In general, I've never been a big music fan. In specific, I've never really cared for Prince, who died yesterday at 57. However, I do want to go on record as saying that I think Prince might have been one of the best performers in the history of pop music.

I saw him in concert only once. That once was nine years ago, at the halftime performance of Superbowl XLI on February 5, 2007. In addition to being Peyton Manning's first championship, it was also the first Super Bowl played in the rain.

Conditions were miserable. There was no warmth in Miami that evening. The rain was cold and steady, penetrating the ponchos that most of the crowd were wearing. The wind cut straight to the bone. Honestly, it was the least comfortable I'd ever been in a football stadium. I suspect that most of the nearly 75,000 people in attendance shared my opinion.

Of course, it didn't help that there wasn't much entertainment to take our attention away from the foul weather. Cirque Du Soleil was a terrible pregame act, bringing out some acrobats to do whatever acrobats do. Two note to future programmers: 1) it's impossible to see what a single acrobat is doing on the 20 yard line, and 2) football fans don't care about acrobats.

The game, when we got to it, wasn't much better. The Chicago Bears — and especially their hapless quarterback, Rex Grossman — were terribly outclassed by Manning's Indianapolis Colts. The Bears took an early lead, but then ran out of gas. Though it took a while for the score board to catch up, the game was a rout.

Honestly, by halftime, I was considering walking out of the stadium and calling it a night. When the public address announcer asked the fans to reach under their seats and light the small LED flashlights we were given, I said no. Enough was enough. Then Prince came to my rescue.

They assembled the stage at midfield and poof! Prince appeared in a cloud of smoke with his electric guitar — in the rain! He proceeded to put on one hell of an invigorating performance. He demanded that we clap, and we clapped. He told us to sing along, and we sang along. He closed, fittingly, with Purple Rain, and it rained. It was exactly what we needed to hear. It turned a disasterous outing into a night to remember.

So, while I've never owned a Prince album or seen Graffiti Bridge, I do recognize that the world lost someone special yesterday. Thanks, Prince.

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It's 2016. Nobody still blogs. So why do I?

When I started in 2002 — my earliest posts were uploaded via ftp as a flat file that would be parsed and output via Flash — I believed that I was blogging as a way to keep in touch, bulletin-board style, with my friends and family who all lived an hour or more away from me. Fourteen years later, that function has been aggregated and monetized by Facebook and Twitter (and Instagram and Pintrest, et cetera, et cetera). So why do I keep going?

Do I have an innate need to externalize my internal dialogue? If you look at my body of work, you'll see that's not the case. Generally speaking, my posts aim to be entertaining as opposed to introspective. I have no interest in boring anyone by unwinding and exploring the bundle of routine doubts and worries at the core of every human being. So "Discovering Walter" can't be the reason.

I don't think I really blog to keep in touch, either. Maybe that was true once, but in the past decade, the world and its eyeballs have already migrated to one of those other, aforementioned sites and left me behind. Very few of the people in my life have ever bothered to read what I post. Why should they? If anyone wanted to hear my opinion on something, they know where I live.

So I don't have an answer to why I keep blogging. I guess I do it because it satisfies some urge I have to be creative. I'll probably keep doing it until that urge is satisfied. I wonder how long that will take.

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Movies watched in July, Part 2 of 3:

126. (873.) Sahara (1943)
In this Sahara, Tank commander Humphrey Bogart and his motley team of Allied soldiers hold out against Axis forces in the North African desert. It's a suspenseful war film that I'd recommend without reservation.

127. (874.) Sahara (2005)
In this Sahara, Matthew McConaughey charms his way across the North African desert searching for lost Confederate treasure. The movie is generally a silly action film that's a lot of fun until the absurdity of the villains' motivations overwhelm the plot in the third act. Mildly recommended.

128. (875.) Sahara (1983)
In this Sahara, Brooke Shields competes in an all-male automobile race across the North African desert until she is captured by the natives and forced into slavery. Fun fact: Lambert Wilson played the villain in the 2005 Sahara, but he's the male love interest here. While that fact might be fun, this movie is not. Avoid at all costs.

129. (876.) Dark Passage (1947)
Bogart and Bacall! Need I say more? I hope not, because the attraction between their characters in this movie is, at best, poorly explained. Still, their screen chemistry sizzles.

130. (877.) The Killers (1946)
Like many noir crime films, I found this movie to be difficult to get into in the beginning but impossible to stop watching once it got rolling. That may be because so much of the early going is told in flashback. By the end, when things are playing out in the "present," it was really attention-grabbing.

