I was originally going to stop at Dollar General and buy a drink and a snack before the movies, but I ran out of time. I just got the slightly-late bus about a block from there instead. The bus wasn't busy, and there was no traffic despite it being past 12:30 when I left. It rolled in at around 1 PM, giving me just enough time to dash across the street and past Wal Mart to the Dollar Tree. I grabbed a Diet Pepsi and small bag of baked pea snacks there, then literally dashed into the Cinemark 16 to see Inside Out 2 with no time to spare.
I'm not going to go into more detail because of spoilers, but yes, I did very much enjoy Inside Out 2. Considering my own difficulties battling anxiety, the portrayal of that emotion especially hit a deep chord with me. This is also one of the rare times I'm glad Disney/Pixar did a sequel. Riley is growing up, and there's a lot more to her story - and to emotions - as you hit puberty. All of the voices were wonderful, especially Maya Hawke as Anxiety, Adele Excharopolous as moody Ennui, and Ayo Edibiri as adorable Envy. (Who knew jealousy could be so cute?) I also like that we get to really explore how Riley deals with the new complications in her life, especially that realistic anxiety attack towards the end of the movie that's scarier than anything in the horror commercials that ran before this.
My only major complaint is similar to the first one - it tends to meander through the middle of the film as the emotions explore her mind and try to get back up to their Mission Control. This does lead to some funny gags, including hilarious cracks at the interactive toddler shows of the 90's and 2000's and brooding video game characters who look cool and have great backstories but no decent moves. It also takes forever to get where it's going, feeling long for a movie that runs only about an hour and a half.
Honestly, I loved the first movie, and I enjoyed this one just as much. If nothing else, it would be a great way for many parents with pre-teens to discuss their feelings as they hit puberty and have their own first encounters with Anxiety and her more pessimistic pals.
(Oh, and frankly, there weren't too many commercials I hadn't seen already. I haven't been interested in Beetlejuice or Transformers since I was a kid, and I feel no need to return to them now. As mentioned, I don't like horror movies, so A Quiet Place does nothing for me. I remain wary of Disney returning to the Lion King well after their photorealistic remake in 2019 was a crashing bore. The Wild Robot and Moana 2 remain the ones to beat. The first looks sweet; the second is another Disney character with a story I wouldn't mind returning to.)
I originally planned on eating at Lorenzo's Trattoria Italiana Pizzeria across from Taco Bell, but I saw a couple of guys with a ladder loitering outside. I opened the door...to see hand tools and sawdust before they protested that the restaurant was closed. So that's why Lauren and I hadn't been able to eat there a few weeks ago. I have no idea why someone hasn't updated their Facebook page or something online to say they're closed or being remodeled. Their last Facebook update was in 2022.
Ended up back at Tony Soprano's, the place I ate at in late May when I originally went to see The Garfield Movie. Needless to say, I was the only one there at 3:30. The slice of cheese and the slice of vegetable were just as good this time around, and enormous, taking up almost all of an aluminum pie pan. Had them with a bottle of Coke Zero while listening to Sinatra croon "I've Got You Under My Skin."
It was such a gorgeous day, I just kept going down the White Horse Pike. It was too nice to take the bus home just yet. The storms last night finally cleared out that heat bubble. It was sunny and warm, but not overly hot, in the lower 80's, about where it should be this time of year. The heavy wind felt fabulous on my face as I crossed to the other side near WaWa.
Finally ended up at Sun Valley Records in Somerdale. I first explored this combination record, used media, and head shop in May 2021, but haven't returned since. I remembered why when I went in the door and took a look around. They mostly carry new records and old CDs and DVDs. The latter tend to be far cheaper than the former. They're not very well-organized, either, with all genres just thrown in helter-skelter. I did find a box of used records...and when I took three and a CD to the counter, the owner said he'd throw in four used DVDs for free.
