2004's Desert Island Top Ten Movies
J. Kevin Tumlinson
It's that time of year again. Or rather, it's the end of that time of year again. Now that 2004 is closing shop and 2005 is starting to sweep off the sidewalk out front, it's time once again for J. Kevin Tumlinson's Annual Desert Island Favorites List!
This year, it's DVDs.
I hate to admit it, but this is a much tougher list for me than favorite CDs. I'm a huge movie buff, so narrowing down a meager little list of my favorites is quite a challenge. But hey, it's tradition. Here goes! In no particular order...
High Fidelity -- How could I possibly have a Top 10 list without the mother of all Top 10 List movies? John Cusack and Jack Black in one film? Not to mention all that great music. And the constant monologue would be quite the inspiration for a guy stuck on a desert island, not to mention that since Cusack talks to the camera the whole time I could pretend we're having a conversation. Better than a volley ball.
Ghostbusters -- This is one of my all-time favorite movies. I still remember going to the theater to see it when I was 12. It was the first movie I ever saw that actually USED surround sound, and wow did it make a difference! Plus, this has to be the best work that Bill Murray ever did. Who was cooler than Peter Venkman? Yeah, that's right. Nobody.
Raiders of the Lost Ark -- But before there was Ghostbusters, there was the first movie to feature Indiana Jones - the whip bearing, idle swapping, fedora wearing archeologist that had all the pretty girls writing in their eyelids. I'm not sure there have ever been many archaeologists who fought Nazis, but I sure wanted to be one after seeing this guy in action. And it didn't hurt that Indie was played by none other than Han Solo himself.
Napoleon Dynamite -- This movie is sweet. Even if you don't have any nunchaku skills.
The Shawshank Redemption -- I figure if I'm stranded on a deserted island with no way off, I have a lot in common with Andy. For starters, there's the unwanted man-love in the shower...
Spider-man -- I waited 30 years for this movie to come out. Might as well spend 30 years scrutinizing it with a sun-addled brain. Plus, the wet t-shirt scene with Kirsten Dunst will keep me warm on those long, lonely nights.
Oh Brother, Where Art thou? -- This is the very question that I hope my brother will ask every day that I'm gone.
Spider-man 2 -- I waited 30 years for the first one, but this is the one I think of as "the best super hero movie ever made." I'm sure I'd be fashioning rope swings form jungle vines and acting out the Doc Ock battle using palm trees and inner tubes in no time.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (extended editions) -- Ok, I admit it, I'm sneaking in three movies for the price of one. But all together this is something like 12 hours of movies. That's good for passing those long days on the beach. Not to mention there are like 20 something hours of behind the scenes footage. And I can pretend that I have a magic ring that makes me invisible to everyone else on the island! I bet no one would talk to me.
Cast Away -- Because I like irony.
Well, that's this year's Top 10! Here's to a great 2005. Best wishes from everyone here at ViewOnline.com, and happy New Year!
J. Kevin Tumlinson is the Publisher and Editor for ViewOnline Magazine at www.viewonline.com. He is a Houston Baptist University graduate with degrees in English and Communications and a Masters in Education. You can reach him by e-mail at kevin@viewonline.com. He would be the first couch potato with a tan.
How the Grinch raised prices
J. KEVIN TUMLINSON
Just hear those sleigh bells jingling. Wait... those aren't sleigh bells! That's the sound of price gouging!
Ah, smell that December air. The Christmas trees! Treats baking in the oven! And the ever present smell of putrid greed as car rental agencies, airlines and hotels jack up their prices in anticipation of a profitable holiday season. The peak travel times are upon us, and boy are we going to pay.
Is it alarming to anyone else that on December 19th you can rent a mid-sized car in Connecticut for 2 weeks for around $300 but on December 20 it's going to cost you $1,200? Darn near scared the Santa hat right off of me, that's for sure.
Where do these people get the gall? Yesterday that hotel room would have cost $35 per night but today it's $150? To fly on December 1st cost $200 round trip but on December 20th it's $1,100? Did the plane suddenly transmuted in to gold? By the way... I don't recommend flying on a plane made of gold.
I have no choice but to say. It PAINS me to say it. I really, really wish that I did not have to say IT.