131. (878.) Big Hero 6 (2014)
I cannot express how disappointed I was in this movie. I'd heard such good things, but it's really, really shallow, even for a kid's movie. It's almost as bad as Frozen. I'm starting to think I should stop watching all Disney animated movies if this is the quality of film they are putting out. (Wreck-It-Ralph was so good, but now this?)

132. (879.) Border Incident (1949)
I typically like noir crime films when they dress themselves up as docudramas, but this pseudo "true story" about law enforcement hunting illegal farm workers in Southern California was just too slow and dry. I didn't hate it, but I'm sure I don't have the patience or interest to watch it again.

More to come.

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If there's one thing everyone agrees Superman is good at, it's selling cars.

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Vacation Day 4: Charleston and Beaufort, SC

By day 4, Brian and I had visited almost everything we knew we wanted to see in Charleston, so we were looking for things a little off the more beaten paths. We decided to start the day by paying a visit to the only thing in Charleston that had lived through the American Revolution.

They estimate at the Angel Oak may be 400 years old. It looks it.

The thing that I wanted to do next was visit Magnolia Cemetery. Newnan's Oak Hill Cemetery is older, but Magnolia is much, much larger and, though I hate to say it, it's also much, much prettier. (What's with naming cemeteries after trees, anyway?)

Magnolia is adjacent to a complex of cemeteries, including St. Lawrence and the Lutheran's Bethany Cemetery filled with tombstones inscribed in German. The area is full of many stunning tributes to the dead.

Naturally, being a cemetery in Charleston, SC, it is chock full of monuments to dead Confederates. The men who died testing and running the world's first submarine to sink a ship, the H.L. Hunley, are all buried here (the ill-fated ship killed more Confederates than Yankees), as are many other C.S.A. officers, soldiers, and officials. There's even a monument to all the Germans who fought for the South.

As you can see, there are many spectacular monuments here, I couldn't stop snapping pictures. I took nearly 200. (Thank you digital camera technology!) Brian gave up trying to follow me and sat in his car playing with his smart phone. I tell you, kids today! Who'd rather look at digital pixels than fine statuary like these?

This cemetery is so big, there are even duplicate monuments. All three of these angels (watching over Patrick Darcy, Ellen Turner, and Micheal Shanahan respectively) are the same statue!

In a cemetery this size, the statuary is only part of the pleasure. There are a nearly endless variety of entertaining monuments. For example, C.S.A. Captain John C. Mitchell, who died during the Yankee siege of Fort Sumter in 1864, has his last words: "I willingly give my life for South Carolina. Oh! That I could have died for Ireland!" The tombstone for Corporal Allan Jackson explains that he survived being shot at the Battle of Fredericksburg only to die of Typhoid Fever in Richmond. And don't forget such great names as Harry Brotherhood and Dr. B.A. Muckenfuss. But my favorite tombstone of all:

After Brian finally dragged me from the cemeteries, we headed into downtown Charleston to visit the Charleston City Hall. Originally built as the Charleston branch of the Bank of the United States, it now houses the mayor's office and an absolutely stunning council chamber containing several original commissions of famous southerners like George Washington, Andrew Jackson, and John C. Calhoun. (Flash photography was prohibited, but I'm sure no pictures could do it justice.)

Looking for one more thing to see before turning in for the night, we drove an hour to Beaufort, SC. We got there just as the sun was setting, and barely had enough time to photograph the Hunting Island Lighthouse before they closed the park gates.

Given how little light there was, I think this picture came out really well.

One more day to document. More to come.

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The end of the 2014 movie list.

205. (742.) Out of Africa (1985)
This wasn't nearly as pretentious and boring as I feared. Redford was the weak part, but that just proves no one can stand against the immortal Meryl Streep.

206. (743.) Marnie (1964)
Sean Connery, rapist? Ugh. Even Alfred Hitchcock has a few stinkers in the resume. The highlight of the film was Bruce Dern's brief cameo as the sailor/child molester. Ick.

207. (744.) The Male Animal (1942)
The backers of the university football program are so powerful, they divert public funds to stadiums, tell the faculty what they can and cannot teach, and accuse their detractors of being un-American. A completely unrealistic story in 2014.

