Sulu Comes Out

Star Trek's Sulu, George Takei came out in the Nov. 22 issue of the Los Angeles-based gay and lesbian magazine Frontiers. In the magazine, Takei compares going public with his sexuality to overcoming the "shame" he felt for having lived in Japanese-American internment camps during World War II.

"I didn't want to talk about being in an internment camp. They would ask me, where was I? I would say I was far away...But I never went into details."

"We talk about diversity... but there's another kind of diversity [sexual orientation] that we haven't really come to grips with as a society. And the segregationist mentality is so strong, but it's as destructive as racial segregation was in the South, or incarceration on the basis of looking like the enemy, as in the case of Japanese-Americans during the second World War- you know, it's that same mentality, and in order to be vocal on those issues, I think I need to address those issues as who I am," Takei says.

For a show that prided itself on tolerance and a progressive vision of the future, sexuality and sexual orientation were issues that Trek dealt with only peripherally. So, it is refreshing to have a real life Trek reminder of the full diversity of human sexual orientation.

More power to you, George!

One Man Star Wars

One Man = Charles Ross

One Film Trilogy = Star Wars

End Result? Theatrical Gold!

(one man Lord of the Rings too!)

How To Fix The Movies Part 2

Part 2 of 2







3. Turn Up The Dialogue- As theater sound systems get increasingly more sophisticated, the capacity of projectionists to get good sound quality seems to get worse. The most common mistake I've experienced time and time again is cranking up the side and back speakers to the point where the dialogue is completely drowned out. Sure, the surround sound effects are cool. But often in the quiet part of a film, or for that matter in any non-action movie, it's nearly impossible to follow what is going on because the volume is so low. And then once the action picks up again, you are blown out of your seat by the sudden increase in volume from the side speakers. This problem is compounded by the chatter of fellow movie goers fighting against the movie volume (mentioned in part 1). If only the projectionist or an usher would actually enter the theater to make sure that the volume levels are correct. This isn't rocket science- the front channel speaker behind the screen should always be the loudest(this goes for home theaters too folks!).



4. Reasonable Prices- This is another no-brainer. How does the theater industry expect to compete with home viewing, when a DVD costs 5 bucks to rent or 20 bucks to buy, and a night at the movies for two with snacks can run upwards of 30 dollars? Since 1970, the price of a movie ticket has climbed at an ever increasing rate, while the experience of going to the movies has worsened- particularly compared to the glory days of posh movie palaces. And obviously, snack prices are officially out of control. Popcorn is one of the cheapest treats on earth to make. Five dollars for a small bag of popcorn is criminal. It is no wonder that nearly everyone I know sneaks drinks and candy into the movies, in spite of the no outside food policy. The theater chains do make far more off of the sale of food than the admission price, but that is no excuse. Someone is making big bank off of this price gouging and it's not the theater employees themselves, which brings me to...



5. Act Like You Care- Back in 1986, when I got my first movie theater job, I was required to wear a provided clip on bow tie and a jacket. The pay was pretty terrible, but for a 14 year old, it wasn't so bad. And I was a dutiful little worker, patrolling the theaters and being nice and accommodating to the customers as I was told. And slowly over time, the uniforms changed- from more formal jacket and tie to generic polyester polo shirts. Simultaneously, the attitude and helpfulness of the employees went from bad to worse as the pay scale didn't increase comparable to the cost of living. And this evolution is reflective of the attitude of the theater chains in general. How do they expect the movie going experience to be pleasurable when the employees are paid like crap, therefore don't care about their jobs, therefore the customers suffer? Wouldn't it also be great if a problem was promptly addressed by someone with knowledge and care and you didn't have to hunt all over creation to find someone who gave a rip? And how about bringing back some of the glamour of the movie going experience by making the employees dress up a little and smile? Invest in your workforce, set a higher standard, and the loyalty of your customers would pay off in dividends.

