S. Evan Townsend's Blog, page 72

Ghostbusters

When I heard that Hollyweird was remaking Ghostbusters, I thought why would anyone think they could capture lightning in a bottle twice and re-do the most sublime comedy of the 1980s? Then I heard it was going to be female cast and I thought, "You know, that might work." Perhaps having a female cast would separate it enough from the original that it could stand on its own.

(Full Disclosure: The original Ghostbusters is one of my favorite movies ever.)

***Spoilers Ahead***

Then the first trailer came out on YouTube. I watched it. I hated it. I clicked dislike along with over 1 million people as of now.

Why did I hate the trailer? It wasn't funny. It was boring. It was dumb and gross. No, I didn't hate it because the women were women. I hated it because the women weren't funny. And I thought it showed that the Ghostbusters remake was going to be a dud. Probably due to bad writing, I thought, because Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy are usually pretty funny (viz: Paul  and Spy ).

But I decided to reserve judgment on the entire movie until I saw it. Which I did last Wednesday.

The movie starts out slow with a plodding pace and zero humor (unless you think a hyper-PC tour guide is funny). It got more amusing and I remember my first chuckle was when a character turned on a proton pack and the other two characters backed off (like in the original Ghostbusters in the elevator). My first real laugh came about half-way through the movie when Ozzy Osborn, pretty much playing himself, thought a ghost was a bad trip.

And the scenes that weren't funny in the trailer were more amusing in context. But they still weren't very funny.

By the end of the movie I had a few laughs. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. And it could have been so much better if the writing had been crisper. The actors did their best with the material they were given.

And there were references to the original. Bill Murray played a paranormal skeptic, Dan Aykroyd played a taxi driver who quotes from the first film. Annie Potts is a desk clerk in a hotel. Ernie Hudson is one character's uncle. And Sigourney Weaver is a scientist. And the Stay Puft Marsh Mellow Man even shows up. Oh and Slimer, too. Too bad they could lure Rick Moranis out of retirement.

One thing the movie did was on my TV screen (and probably yours) it was letterboxed (black bars at the top and bottom of the screen to make the aspect ratio different from my TV). But often special effects would go over the black bars. This was amusing the first time but then you started watching for it. If they'd done it once in the climax, it would have been much more effective.

So I'll give Ghostbusters three stars on Netflix. It was amusing and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. But it took about half the movie to get there.

End of the Regular College Football Season

Last night was the end of the regular season for college football. Most teams play 12 games over a 13 week schedule, having a bye one week. The last game played was Rice at Stanford (which Stanford won handily).

Now the post season starts first with conference championship games that some (not all) conferences have. The one I'm most interested in is, of course, the Pac-12 Championship game on Friday at 6:00 PM PST. The University of Washington Huskies will play the South Division champions The University of Colorado Buffaloes.

The Pac-12 just started playing a championship game in 2012, when it expanded to 12 teams (before
it was the Pac-10). Then they divided the conference into the North Division and the South Division.

The North Division has been won by only three teams: Oregon, Stanford, and now Washington.

The South Division has been won by five of the six teams in the division. I think only Utah hasn't won. They were in the running this year.

The North Division champion has won the championship game all four times it's been played.

This year, Oregon is in last play in the Pac-12 North after losing to Oregon State in their rivalry game. Because I loath Oregon, this makes me happy.

The worst team in the Pac-12 is Arizona.

But what about the College Football Playoffs? Currently Washington is #5 in those rankings. If they beat Colorado next Friday, they have a chance to move to #4 or perhaps #3. Michigan lost to Ohio State this weekend so it's hard to believe they'll put a 10-2 team above an 11-1 team such as Washington. We'll find out when the new rankings come out Tuesday. And the final rankings come out on "decision day" on Sunday, December 4th.

A clue to the CFP rankings are the AP top 25 poll rankings which come out at 1:00 PM EST (11:00 AM PST). And Washington is #4 in that poll after their Apple Cup victory. That's up 2 places.

Colorado is till at #9, USC at #10. And Stanford is back in the top 25 at #17. Utah and WSU have both dropped out of the top 25.

So we'll have to see what the CFP selection committee does Tuesday.

Huskies Win the Apple Cup and More!

The University of Washington Huskies beat the Washington State University Cougars yesterday in the Apple Cup: the annual cross-state rivalry game.

