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"Like a giant bloody bat" [37]

You know, sometimes when you hear about the death of a real person it gives you pause for thought about all the horrid things that happen to people in fictional works. When a relative or close friend dies it becomes even more personal.

I haven't updated the site lately because my brother in law was tragically taken from his family last Thursday. It's devastating. Totally unexpected. He had a wife and two children aged 11 and 13. He'll be greatly missed. It seems so unfair. And there's still this air of unreality about it.

I always found it odd that when some real-world event happens such as a major bombing in Northern Ireland or the Lockerbie incident, the media will say something like:

"Tonight's scheduled movie Blown Away - will be broadcast at a later date. Instead we'll be screening My Little Pony - The Movie"

Even Peter Griffin in the Family Guy Star Wars parody 'Blue Harvest' cracks an insensitive joke that's a little bit too related to Leia's home planet being destroyed. "Awww... too soon?" he mockingly and sarcastically quips.

But, if something seems too soon isn't it always too soon? Screening the terrible movie Blown Away a week later so that the family have a chance to get over it seems ridiculous and insensitive in the extreme.

The Henchman

From Austin Powers

I have to say that the original Austin Powers film - which I thought was awful on the first viewing - did an interesting thing that I'd never seen before. When one of Dr.Evil's throwaway, expendable henchmen is horribly killed we actually get to see the effect it has on his family and friends. All for comic effect I suppose but it made interesting points about how most of us are attached to other human beings and what an impact it has when one person dies. It might make us look at Rambo 5 (or whatever the hell it is) with its massive body count - all for the sake of entertainment - in a different light. (I first mentioned this at SWa9)

Beautiful Brash

I'm adopting Neil Baker's inventive new name for the Brett-like Ash character of the comic from now on (thanks Neil). So no more 'Ash' in italics and single quotes: just the name Brash.

Anyhoo... Brash played by Harry Dean Stanton is looking rather beautiful here isn't he? Just imagine him modelling for Jean Paul Gaultier in a Breton Shirt, sailor's cap and not much else...

More, as usual, on Wednesday