge.  If I hadn't known it was him, I would not have recognized him.  The other actors are good, but this film belongs to Pistorius and Crowe.

One question remains.  Did I enjoy UNHINGED because it's an entertaining popcorn thriller or because it was something new?  I believe I legitimately enjoyed UNHINGED because I would watch it again.  FOOTLOOSE, for example,  was "new" to me this year and once was more than enough. 

In conclusion, if you are hungry for something with a kick that's actually new, then take what precautions you need and drive calmly to a theater near you and see UNHINGED!  

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

Freak Out,

JLH 

P.S.  In case you missed my visit to FANTASY ISLAND...

https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2020/03/freakboy-on-film-fantasy-island-2020.html 

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My books & blogs...

http://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-collective.html  

booking freakboy: NO DISTANCE BETWEEN US (A YULETIDE STORY) by Young

NO DISTANCE BETWEEN US is a non-fiction short story about one young man's experience at a UK boarding school during the holiday season.  After a fancy ball, the young man and his male friend Nikee explore their desire which will take them beyond friendship. 

The author shares his sexual awakening in a sensitive, sensual, erotic way.  He fills the pages with searing imagery, coating the reader in a liquid atmosphere.  This is just a taste of what would come for the author.

NO DISTANCE BETWEEN US is a part of The Harem Boy's Saga, a memoir by Young, which is available at an Amazon near you. 

Amazon 

 

Amazon UK 

For more information... 

aharemboyssaga.com 

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind review.

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S. A different book by a different author...

https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2020/02/booking-freakboy-lust-simon-by-john.html 

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The Collective Eye for August...

👁

https://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-collective-eye-august-2020.html 

channel freakboy: UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS (1971-1975)

I signed up for a free week trial of BRITBOX.  Yeah, a week seems skimpy, but I wasn't even sure I would fully subscribe.  First, BRITBOX does not offer the option of downloading programs to watch offline.  Second, only a few series caught my half-blind eyes.

UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS is one of those series.  My sister watched this series on MASTERPIECE THEATER back in the day.  (PBS was the only channel in my area of the US to air British television in the 1970's & 1980's). She loved it and has often expressed a desire  to rewatch this classic program.  Obviously I kept BRITBOX longer than expected.  

Having no internet at home, nor a TV made in the last 15 years, my sister and I parked outside the library in the early mornings and late evenings. With my tablet situated on the dashboard, my wireless speaker between us and my Mad Scientist Glasses on, we traveled across the Atlantic and stepped back in time.

There are two families living at 165 Eaton Place in the early 20th Century.  First, there is an upstairs family, The Bellamys,  which include Lady Marjorie (Rachel Gurney), her husband Richard (David Langton) and their almost grown children James (Simon Williams) and Elizabeth (Nicola Pagett).  Then there is the downstairs family, the servants, which include the butler Mr. Hudson (Gordon Jackson), the cook Mrs. Bridges (Angela Baddeley) and parlor maids Rose (Jean Marsh) and Sarah (Pauline Collins).

Drama, joy, tragedy, scandal and humor fill the lives of these two families over 27 years.  Members of both upstairs and downstairs come and go, sometimes permanently, as the world changes around them.  The Titanic sinks.  A World War erupts.  A pandemic hits.  Protests and riots blaze through the streets.  The stock market crashes.  Despite it all, the residents of 165 Eaton Place carry on, and probably wouldn't find the 21st Century all that different.  

Even though my sister raved about UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS over the years, I was anticipating a stuffy, English drawing room drama.  What I got was a lively series that often jumped a year between episodes, effectively cutting out filler storylines that often bog down modern series.  The acting was natural and the characters were complex, never falling victim to caricatures.  The believability of the characters and storylines make this series an intimate and relatable experience.  I was instantly addicted, which is probably why we flew through the 68 episodes in just a few weeks. 

I originally thought about filling this post with spoilers, but I just can't do it.  UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS is such an emotional roller coaster that I don't want to ruin this exhilarating ride for you with specific details.  Just prepare to laugh, cry and pick your jaw up off the floor when you enter the world of 165 Eaton Place. 