I was expecting a close, hard fought game like the Arizona or Utah games the Huskies played. The game was being played in Pullman so the Cougars had home-field advantage in front of their rabid fans. Also, the Cougars were, after a slow start to the season, playing very well with a 7-1 in conference record and 8-2 over all. They Huskies had a 7-1 in conference record and 10-1 overall (after their loss to USC). Plus this game was for all the marbles. The winner would be the Pac-12 North Division Champions and go on to play the South Division Champion (that will be determined today) in the Pac-12 Championship game next Friday. So I expected a close game.

Instead, it was a 45-17 blowout of the Cougars.

The Huskies could hardly do anything wrong. They did lose a fumble, but quarterback Jake Browning was playing the best he has so far this season. John Ross (who was the player who coughed up the fumble) was amazing, as was all the Husky running backs and receivers. The Huskies appear to be peaking right at the right time.

As I said, the Pac-12 South Division Champion will be determined today. It will either be Colorado or USC. It all hinges on the Colorado-Utah game. If Colorado wins, Colorado is the Pac-12 South Division Champ. If Utah wins, USC is the champ. I'm not sure who I'd rather play next Friday, Colorado or USC. We haven't played Colorado this year but we have played USC (and lost).

The AP poll rankings will come out tomorrow. It'll be interesting to see where the Huskies land (and how far the Cougars drop). The CFP rankings come out Tuesday. It will be interesting to see what happens there. And CFP "Decision Day" is next Sunday, the 4th. That's when we'll know who is in the college football playoffs. If the Huskies win the Pac-12 championship, they have a good shot at being #4 or #3 in the CFP. And that puts them in the playoffs.

A Speculative Fiction Cantina Replay with Richard Keller and Trey Dunham

Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we feature a "best of" episode featuring writers Richard Keller and Trey Dunham.
Richard KellerRichard Keller

Richard Keller is an author, speaker, talk show host, and owner of Wooden Pants Publishing. He started his life as an avid science fiction reader to the point he tried to get through Dune in one sitting while still a tween. His first writing experience was for his third grade teacher and his first short story, a terribly bad rip-off of Knight Rider was submitted when he was 12. Richard has written over two thousand pieces in newspapers, magazines, and online over the last several decades. His science fiction series, Saunders’ Savages, features an oversexed and wealthy CEO of an intergalactic corporation who moonlights as the leader of a pay-for-hire army.

Richard's books:

Coffee Cup Tales 2 – Extra Foam

Paradise Not Quite Lost

Authors, and the Zombies they Emulate

Richard's Links:

Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Trey DunhamTrey Dunham

Trey Dunham is a writer, speaker and storyteller with a proven ability to attract and motivate audiences.

He is the author of several books including: From a Gun to the Plow (New Hope Publishers, forthcoming, with Steve Finn), Strangers and Aliens: Thoughts on 1 Peter (CreateSpace, 2013), We’ve Never Seen Anything Like This: A new Look at the Gospel of Mark (CreateSpace, 2014), The Meaning of Technology: A Theology of Technique in Jacques Ellul (CreateSpace, forthcoming), and Loophole: A Novel (CreateSpace, 2015, with Jason Hostetler, movie rights optioned by JC Films). He has been blogging on spiritual, family and personal topics at TreyDunham.com since 2009 His published poetry has won awards from literary groups at Denison University.

Dunham wrote and delivered sermons regularly to as many as 3,000 people, as a teaching pastor at one of West Virginia’s largest churches. He quadrupled the size of the church’s campus ministry to over 200 students in his eight years there. He opened a popular Fair Trade coffee house as a satellite ministry near the West Virginia University campus. The café became a hub for service projects and social-justice events Dunham organized, drawing hundreds of students into volunteer projects for local charities. In 2010, he led a team to plant CityChurch in Morgantown, WV.

For four years, Dunham told the story of SustainU, a maker and marketer of recycled, natural-fiber clothing manufactured exclusively at U.S. plants. As the startup’s marketing director, he helped drive a thirteen-fold sales increase to $2 million. He used Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and press releases to generate positive coverage for SustainU in The New York Times and other metropolitan and local media.

Dunham, who holds a doctoral degree in Technology Education, has taught and spoken before a wide variety of audiences. He has travelled and lived around the world, heading a mission in the jungles of New Guinea and overseeing a hospital-construction crew in the Himalayas of Nepal. He has presented his research at two international conferences of scholars in his field. And he has led hundreds of campus Bible study groups in deeply personal discussions about faith, and finding meaning. Over the years, he has counseled dozens of singles and dating, engaged, and married couples.

Dunham lives in Morgantown, WV.