These suggestions are by no means comprehensive or even that well researched. They are just the product of a lifetime of moviegoing and observation, coupled with my early 8 year part-time theater chain career. Until the movies themselves get better (and most of them are quite terrible), it's hard to blame the public for finding better and cheaper sources of entertainment. But, I can recall going to see the abysmal Gone Fishin', Beverley Hills Ninja, and Anaconda at the Silver Bow drive-in just for the hell of it, because going to the drive-in is fun. And shouldn't going to the movies be fun?

Become a Jedi, or an R2 Unit

Cool and wacky Star Wars character masks are available from the source: Starwars.com.

Not Only of Sight and Sound, But of Mind

Imagine if you will, a Digital Video Disc, containing an unusually high amount of the best loved Twilight Zone Episodes of all time. If such a disc exists, it would most certainly be: "The Twilight Zone: Vol. 2"

If you love the Twilight Zone, but don't want to buy all those different discs just to get some great episodes, this may be your one stop shopping solution! "The Twilight Zone: Vol 2" has four of the greatest Twilight Zone episodes, all on one disc. And it's five bucks at Amazon.com!


For starters, there is perhaps the best remembered and well-loved: "Time Enough at Last", where a man is left alone after a nuclear holocaust to read all the books he wants, except (spoiler!) when his glasses break! Starring Burgess Meredith, later known as the Penguin on the Batman TV show, and even later as Rocky's trainer, Mickey.


Then there's the classic and oft parodied: "Nightmare at 20.000 Feet" starring the Emmy Award-winning William Shatner. Bill plays a man recovering from a nervous breakdown who sees something eerie just outside on the airplane's wing.


My personal favorite TZ episode is here too, called "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street" where strange power failures befall a little suburban community, and bring out what might be the worst monster around: ourselves.


And I love time-travel themes, and this fourth episode is one I actually remember watching and liking as a kid. "The Odyssey of Flight 33" is the creepy journey of a flight crew that accidentally travels back in time. (For a favorite time-travel Twilight Zone, it's a toss-up between this one and "No Time Like the Past", where a time-traveller attempts to alter horrible events of the past for the better, but in some cases (spoiler!) he ends up causing them! Available in Vol 33.)

Amazing Covers

Awesome collection of "Amazing Stories" magazine covers.

Peter Mayhew: American!

What a wookie!

Review: House of Wax in 3D at the Castro

I had the pleasure this past Saturday night to see the original 1953 House of Wax staring Vincent Price at the Castro Theater here in San Francisco. As a part of the Castro's Dual System 3D Series, the film was presented in astounding full color 3D utilizing a synchronous two projector system on an actual silver screen- a method only the Castro can employ in San Francisco. The only downfall of the system is that only one hour of film can be projected at a time, necessitating an intermission. Actually, it was nice to take a break and rest our eyes for a few minutes between reels.

The film itself was far better than I remembered. Vincent Price is chilling as Jarrod, the somewhat deranged sculptor of wax beauties, crippled by an insurance fire set in his artsy wax museum. Set on revenge, he opens up another more exploitive wax museum and seek to fill it with images of the world he hates. Phyllis Kirk as Sue, the object of Jarrod's post-fire obsession, is also quite brilliant. She believably pulls off the detective role in the story, before getting caught up herself in Jarrod's nefarious scheme. There are enough twists and fun in the story to keep it moving along at a brisk pace. But, it is the 3D effect itself that really makes the film a classic.

Director Andre De Toth uses the short lived dual 3D process to it's maximum effect, creating perhaps the finest 3D movie ever (granted, that's not saying much). Ironically, De Toth himself had only one eye! The opening shot of the film, a deeply dimensional shot of a fog enshrouded cobblestoned street with the main title jumping out at you, elicited spontaneous applause from the Castro audience. The fire sequence was also quite astounding in 3D, the many firery levels of the museum expertly shot to maximize the effect. And the paddleball sequence was great fun, kicking off the second reel with high style and camp. But the scenes I will remember most fondly for their 3D brilliance is the footchase through the New York streets, the depth of the foggy alleyways and gothic streetcorners fully realized by De Toth. The use of 3D was just enough to be fun, without calling too much attention to itself and taking viewers out of the movie.