Before I let you go to watch UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS, I must address DOWNTON ABBEY (2010-2015).  Similarities abound between these two exceptionally entertaining series.  How could there not be?  They are both set in roughly the same era and country, with the same class structure.  I've spent the last few weeks trying to figure out the one major difference between the two series and I think I hit upon it.  DOWNTON ABBEY romanticizes this time period more than UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS.  Perhaps a bigger budget on DOWNTON meant more of a focus on fashion and set design or maybe the constant wit of a certain character created a very television atmosphere in the ABBEY.  Either way, UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS has a more realistic feel to its characters and storylines, in my opinion.  Besides, UPSTAIRS  came first, so there! 

So subscribe to BRITBOX (at least for a month) and binge UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS!  Oh, you can also watch the 2010-2012 sequel series, which is decent, but doesn't shine as bright as the original. 

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S. A different post about a different series my sister and I binged. 

https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2020/01/channel-freakboy-dark-shadows-door-to.html 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My books & blogs...

http://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-collective.html   

Blogging like there's no tomorrow...

I have blogged through Google's directly named blog site Blogger since 2013.  I even found my way back to blogging after losing a chunk of my vision back in 2016.  It helped that Blogger's interface had not changed during my absence.  I knew which buttons to click because I had done it all before.

Now Blogger is changing.  A new interface is available and soon the old "Legacy" interface will disappear.  I've been experimenting with the new version and have been failing miserably.  Maybe it's my half-blind eyes, but the layout is confusing.  

The only thing I've managed to achieve in the new interface is typing the title.  I can't seem to locate where the body of the post will go. Logically, I know it should be beneath the post title, but I've tapped my tablet screen all over without success.  I also can't figure out how to view and edit previous posts.  Of course, because of all of these issues, I haven't a clue how to add pics & vids.

To top it all off, I can't zoom in by gently spreading two fingers apart on the screen.   The new interface is immovable, in that respect.  I see lots of screenshots in my future, assuming I solve my other Blogger probs.

I'm so frustrated that I need either a deep tisssue massage or a horse tranquilizer.  I know, I know.  Progress and all that crap.  Honestly, it seems the easier things are supposed to be, the more difficult they actually are.

So, I'll keep blogging here, using the "Legacy" interface, for as long as I can and I'll continue practicing with the new interface.  If I can't figure it out, perhaps I could try to make a fresh start through a different blogging site.  As The Brady Kids once advised...

🎵When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange, who you are into what you're going to be.🎵

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S. The Collective Eye is open and popping in August! 

👁

https://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-collective-eye-august-2020.html  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My books & blogs...

http://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-collective.html   

Inside Library John (July 2020 in Hindsight)

I'll blame the oppressive heat ofJuly for my lack of creative output.  That way I won't have to dig too deep into my own mind and its shortcomings.  Truthfully, I keep hearing a very logical voice advising me to give up.  I haven't yet, but I wasn't inspired to do a video for The FreakOptic Files this month.  Hope that's just coinky-dink.

On a positive note, the library has reopened.  It was initially strange to once again be among the books I can no longer read, but it's beginning to feel natural again.  It's almost like the last 4 months never happened, with the exception of rearranged furniture and the front desk fish tank.  At any rate, downloading series & films from Netflix & Amazon to watch offline is so much more comfortable indoors.  Never mind there are now over 40 cases of COVID-19 in my county. 😬

In other good news, a copy of DARK EXCURSIONS exists in the Northwest!  I don't know if this copy is now a coffee addict on a search for Bigfoot, but I hope its readers find something to enjoy.  They tweeted me a very nice pic of my difficult-to-photo book.  Seriously, the glossy cover has given me hours of photographic frustration

Oh, and Laszlo is getting bigger and bigger. 

In conclusion, July has been a bit of a teeter-totter month.  I'll be fine as long as the person on the other end doesn't jump off while I'm up in the air. 

Catch me in August! 

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

Freak Out, 

JLH

P.S. I wrote what might be one of the more important posts for this blog in July...

https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2020/07/walking-after-sundown.html  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My books & blogs...

http://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-collective.html  

freakboy on film: FOOTLOOSE (1984)

                               (written by Dean Pitchford / directed by Herbert Ross)

As a 1980's kid, who watched plenty of teen flicks, how did I miss FOOTLOOSE? 