Trey's Books:

Catch for Us the Foxes

Jesus and the City

The Beams of Our House

Trey's Links:
Facebook Twitter
From Today's Show: Maybe Alien Life Runs on Cosmic Rays.
Listen to today's "best of" show at 6:00 PM ET/ 3:00 PM PT or in archive here.

My Favorite Holiday

Back to the 52-week blogging challenge and today's prompt is, fittingly, "My favorite holiday." I say "fittingly" because today is Thanksgiving, which is, I think my favorite holiday.

There's very little pressure on Thanksgiving. It's not like Valentines Day or Christmas where you have to find gifts and oh they have to be just right. No, all you do is show up. With my family, it's usually pretty calm and usually we joke and laugh.

And the food is usually really good. Sometimes there's a little work needed to get the food ready. Last Thanksgiving I went over to my mother's house early to help her get the turkey started.

Then there's the dishes, but my sister's husband (a lawyer) has always jumped in and done most of them. I like that guy.

So I guess today, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. We'll see how today goes.

What's your favorite holiday? Comment below!

Huskies are Number 5!

I was busy yesterday so I didn't hear about the University of Washington Huskies' ranking in the CFP Rankings until last night.

Things are looking better for the Huskies going to the National Playoffs. They are #5 in the CFP Rankings. That's just one back from #4 which means you go to the playoffs.

Number 2 Ohio State and #3 Michigan play this weekend so one of them have to lose (I don't think there are ties in college football anymore). But, considering they are playing each other, it might now kick either of them out of the two three.

Right now Clemson is #4.

If the Huskies win the Apple Cup then go on to win the Pac-12 Championship game, they might be in the #4 or #3 position. We find out on "Selection Day" which is Sunday, December 4th.

Pac-12 South Title

If the University of Washington Huskies win the Apple Cup agaisnt the Washington State Cougars on Friday, they will be the Pac-12 North Division Champion and go on to play in the Pac-12 Championship game on December 2nd (6:00 PM PST on Fox). If the Cougars win, they will be the Pac-12 North Champions. But we don't want that to happen.

They will play the Pac-12 South Division Champion in that game. But who will that be?

Right now the Colorado Buffaloes are the Pac-12 South leader with a 9-2 overall record and a 7-2 in-conference record. But right behind them is USC (the Trojans) with a 8-2 overall record and a 7-2 in-conference record.

The interesting thing is, USC is stuck at 7-2 in-conference because their last game is against Notre Dame.

Colorado on the other hand plays Utah in the "Rumble in the Rockies." The game is held in Boulder this year. Utah is out of contention for the Pac-12 South title after losing to Oregon last Saturday.

So I've looked at all the possibilities for this weekend. There are four of them:

Colorado beats Utah, USC beats Notre DameColorado beats Utah, USC loses to Notre DameColorado loses to Utah, USC loses to Notre DameColorado loses to Utah, USC beats Notre DameIn scenarios 1-3, Colorado wins the Pac-12 South title.
In scenario #4, Colorado and USC would be tied at 7-2 in-conference and 8-3 overall. I'm not sure what would happen then. Perhaps points for and points against in the season.
I think the most likely scenario is #1. In any case, odds are that if the Huskies go to the Pac-12 Championship game, they will be playing Colorado.
The USC-Notre Dame game is Saturday at 12:30 PM on ABCThe Colorado-Utah game is Saturday at 4:30 PM on Fox.
The Apple Cup is Friday at 12:30 PM on Fox.

Old Stars on Star Trek

One fun thing about watching Star Trek the original series, is spotting the up and coming actors who often later went on to bigger things. The classic example is Joan Collins in "City on the Edge of Forever." But there were others.

For example, Barbara Bouchet, who went on to play Moneypenny in the 1967 version of Casino Royal (the funny one). And, according to her Internet Movie Database
And there was

"Friday's Child" had
Speaking of Batman,
I thought for years that
And in the penultimate episode (as aired) "All Our Yesterdays," is 
I could go on; I can think of at least two more. But I won't.

Huskies are 10-1 and Might be Back in Playoff Contention

The University of Washington Huskies are now 10-1 after defeating Arizona State decisively last night in Husky Stadium. They are also back on top of the Pac-12 North Division after a week with Washington State on top.

The game started a little rocky for the Huskies. Quarterback Jake Browning looked as if he hadn't forgotten the USC game. He threw two interceptions and wasn't connecting with down-field Huskies.

