Kicked off the morning with breakfast and more Magic School Bus. The kids need salmon for their school fish fry, but there's no fish to be found. The bus "Goes Upstream" when Ms. Frizzle gives it programming that makes it believe it's a salmon. That backfires on them when it follows the salmon to the stream and won't stop, leaving four of the kids behind. They swim after the bus and the fish to find out where they're going and why.
Worked on writing for the rest of the morning. The two happy couples send Richard, Gene, Brett, Charles, and Bill off. They arrive in the tiny town of Villenveuve by late afternoon. Gene has an old friend who runs a book shop and may know where the next Legendary Princess is. Bill the wolf isn't happy that he has to wear a collar in town. Charles explains that he can't help them if people think he's a stray dog.
Broke for lunch at noon. Did an episode of Match Game on Buzzr while I ate. This was another episode from 1975 where Gary Burgoff replaced his mentor and teacher Charles Nelson Reilly, who was on Broadway directing a play. Gene ended up taking a seat on the steps briefly when he brought the contestant over to the stairs.
Work was steady for most of the afternoon...until around 3-3:30, when rush hour started and everyone came in from work. I alternated between gathering carts and sweeping floors all day, except for when I cleaned up a few spills and wet spots. At least it was a gorgeous day to be outside. The sky was blue, and while it was still a little windy, it was also warmer than it was yesterday, in the upper 40's.
Went straight home as soon as my work shift ended. After I took the paper recycling downstairs, I made Tex-Mex Black Bean Dip for dinner while watching more game shows. Madeline Rue and loopy Patti Deustch join Brett, Charles, Gary, Gene, and Richard for two Match Game episodes in 1976. Sale of the Century is still on the "End of the Summer" teen tournament. This time, it was neck-and-neck between a cute girl school newspaper editor and a boy swimmer. The boy finally kicked rear at the speed round and won himself a Hawaiian vacation. Monty Hall did some selling in Let's Make a Deal, including furniture to a newlywed couple in Hawaiian costume who needed to stock their home and appliances to a "surgeon" in blue scrubs.
Finished the night with Welcome to Marwen. Mark Hogancamp (Steve Carrell) was beaten by white supremacists after he got drunk and told them he wears women's shoes. To help cope with the loss of memory and post-traumatic stress disorder, he creates his own World War II installation. He's the tough-guy pilot who captains a group of strong women, all of them based after the many strong women in his life. The supremists are Nazis, and a green-haired witch keeps him from getting to close to the ladies. He does finally fall in love with his new neighbor Nicol (Leslie Mann), whom he immediately adds to Marwen as a new recruit. Though his captain doll version also falls for and marries the Nicol doll, neither love, nor his court dates, go as smoothly in real life. Even when his romance with Nicol doesn't work out, he does finally find the strength to tell the court what happened with the beating...and share the world of Marwen with the art community.
We have two good movies here that just don't fit together. The funny, odd Marwen sequences, with their action and amazing and slightly uncanny special effects, clash with the quieter "real-life" moments. Carrell's not bad as the photographer who uses creativity to help him cope with the loss of his memory and his love, but the ladies are the real standouts here. They're all funny and enjoyable, and are recreated well in the Marwen sequences.
This is interesting if you're a fan of Carrell, unique dramas, dolls, or the real Hogancamp's work (he apparently did start the real Marwen to deal with trauma, and continues to make it and display it across the country), despite the inconsistent tone, this one is worth a look.
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