You're all a bunch of greedy no-goodnicks. That's right. You all deserve to be visited by three spirits.
I'm not going to fault anyone for wanting to make a profit, but let's be serious here. Christmas means increased travel, and so by its very nature it translates into "more." More airplane tickets sold, more cars rented, more hotel rooms reserved. More, more, more. And those things add up to more money. So, just by allowing for the increase of traffic, you guys stand to make more profit. But that just isn't enough, is it?
You had to go and raise the rates.
It's unethical. Don't like that? It's also immoral. Still not happy with my choice of words? You are a bad, bad person for taking advantage of everyone's spirit of family and tradition and Christmas spirit. You know who I'm talking to here... YOU... the guy (or gal) who makes the ultimate decision to set the rates. You, the individual who decided that making more money was more important than providing a good service at a reasonable rate.
I know what most people will say. These decisions aren't made by an individual, they're made by a group. Share holders, board members, etc. But no matter how many people are on the board, they're all individuals and they all made the decision to gouge the public and take advantage of their good will.
Is it unreasonable to expect a quality service at a fair rate? Am I asking too much when I expect more service in return for more money? If I go from $300 to $1,200 for a car, the thing better come with free gas and a back massage at the very least. And I don't want to pay for the extra insurance, thank you. Give it to me as part of the exorbitant prices I'm now paying. It's not like anyone's ever going to file a claim on it anyway.
So YOU... board member, stock holder, one of many. Do something "human," will ya? Tell the others that THIS year you don't want to screw all your customers. THIS year you don't want to raise rates just for the sake of soaking more cash out of the poor schmoes that just want to see their family for the holidays.
Step up and be better than that, will ya?
J. Kevin Tumlinson is the Publisher and Editor for ViewOnline Magazine at www.viewonline.com. He is a Houston Baptist University graduate with degrees in English and Communications and a Masters in Education. You can reach him by e-mail at kevin@viewonline.com. He will be visiting you with three spirits.
Big City
J. KEVIN TUMLINSON
I recently got the chance to "play tourist" a little on a working trip to Washington, D.C. There's something sort of awe inspiring about being in a town with such a deep tradition of history, with so many monuments and historical buildings. Just walking down brick-paved sidewalks is a sort of treat to this small-town born Houston area resident. No personality neutral concrete slaps when you get into the historic heart of this city.
It makes me think about the "personality" of American cities. Certainly each city has one unique personality of its own. And maybe that personality is shaped more by public perception than anything else. Or maybe there's something intrinsic to the streets and buildings and climate that define "who" the city is. Washington, D.C. has a sort of busy charm to it. New York City shares that but also has at its heart an artistic sensibility. Houston is a city about local pride and congeniality, where all disputes can be solved over a good meal.
Architecturally, Houston isn't exactly a city that pops to mind when you think of "picturesque" or "beautiful." But its personality is clear. There's a friendliness and openness when you're in the city. Traffic, like in every city, is bad, and it makes me glad that I've chosen to live in a small town where the pace is slower and the crowds are smaller. But even I have to admit to an electric thrill of excitement when I'm in the museum district or dining downtown.
Thinking of what makes a city come alive, you begin to wonder just how much of a part the people play. I've been to cities where I never really met a soul, but got a definite sense of the town's personality. Key West, for example, is laid back but somewhat deceptive in the face it presents to the world. The same with Baton Rouge -- a sort of facade hangs over these cities, and when you penetrate that curtain you find a sort of ugliness. And then, when you think you couldn't love that particular stray puppy, you find that the facade isn't so phony after all, and that these cities perk up and come to life at certain times of the day or night. And suddenly you can't hold a grimey underbelly against a city that clearly has so much joy and life to offer.
I've always been an advocate of small town life, but I can definitely see the appeal of a life within the canyons of a large city. Especially one rich in history. And, in the case of D.C., one that vibrates with political and economic power. It can become somewhat addictive, to sample those intense personalities time and time again. I'm just a simple country boy, but I can see that.
J. Kevin Tumlinson is the Publisher and Editor for ViewOnline Magazine at www.viewonline.com. He is a Houston Baptist University graduate with degrees in English and Communications and a Masters in Education. You can reach him by e-mail at kevin@viewonline.com. He's just a simple country boy, and unfamiliar with your big city ways.