On the other hand, the Three Stooges short that followed House of Wax was pure 3D madness! 1953's Spooks finds the boys as private detective's disguising themselves as pie salesman (you can see the 3D pie fight coming a mile away!) to rescue a sexy blonde trapped in a haunted house. As Three Stooges shorts go, this one is far from a classic but the Stooges use of 3D more than makes up for it. There are fists, eye pokes, hypodermic needles (my cringe inducing favorite), sledgehammers, gorilla arms and pies all flying at the camera, blatantly exploiting the 3D effect. The crowd loved the ridiculous fun of this short and it was a great way to cap off a night of 3D goodness.

House of Wax and Spooks was the most fun I have had at the movies in a long time. Don't miss the next opportunity to see the amazing dual system 3D at the Castro!

How To Fix The Movies

Part One Of Two

The U.S. movie theater box office has been in a very clear slump for nearly 2 years. This past summer, ticket revenues fell to $3.62 billion, their lowest level since 2001 and the estimated number of tickets sold, 541 million, was the lowest level since 1997, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations. Subsequently, there has been a lot of finger pointing from all corners- some blaming DVD's sales and ever more sophisticated home theater systems, some blaming the quality of the films themselves and "suits" overrunning whatever talent remains in Hollywood. While these are both valid points, for me the most glaring but easily fixed problem has been the moviegoing experience itself. As a former wage slave for several New Jersey movie theater chains in the late 80's/early 90's, I particularly have noticed many changes for the worse. Here are my suggestions to bring sanity back to the collective experience of sitting in the dark with strangers...



1. Lose The Ads- Yes, the recent proliferation of ads before movies do bring in extra revenue to an already slumping business. But, the practice is anything but fair. Many theater goers have to get to the movies early in order to get a decent seat. And unlike at home, this audience is stuck in their seats, a veritable "captive audience". We can't change the channel, we can't leave for fear of losing our seats, and the room is already dark, volume cranked so our attention is riveted to the screen, Clockwork Orange-style. Now, I have no problem with trailers for upcoming films. And commercials for movie-related products like Coke, Moviefone or tie-in video games are slightly less reprehensible. But, do I really need to see an ad for a sports car or perfume at this moment? Is this really their target audience? And what ever happened to talking with the people you came with? Some of us are out on dates or with friends and family and would rather chat than be bombarded with dumb ads. I say: let's bring back the vaudeville custom of booing loudly for the villains, and join me in booing the ads next time you're out at the movies! And whichever theater chain invented "the 20" (20 minutes of ads before the trailers) must be squashed!



2. Increase Usher Patrols- As an usher, I was expected to walk up and down the aisle of every theater, making sure no one was talking during the movie, had their feet up or was creating any sort of disturbance whatsoever. I also was checking to make sure the volume was fine, projection running smoothly and that the theater was comfortable. What has happened to this practice? Its suddenly every man for himself once the doors of the theater close. I never see anyone patrolling the theaters anymore. And coincidentally, people chatting loudly, answering phone calls, the volume being too low, bad projection and myriad other problems have increased. Granted, I do blame the audience for getting progressively more rude over the years (you're not at home, people- shut up!), and there seems to be some sort of perpetual arms race between chatting volume and movie volume. But, if there was an air of authority in the theater, someone who could stop a problem before it becomes big, it would make theatergoers much happier with the experience. People want to feel they are being looked out for, cared for in any sort of service industry. And the slight investment in time and minimum wage crewmen would pay off in dividends. Movie lovers go to the movies to watch the movie, not to be annoyed by the pack of teenagers behind you or having to dash out of the theater mid-movie to let them know the volume is too low.

to be continued...

Chewbacca: Renaissance Wookie

More funny and sometimes just cool behind-the-scenes photos are at Starwars.com's photo caption thingy.