208. (745.) A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
As much as I enjoy Shakespeare's tragedies, I'm no fan of his comedies, including any production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. I thought Dick Powell was especially miscast in the lead, but he wasn't nearly so bad as Mickey Rooney as Puck. Ye, gods. Great sets and special effects for the era, but I fast-forwarded through most of the dialogue.

209. (746.) Gambit (1966)
Micheal Caine and Shirley MacClaine in a heist picture? Sign me up! Every bit as enjoyable as expected. Recommended.

210. (747.) Heavenly Bodies (1984)
Have I mentioned that I love fad exploitation films? The climax of this film involves an aerobics dance-off that makes so little sense, the movie doesn't try explaining it. Outside the aerobics (and the required nods to Flashdance), this is a romance film with lots of on-screen female nudity so that the guys won't walk out. Good choice, director.

(That Coke machine is a very prominent part of the set, but I didn't really notice the product placement until two girls in leotards walked past the camera just to show us the can in their hands.)

And that wraps up the list of 210 films seen in 2014. For the record, the actor most seen in 2014 was William Powell (as he was in 2012), followed by the late James Garner.

When I started this project in 2012, I thought watching 150 new-to-me movies was going to be a hard target to reach. But without much trying, I'm routinely getting over 200 each year. Will that streak continue in 2015? We'll find out in 12 more months.

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Brace yourself. Here comes the final list of movies watched in June.

100. (637.) Shoot First, Die Later (1974)
This Italian revenge film was not exactly what was advertised but still entertaining enough. (The third act "revenge" was limited to the last 10 minutes.) It's mostly about how Crime Doesn't Pay.

101. (638.) Hit Man (1972)
This is an American version of Crime Doesn't Pay in which Crime Pays So Long As You Stay Away From Children. For the record, I had no idea that action star Pam Grier was so willing to flash her dirty pillows to the camera. Not that I'm complaining.

102. (639.) The New Guy (2002)
I think DJ Qualls must fill some necessary niche in contemporary Hollywood in the same way Peter Lorrie did in the Golden Era. I mean, I like the guy, but he's always playing the role defined in the script as "geek/loser."

103. (640.) Shock Treatment (1964)
Speaking of typecast, here Roddy McDowell plays a crazy. But then, so does Lauren Bacall. This whole film could have been an extended Night Gallery episode. I liked it.

104. (641.) Hardbodies (1984)
I was raised in the 80s, so it should be no surprise that I have an affinity for the decade's sex comedies. This film falls somewhere between Meatballs and Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise. I'm not going to lie; I could watch this again.

105. (642.) Spring Break (1983)
This, however, shouldn't have been watched once. Boring cliche beach movie with less skin than Summer School and less comedy than One Crazy Summer. It's one redeeming feature is the blatant product placement for Coca-Cola.

106. (643.) Life with Father (1947)
I think this movie meant to portray familyhood as a heartwarming, positive thing, but all I could see were reasons to never ever get married or have children.

107. (644.) The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978)
I'd seen bits and pieces of this Beatles-parody mockumentary before, but never the whole thing. I was glad to see George Harrison was in on the joke.

108. (645.) Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)
There's nothing worse than a comedy that isn't funny, but an action film with bad choreography isn't much better. These films don't need actors with range (see: Bronson, Charles or Segal, Steven), but we do expect them to have some gravitas and the necessary ability to convince us that they have the will and physical skills to do the things we see them do on screen. Kristen Kreuck was simply not up to this role. Avoid it if you can.

Whew! That's 30 movies in 30 days. Back soon with more.

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Third of three sets of 8 movies from September. (Almost done!)

167. (474.) Three Ages (1923)
Buster Keaton's first movie as writer/director/producer/actor. It's pretty darn funny. This Buster Keaton guy might have a career.

168. (475.) The Maiden Heist (2009)
Sometimes movies don't try to be anything more than a polite diversion from reality for a couple of hours. This is one of those. Let's call it a "gentle caper film." Charming in its own way.

169. (476.) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Widely called the first horror film, this movie isn't so horror-able as it is just plain weird. If you've never seen it, give it a look. I think you'll be satisfied.

170. (477.) Vampyr (1932)
This is another early silent horror film. Story is sacrificed for atmosphere, but why weigh down visuals this creepy with complicated plot? Again, if you haven't seen it, you might want to take a look.