The defense, however, looked very good and even intercepted a pass in the end zone to stop an Arizona State drive. By the end of the first half, Arizona was scoreless and the Huskies had 24 points as Jake suddenly came back and played like his usual self. The Sun Devils didn't have much of a chance. They did manage to score 18 points in the game but the Huskies out-classed them in every way and beat them with 44 points.

Like a lot of games this season, the Huskies put in second-stringers toward the end. And they still managed to score. This is the 8th game this season the Huskies have scored more than 40 points.

So the Huskies go into the Apple Cup, the annual cross-state rivalry game against the Washington State Cougars, with a 10-1 over all record, 7-1 in conference.

In other good news, the Cougars lost to the Colorado Buffaloes yesterday. That gives them an 8-3 four scenarios I lined out: Cougars lose; Huskies win.
overall record and 7-1 in conference). This was the best possible outcome of the day.

But the Pac-12 North title will still come down to the Apple Cup. If the Huskies win the Apple Cup, which is in Pullman this year, they will finish 8-1 in conference and 11-1 over all and the be the North Division Champs. That means they play the South Division Champs in the Pac-12 Championship Game on December 2nd. That came is held in Santa Clara, California at Levi Stadium (which I think is where the San Francisco 49ers lose a lot of games).

If the Cougars win the Apple Cup, they will be 8-1 in conference and 9-4 over all. Since in-conference record trumps overall record, they will be the North Division Champs.

The loser of the Apple Cup will probably play in the Rose Bowl on New Years Day against a Big 12 Conference Team.

The South Division Champ will be either USC or Colorado. Utah lost to Oregon yesterday and took themselves out of contention. USC plays Notre Dame next week and Colorado hosts Utah.

If the Huskies win the Apple Cup and win the Pac-12 Championship game, they have a chance to be back in the playoffs. Right now the Huskies are at #6 in the CFP rankings. But #5 Louisville lost yesterday. Ohio State and Michigan State are #2 and #3 but they play each other next week so one of them is going to lose.

So there is a chance for the Huskies to slip into the #4 slot again (or maybe #3). But they have to win the Apple Cup and be the Pac-12 Champions. Which means Jake can't play like he did against USC and the first quarter of yesterday's game.

As usual, the CFP Rankings don't come out until Tuesday. The final announcement of who's in the playoffs (and the rest of the CFP Rankings) will be December 4th at 9:00 AM PST. That's a Sunday.

Finally, the AP Top 25 Rankings for this week just came out and they can give a clue to the CFP Rankings. Last week we were #7 in the AP poll (and #6 in the CFP Rankings). Today we're #6.

Other Pac-12 teams ranks are Colorado at #9, USC at #12, Utah at #21, and WSU at #23.

Four Scenarios for Husky Football

Today the University of Washington Huskies play Arizona State at Husky Stadium. The Huskies are 9-1 over all and 6-1 in conference after their loss last week to USC. The Huskies' only hopes to get back into the national playoff picture is to be the Pac-12 Champions. But to do that they have to be the Pac-12 North Division Leader.

Right now the Washington State Cougars are the North Division Leader with a record of 8-2 and 7-0 in conference (your in-conference record trumps your overall record).

The Cougars play Colorado in Colorado today. The Colorado Buffaloes are currently the Pac-12 South Leader with an 8-2 overall and 6-1 in-conference record. USC is right behind them (thanks to their win over the Huskies). I can imagine that's going to be a tough game for the Cougars.

There are four scenarios that could happen today.

Huskies beat Arizona State, Cougars beat ColoradoHuskies beat Arizona State, Cougars lose to ColoradoHuskies lose to Arizona State, Cougars lose to ColoradoHuskies lose to Arizona State, Cougars beat ColoradoI'm obviously hoping for #1 or #2. I've ran the numbers and in three of those scenarios (1, 2, and 3),
the Apple Cup (the annual rivalry game between UW and WSU), which will be played on November 25th at 12:30 PM on Fox, will determine who is the Pac-12 North Leader. 
In #4, it doesn't matter, the Cougars will be the Pac-12 North Leader no matter who wins the Apple Cup, and go on to play in the Pac-12 Championship game December 2nd against the South Leader, who could be Colorado, USC, or perhaps even Utah. I don't think Stanford (7-3 overall, 5-3 in conference) has a chance to be the Pac-12 North Leader even in the case of #4.
So there is a 3/4ths chance that the Pac-12 North Leader comes down to the Apple Cup. But I think the Huskies will beat ASU, which means the Apple Cup is for all the marbles.
GoDawgs.
The Huskies' game is at 4:30 PM PST on Fox.The Cougars' game is at 12:30 PM PST, also on Fox.