The four free movies ended up being the Broadway musical revue Fosse, the classic Barbara Stanwyk-Gary Cooper comedy Ball of Fire, a better copy of Blazing Saddles than the one I dubbed onto DVD a decade ago, and the original film version of MASH in honor of star Donald Sutherland, who passed away last week. The one CD was:
Journey - Journey Greatest Hits Vol 2
The records were:
The Eagles - The Long Run
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Strolled back down the White Horse Pike around 5 to get a drink at Dunkin'. Had to wait behind two teenage girls picking up coffee and Refreshers, but I did finally get my Mango-Pineapple Green Tea Refresher. Not bad. Tarter than I thought it would be. I sipped it as I went a few blocks further to the bus stop about a block from the WaWa. The bus was late, but not as late as when Lauren and I went to the movies earlier this month. I finally got on the busy vehicle around 5:40 and was home by a little after 6.
I realized as I got home that it's also been over a decade since I took inventory, both of my media and of my own life. Trouble is, I've been using Google Docs since I bought my Chrome laptop. I can't figure out its spreadsheets and it has no free home inventory templates. I ended up making a list instead. It's time-consuming, but I'm not sure what else to do.
Watched Match Game '79 while I worked and had dinner. The first episode featured Joyce Bulifant joining a champion ballroom dancing contestant for some totally awesome jitterbugging. The second brought in vintage TV puppets Kukla and Ollie, whom Gene and Arte Johnson had worked with before. Brett proceeded to spend the rest of the week flirting with Kukla the Dragon.
Finished the night after a shower on YouTube and Dailymotion exploring the history of my favorite childhood game show Double Dare. Double Dare was announced in June of 1986 as Nickelodeon's first game show. It debuted that October and was an instant sensation, more than tripling their afternoon ratings. Every kid I knew looked forward to seeing energetic Marc Summers lead two groups of kids through a wild, messy stunt to determine who would go first. We answered the questions along with them and held our breath when they sent the other team a Double Dare. If the other team sent it back, they'd have to take a Physical Challenge, another stunt. If they won the stunt, they'd get the money. Lose the stunt, and the other team got the money.
The winners went on to the grueling Obstacle Course. The kids would have to run through eight slime and plastic ball-covered stunts to win increasingly larger prizes. The biggest prize was generally a trip, usually either to Space Camp or some exotic location like Hawaii. The Obstacle Course was really hard! It was very rare when the kids made it all the way through to that trip, and a cause for celebration when they did.
Double Dare may have meant even more to kids in the Philly and South Jersey area. From 1986 through 1989, it was filmed at WHYY Studios in downtown Philly. It even had a popular Philly DJ, Harvey, as its announcer. We were pretty disappointed when they eventually moved to Nick's new Universal Studio Florida studios around the early 90's and dropped Harvey in favor of Doc Holliday.
Of all the game shows I've covered on this blog, Double Dare has probably changed the least over the years. The game play - and many of the stunts - were the same in 1986 as they were over 30 years later in 2018. Super Sloppy Double Dare in 1987 was really a fancy name for the same game with slightly messier stunts. Family Double Dare in 1988 and again in 1990 and Double Dare 2000 added parents to the teams and replaced the big trip prize with a car. The 2018 version went back to two kids, though it did do celebrity and family weeks on occasion.
Marc Summers was the original host. He always seemed to have so much fun with the kids, and later, their parents, he's still associated with the franchise to this day. He came back as the announcer and commentator in 2018, joined by energetic Liza Koshy. Jason Harris was the host in 2000, which also threw in a "triple Dare" to the mix.
This is one time I'm glad a show doesn't change. I've enjoyed every version of this franchise, from the original I watched eagerly during afternoons with my sisters when I was 7 to the 2018 show, and they remain fun to watch today. No matter what the trivia is, there's something exhilarating about watching people pelt each other with pink and green stuff.
If you have equally fond memories of Nickelodeon's first "slime time" game show, on your mark, get set, and go to these delightfully gak-filled episodes!
(And if you have a subscription to Paramount Plus, you can find even more Double Dare in the Nickelodeon section, including a lot of the 1986 run and the full 2018 show!)
No comments:
Post a Comment