The Burr in the Burgh

Watched "Ray" the other night. Then watched it again the next night. Ray Charles was no paragon of moral virtue, but his music was outa sight. This bio-pic is probably 60% music and it was pure Ray Charles, starting from his crooning days in the late 40s, through his country vibe, and his R&B/Gospel blend that became his distinction. I didn't realize I was such a Ray Charles fan until I saw this movie. And Jamie Foxx, the actor playing the lead role, was definitley in the zone.

Here's what I'm looking forward to in the cineplex in coming months:

May - Star Wars 3 or 6 or whatever. "The Revenge of the Sith." I know, I should have grown out of this stuff, but can I help it if a big part of me is still nine years old? It was the last day of school in 1977, finishing the 3rd grade, when my mom and dad surprised me and picked me and took me to see the original Star Wars in downtown Kansas City, MO. It was at one of those old-timey movie palaces still in use at the time with chandeliers and velvet curtains and such. Besides, this gives me and the resident nine-year old boy something to talk about.

Summer - War of the Worlds. I loved the 1950s original and just recently saw it again. A couple of years ago, I read a bunch of the novels of H.G. Wells. "The Invisible Man," "The Island of Dr. Moreau," "The Time Machine," and "The War of the Worlds." I've also always been intrigued by the scare caused by the radio broadcast Orson Wells did in 1938.

Sometime - King Kong. Peter Jackson, the director who did such a magnificent job with the Tolkien trilogy is back at it. I dig the original with Fay Wray, but hated the 1970s remake. This one looks promising.

December - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I've been told that this will be of the same production quality as the "Lord of the Rings" and that it will not try to water down the Christian imagery. The Chronicles of Narnia are some of my favorite books and have often been adapted for the screen, never well, in my opinion.