Was I too busy playing with my Kenner STAR WARS action figures?  Did some of the R-rated movies I  probably should not have seen make FOOTLOOSE look juvenile?  Was I against really bad dancing?  The answer to this rad filmic mystery is simple.  The idea of a bunch of late-teens not being allowed to dance seemed, like, totally lame to my 10-year-old brain.  So, the years rolled on and I missed FOOTLOOSE on VHS, Laser Disc, DVD and even streaming. 

Now, 36 years later, I decided to cross FOOTLOOSE off my list of unseen 80's films.  Thanks to COVID-19 shutting down Hollywood, I was able to experience this tale of teen rebellion on the big screen for only $2.

The plot is right out of a song.  A rebellious big city boy moves to an oppressive farming community.  He meets a small town girl with a death wish, who is also the preacher's daughter.  This boy and girl fall in love and just want to go to prom. The problem is that this small town banned dancing when a drunken car crash, after a dance, killed a bunch of teens.  Will the boy and girl fight against school bullies and Bible-thumping adults for their right to party-hardy?  Will the preacher stop being such a buzzkill?  Will somebody call an ambulance out of fear that the big city boy's dancing is actually an undiagnosed medical condition? 

Seriously, how the hell did Kevin Bacon become famous?  His acting is a standard teen flick performance.  (Did he learn nothing about the thespian art from FRIDAY THE 13TH?)  His dancing is embarrassing.  (Was it improvised on the spot?)  His smile is consistently a lecherous leer.  (He obviously wants to do the Horizontal Bop.)  Plus, his character's name is Ren, as if the audience needs more of a reason to hate him.  

Lori Singer, as the preacher's daughter, is forgettable.  I can't even recall the character's name.  Christopher Penn, as Willard, Ren's new small town friend, is stupidly likable and made me think of Joshua Jackson in DAWSON'S CREEK.  Sarah Jessica Parker, as Rusty, the preacher's daughter's best friend, livens up any scene.  John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest, as the fire & brimstone preacher and his quietly powerful wife, give this film credibility that it doesn't deserve. 

Strangely, I may have missed the film back in the day, but I owned a cassette tape of the FOOTLOOSE soundtrack.  So, sitting in the theater in 2020, I was eagerly waiting to see how certain songs would be used in the film.  A few musical interludes surprised, confused and impressed me.

"Footloose" by Kenny Loggins 

I give props to any film confident enough to open with the title song over a montage of dancing footwear.  I wonder how many people left the theater early back in 1984 because they got what they wanted from the beginning credits. 

"Holding out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler 

I was experiencing such fits of hysterics watching a game of chicken played with tractors that I'm surprised someone didn't accuse me of dancing like Kevin Bacon.  I seriously can't decide if this scene is the dumbest thing ever filmed or if it is satirical brilliance because holding out for a tractor chicken hero is ridiculous to the extreme.

"Let's Hear it for the Boy" by Deniece Williams 

I legitimately enjoyed the use of this crazy-catchy song.  Willard confesses that he can't dance, so Ren teaches him how to dance, or whatever Kevin Bacon is doing.  This joyous scene surprised and impressed me from start to finish.  Showing two men dancing together in a 1984 film, without obvious, hateful  jokes, is the cinematic equivalent of giving the finger to that generally repressive, homophobic decade.  

While Ren and Willard are just friends, my mind envisioned a modern day remake.  A rebellious big city boy moves to an oppressive farming community.  He meets a big sack of duh boy who can't dance because the town has banned dancing.  Will the rebel teach the big sack of duh how to dance while fighting school bullies, Bible-thumpers and their growing attraction to one another?  The answer is yes and they embrace their feelings through a kiss and a dance  at the underground prom, while a cover of "Let's Hear it for the Boy" by Beyoncé plays on!  Somehow I suspect this is not the plot to the 2011 remake, but it should be. 

In conclusion, I believe my 10-year-old self would have been bored by FOOTLOOSE because, with a few exceptions, my adult-self was bored during it.  However, I'm glad I can cross this off my unseen 80's films list.  Hopefully COVID-19 keeps the classics coming to a theater near me.  Maybe I'll finally see FLASHDANCE! 

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S.  A different film about dancing...

https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2020/06/freakboy-on-film-hairspray-2007-third.html 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Collective Eye for July is open with music & blogs...

https://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-collective-eye-july-2020.html