171. (478.) Lifeboat (1944)
I debated whether to put this movie on my list. I was convinced that I had never seen this Hitchcock film, but while watching it I began to wonder otherwise. It was familiar and predictable. Did I see it and forget about it? That seems unlikely. Maybe I half watched it while doing something else. Maybe I'd seen parts of it. In any event, I'm sure I've never given it my full attention all the way through, so I decided to add it to the list of "new" movies. As for whether I liked it, yes, I did.

172. (479.) Creature with the Atom Brain (1955)
Midway through this noirish crime story involving Frankenstein-ian physics, the protagonist police chemist comes home and gripes that his wife should be giving him a drink, not some lip about how his daughter misbehaved that day. I found this super amusing, in part because the protagonist had exactly the same job as DC Comics' Flash character who debuted in 1956. Is that how Flash (Barry Allen) would have treated his fiancee Iris after a hard day of detective work? Probably, yes.

173. (480.) Detective Kitty O'Day (1944)
Kitty O'Day is no Nancy Drew. After all other suspects are murdered, Kitty turns to the one surviving suspect for help. Guess which suspect is the murderer? If you can imaging a 30-minute I Love Lucy episode drawn out for over an hour, you've already seen this movie.

174. (481.) The Farmer's Wife (1928)
It must have been evident to everyone that the director of this silent comedy — some nobody named Alfred Hitchcock — would go on to great things. The shots are held too long (typical of the silent era), but the blocking, pacing, editing, and camera work are otherwise all impressive for a movie of the era.

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The latest "scandal" among comic book fanboys was last week's announcement that the creators of the Batwoman comic were resigning over DC's editorial decision that the title character cannot get married. The question at hand is whether the character's sexuality has anything to do with the decision. For the record, Batwoman is gay.

DC Comics made headlines a few years ago when they debuted this reimagined Batwoman (not to be confused with any of the Batgirls). Therefore, many people assumed that DC's decision not to allow Batwoman to marry was an editorial comment about the moral permissibility of gay marriage. Personally, I don't think that's the case. Why create and hype a lesbian character if you are opposed to lesbian marriage?

Of course, DC isn't a person but a company. It's possible that the decision makers in charge have been replaced (or changed their minds) since the introducing the character in 2006. However, this editorial decision sounds more like a side-effect of the growing influence of the marketing department than any moral/political stance.

Once upon a time, DC told stories in which the characters were allowed to grow. Superman could fall in love. Robin could grow up. Green Lantern could become a villain. However, now the licensing revenue for the characters' costumes are more important than the stories that spawned them. Marketing worries that kids who grew up reading that Barry Allen is the secret identity of the Flash might not buy their children Flash action figures modeled on the Flash's successor, Wally West. So goodbye character development, hello creative stagnation.

DC co-publisher Dan DiDio has tried to justify the decision by saying that all DC characters are required to focus on heroics at the cost of their personal lives. Apparently, so far as DC is concerned, you can't be a hero and enjoy it. These days there's no enjoyment in reading a DC comic book, either.

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Sunday, Anne Hathaway won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Les Misérables. I haven't seen Les Misérables and I don't intend to. I have no idea whether she deserved it, but my father says she does. Dad hasn't seen Les Misérables either, but he has seen something he believes is more relevant to the Oscar voting: Hathaway's unméntionables.

Back in December, Anne Hathaway flashed her privates while getting out of a limo at the at the public opening of Les Misérables. My father -- who makes notes of all his crazy predictions so should any of them come to pass he can hold them up and say, "see I'm not crazy" -- predicted at the time that Hathaway's gaffe was an intentional public relations maneuver designed to garner both attention and sympathy. At the time, I dismissed this as just more crazy raving, but look who's holding an Oscar now.

I guess I should have known better as soon as Seth Mcfarlane opened the Oscar ceremony with a song in which the chorus repeated the phrase, "we saw your boobs, in the movie that we saw, we saw your boobs." Although there is no direct correlation between actresses showing their cooters to the cameras and winning Academy Awards, Hollywood knows damn well what we are paying to see.

Despite my initial resistance to my father's "crazy" idea, I've warmed to it. The actress who sleeps her way to the top is a Hollywood cliche. If Hollywood wants to reward its women for flashing fans instead of just producers, I'm pretty sure that's a crazy idea I can get behind.

So listen up, leading ladies: from now on we will all be expecting you to show us some skin if you want to win. Pay attention, Quvenzhané Wallis. At only nine years old, you may have been the youngest Academy Award nominee in history, but you'd better plan on dressing inappropriately if you really want to compete for that elusive Oscar when you grow up.

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