http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/ChrisJarmick Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:32:26 GMT Reviews by ChrisJarmick http://www.viewpoints.com/Not-An-Occassion-Poem-by-Christopher-J-Jarmick-Poem-review-fb7c3 self explanatory... enjoy the read.  Okay to smile. — Not an Occasion Poem   — By Christopher J. Jarmick — Someone asked me to write a poem — It wasn't for a birthday — Or anniversary — Or holiday — Or to protest a war — Or for Katrina, the tsunami, Darfur, — Iraqi children, the homeless, — It wasn't for global warning — Or banned book week — a non-profit group, — or for someone famous, — or someone not so famous — who just passed away. — They simply asked me to write a poem — Because they like when I write poems — And wanted me to do a poem — Just for them. — This isn't the poem I'm writing for that. — So it's not for anything in particular — Except that it must have a purpose — Some kind of, — Any kind of — objective... — So — This... Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:32:26 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Not-An-Occassion-Poem-by-Christopher-J-Jarmick-Poem-review-fb7c3 ChrisJarmick 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Stirring-Up-the-Waters-Poems-review-fed10  Cat Ruiz's award winning collection of poetry throws its net far out into the ‘water'  to capture a wide variety of fish, plant life and flotsam.   Through often personal poems Ruiz considers her own mixed cultural heritage and the impressions she had of places around the world from Australia, to Canada, to Spain and the United States.   She means to capture a circle of life through these poems that were written over a period of 12 years. Ruiz's collection is organized into 5 sections  1- Peeled Red Onion (10 poems), 2- Smoke Rising (18 poems) 3- Soaring ( 12 poems)  4- At the Edge (18 poems)  5- These Places (14 poems).   The poem titles alone piqued my interest:  Beneath Bare Feet, At A Gathering of Friends, Why I Gave Jason B. an A On His Paper Even Though he Called Sherman Alexie a Hack,  What Happened to Your Love Poems ?,  Off Reservation Blues,  Soft Clicking Prayers,  and... Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:22:30 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Stirring-Up-the-Waters-Poems-review-fed10 ChrisJarmick 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Broken-For-You-review-71085  Broken for You, the debut novel by Seattle writer  Stephanie Kallos  gently surprises with the twists and turns of its utterly engrossing stories that hinge on the vivid, believable eccentric characters we meet.    This is definitely not the kind of book I am initially attracted to.  If I did pick it up at a bookstore and read the back cover description I would have quickly decided this was probably a glorified romance novel and put it right back where I found it.  There is something about broken hearts and broken promises and a 76 year old woman living by herself in a large mansion with collectible antiques who strikes up a relationship with a young lady she decides to rent a room to.   Not something that sounds particularly exciting to me.    However since it was recommended to me by a dear friend, I gave it a chance.   I re-read the first few lines of the book and realized, this might actually be a very... Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:18:55 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Broken-For-You-review-71085 ChrisJarmick 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Little-Red-Studio-Seattle-review-38dc  Seattle's Little Red Studio puts on a variety of shows-usually with a definite sensuous, artistically erotic vibe to them.  A wide variety of artistic, acrobatic, literary and musical talent combine to create something very unique and always memorable.  Careful you might become addicted to the experience and want to become a regular!!!!   It all started several years ago in a different space as invitation only house parties.  Party games created an interactive feel between performers and audience.   This idea was made part of the more formal shows at the larger space. — And now for something completely different truly fits a Little Red Studio show.  It is not like anything you have ever seen or experienced before.   The shows combine music, some dance, singing, aerial displays of dexterity (performers on various ropes or fabrics hanging from the rafters, twisting, turning etc.), humorous skits,  spoken word and... Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:28:38 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Little-Red-Studio-Seattle-review-38dc ChrisJarmick 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Poem-Breathing-Lesson-review-b475 BREATHING Lesson — By  Christopher J. Jarmick — Fill my lungs with this air today — It's better than yesterday's air — And I want my body to breathe it in deeply. — I hope tomorrow the air feels this fresh — and I enjoy breathing as much as I do today, — But I don't know what will happen tomorrow — I can only speak of the present. — I fill my lungs with this air — It feels so very good — Today —... Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:17:35 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Poem-Breathing-Lesson-review-b475 ChrisJarmick 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Worst-Sports-Movies-of-All-Time-review-5e604 Maybe we don't get as angry as bad sports movies because we don't want to be bad sports about it and it's just easier to turn'em off and forget about them when they don't work. — — Unfortunately I've sat through far too many Bad Sports Movies 1) in movie theaters -I paid for it darn it, 2)- because I'm watching them with them with my kids and sometimes my kids seem to be enjoying them oblivious to how awful the thing is 3)- I realize it's awful but I figure I might write about its awfulness so I am obligated to actually watch the whole awful thing-and then sometimes I just can't force myself to relive part of the experience by writing about it... 4)- There are some stars involved I like enough to keep watching 5)- I've lost a bet. 6)- I'm using it to train myself to be better able to handle torture should I ever be captured by terrorists or by some religious group intent on converting me. — — Because these movies are so utterly painful to recall and write... Tue, 24 Jun 2008 02:59:34 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Worst-Sports-Movies-of-All-Time-review-5e604 ChrisJarmick 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Best-Satire-Movies-or-Favorite-Satitic-Movies-review-f88e3 Satire can be subtle,gentle or broad and obvious. It can be serious or funny, political or literal, whimsical or cruel. It comes in many sizes and shapes. It even goes by other names; spoofs, put-ons, parodies. All are satires. I've kept most of the direct spoofs like Kung Pow, or Young Frankenstein or Albert Brooks' Real Life off this list. Blazing Saddles could be on this list particularly since there's a message about racism within the utter silliness of the film, but I've left it off as well. — — This is a quickly compiled list.  I kicked off movies before 1960 and when I though of more obscure titles I threw them out. Most foreign films I flicked off the list for now.  I may do a second or third list in the future. Finally if a film seemed more a cult film (like say Blue Velvet) or a black comedy (like Harold and Maude or Where's Poppa) I stopped considering how it might also be a satire. — — So here's a list that includes films from every... Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:38:39 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Best-Satire-Movies-or-Favorite-Satitic-Movies-review-f88e3 ChrisJarmick 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Best-Heist-Movies-Greatest-Caper-Films-of-all-time-review-754e1 Here's a lucky 13 list of best Caper/Heist films I've seen. — — I've not included The Big Con kind of movie such as The Sting, House of Games, Spanish Prisoner etc. or movies that are more character study than caper movies like Out of Sight, Dog Day Afternoon etc. I've also not included movies where it is more about the after-math of a caper or movies that are much more character study than caper/heist film eliminating: Reservoir Dogs, Usual Suspects, Fargo, Goodfellas, Out of Sight and Dog Day Afternoon, Bonnie and Clyde, Heat. — — You also won't find hit man or spy movies here so no Le Samourai either (but do see it as soon as you can.) A few films that I admire don't quite qualify as caper/heist films though you can almost argue them onto the list -The Stunt Man for instance. — — Feel free to substitute several of your favorite stylish films if you prefer them over the last four I've listed here-but the rest of them I believe represent the... Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:45:50 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Best-Heist-Movies-Greatest-Caper-Films-of-all-time-review-754e1 ChrisJarmick 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/My-Voyage-to-Italy-review-15032 Martin Scorsese's over 4 hour film essay on 25 years of Italian cinema from 1947's Rome:Open City to 1963's 8 ½ is a feast for film buffs, and scholars, past or present. The knowledge, passion and reckless enthusiasm you would expect from director Martin Scorsese (with help from additional writer/researchers) is given a deeply personal and warm twist that gives the film a warm soul. — — Scorsese talks about and shows us generous clips from the Italian movies that deeply affected him as he was growing up into a film student and director. They trigger memories of his childhood (which he briefly shares with us) when he first saw these classic and near classic films on a black white television set(shown via a New York t.v. station that catered to a large Italian immigrant population in the early 1950s). Then he explains what these films meant to him, his family and the Italian film industry. He doesn't spend any time explaining how they have influenced modern... Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:25:36 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/My-Voyage-to-Italy-review-15032 ChrisJarmick 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Gods-of-War-The-Giant-of-Marathon-The-Last-Glory-of-Troy-review-a1262 Appearing on American screens just a few weeks after Hercules Unchained was THE GIANT OF MARATHON a French-Italian co-production directed partly by Jacques Torneur and fnished by Mario Bava who was also cinematographer. It starred a clean shaven Steve Reeves. — — Steve Reeves remains the best known and favorite of the many actors who portrayed Hercules in the movies. He first gained fame in the world of bodybuilding a sport he helped promote from a cult into having much wider acceptance. He held several titles including Mr. America in 1947, Mr. World in 1948 and Mr. Universe 1950 ( he beat future Hercules actor Reg Park in the finals). — — With the success of Hercules, Hercules Unchained and others like Giant of Marathon, Reeves became a huge international superstar and for a time the highest paid European actor. He was born in Glasgow, Montana on January 21, 1926 and moved to California when he was 10 with his mother after his father died in a farming... Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:15:43 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Gods-of-War-The-Giant-of-Marathon-The-Last-Glory-of-Troy-review-a1262 ChrisJarmick 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Journey-to-the-Center-of-the-Earth-1959-review-cfd15   As we await an expensive 3D remake of Jules Verne's classic tale...I look back at the 1959 film--a big hit in its day.                      James Mason is one of those fascinatingly charismatic actors who makes almost any film he is in worth watching.  I'll forever picture him as the sophisticated heavy Phillip Vandamm  in Hitchcock's NORTH BY NORTHWEST (also in 1959); as Norman Maine to Judy Garland's Vicki Lester in 1954's A STAR IS BORN, and as Captain Nemo in 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (also 1954).   Any film that boasts a bravura performance from Mason and an incredible score from Bernard Herrman should be on any film buffs must-see list.  — Oh sure we're dealing with a pretty corny film that definitely wears its 1950's vintage right on its sleeve for all to see, but it's still decent popcorn munching fun.  You've... Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:47:39 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Journey-to-the-Center-of-the-Earth-1959-review-cfd15 ChrisJarmick 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Dead-of-Night-Queen-of-Spades-Double-Feature-review-2af54 Anchor Bay  DVD from a few years back  featuring the 1945  Dead of Night and the 1949 The Queen of Spades . — DEAD OF NIGHT is one of the most influential and beloved horror classics of all time.  To many casual modern viewers it is talky, old fashioned, overly mannered, and dated.  If you don't have a built in aversion to older black and white films that have limited special effects and absolutely no CGI you might find that it still works exactly as intended and is capable of generating a few chills.  When it was first shown in the United States, it was about 20 minutes shorter and became a minor hit. Its influence worldwide was massive. —   It popularized the multiple story, ominibus  style of film which ranged from European comedies, adaptations of O'Henry stories, and sex comedies like 1962's BOCCACCIO'70 (with segments directed by Vittorio De Sica, Frederico Fellini and Luchino Visconti). Eventually it led to... Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:31:21 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Dead-of-Night-Queen-of-Spades-Double-Feature-review-2af54 ChrisJarmick 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Rambo--136507-review-f4844 In the movie and novel  First Blood  we meet a patriotic young man who is programmed by the army to become a killing machine and then mis-treated by the system.  At the end of the book, and in one of the original cuts of the movie... Rambo committs suicide.     Oh if only they stuck to the book and spared us  Rambo: First Blood 2 , and  Rambo 3.   These were violent cartoons for adults... well for people who are old enough to be adults but sometimes like to enjoy really mindless stupid action movies with over built guys who have to do something other than Gladiator, boxing, body building or arm wrestling (ahem) movies. — Rambo  aka First Blood 4   is a by the numbers, extremely violent and gory sequel; better than the other First Blood sequels-but that's really not saying too much.    What's good is how well shot the movie is.  There's also some superb special effects which... Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:56:25 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Rambo--136507-review-f4844 ChrisJarmick 2 http://www.viewpoints.com/600-A-Poem-about-Baseball-review-5b393 600 — by  Christopher J. Jarmick  Briefly in mid 1990s — I re-caught baseball fever — And thought Ken Griffey Junior, — Could be someone's Mickey Mantle, — the flawed hero, I once admired. — New to Seattle,  time to root for hometown team — Like I was once again  7 — and especially 8, going to all those games — with Pop-Pop at the 'House that Ruth Built.' — as in Yankees,  New York Yankees.. . . getoverit. — So it's root root root for the home team --Seattle — back when the Mariners seemed to be magic — A-Rod, Buhner, Edgar, Big Unit and Junior. — The Kingdome was a funky, funky place, — full of loud loud crowd cheers,  the wave and fireworks — and the Mariners were hot — and Ken Griffey was hitting lots of homeruns. — 600 for the Kid today! — June 9th, 2008! — Now playing for Cincinnati — Only the 6th baseball player... Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:41:57 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/600-A-Poem-about-Baseball-review-5b393 ChrisJarmick 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Untraceable-review-51383 Diane Lane playes an FBI Agent who speciality is catching cyberspace crooks.  She's very good at her job, tracing down money launderers, identity thieves and perverts. Suddenly a new website appears called Killwithme.com  and it appears to provied a live video feed featuring animals and eventually people who are horribly tortured in various olverly creative ways.  The people being tortured die faster the more people who tune in.   Can FBI agent find the twisted perpertrator before more people die?  Eventually the bad guy stalks Lane, her co-worker and her family too.       — There's a good idea in this by the numbers, few surprises, far-fetched thriller.  Far fetched not just because of the elaborate website that has been created and the ability of the bad guy to manipulate the internet and computers to the degree that is done here, but also because the torture devices are so elaborate they seem to belong in a... Sun, 08 Jun 2008 20:03:15 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Untraceable-review-51383 ChrisJarmick 2 http://www.viewpoints.com/Poem-Knowing-Your-Secret-review-a8894 This is a recent free form, free verse poem.   I'm not going to say much about it other than that.  Remember poetry is a very subjective.  What you like and don't like about poetry in general or any individual poem may turn on one or two word choices.  Sometimes you are not in the mood for a certain type of poem.   You don't want to to take a moment and think about a poem, think about what it left in and what it left out.  You may not want to read it over a couple of time and notice something about that you didn't the first time you read through it.   You may need someone to read it to you.  You may want to read it aloud, understanding the line breaks may indicate small beats or pauses--or maybe not.  — Anyway... I  hope you enjoy this poem on some level and perhaps leave a comment.  Knowing Your Secret — By — Christopher J. Jarmick — I wait in... Mon, 26 May 2008 16:48:01 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Poem-Knowing-Your-Secret-review-a8894 ChrisJarmick 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/MOVIES-with-Hot-Naked-Steamy-Sex-Scenes-Non-XXX-rated-PART-1-review-a1793 In this age of instant gratification we will focus on 15 films that deliver mostly heterosexual erotic couplings that are hot and sensuous.     These are not for children of course.  None of these film are pornographic--but instead are highly sensual and erotic.  These films often feature lotsof nudity.   — Everyone had an adolescence and an over-active libido. Your age plays a role into who your favorite naked actress is. Could be Betty Paige, could be Shannon Tweed, could be Clio Goldsmith, could be Sylvia Kristel (Emmanuelle and others). There are also the films of Andy Sidaris that feature frequently topless women involved in silly action movie plots in exotic places like Hawaii. I never took the time to watch one all the way through-though they got my attention when I channel flipped cable stations. — — Mine? — Laura Antonelli had one of the most beautiful photogenic naked bodies in movie history... Mon, 26 May 2008 00:07:18 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/MOVIES-with-Hot-Naked-Steamy-Sex-Scenes-Non-XXX-rated-PART-1-review-a1793 ChrisJarmick 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Im-Not-There-review-dc4d0  If you a hard-core Bob Dylan fan I'm sure you have seen this film and probably enjoyed nitpicking it to death with how it uses Bob Dylan facts and quotes and interview out-takes and puts them into an artistic, esoteric blender and pushes slush.     There is a remarkable cast who shows up for this impressionistic, post-modern, sometimes surrealistic dreamy film.  They include the late Heath Ledger, Richard Gere, Julianne Moore, David Cross (nicely cast as Alan Ginsberg), Christian Bale (who's excellent) and Cate Blanchet (who has the juiciest role and steals the movie).  The actors don't get to play fully realized characters, so we aren't connected to what they are doing.  We aren't always sure what is going on and how all this stuff being thrown at us is connected. — A lot of the ‘stuff' being thrown at is incredibly creative, clever and smart.  There are some truly beautiful moments here as well and I'm talking some really... Sat, 24 May 2008 20:13:15 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Im-Not-There-review-dc4d0 ChrisJarmick 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Top-10-Worst-Movies-Favorite-Baaad-Movies-review-cb330 Baaaad movies are fun to watch.  They can amaze you with their dogged awfulness every bit as much as great movies uplift and inspire you.     Well okay, not quite the same, but a good healthy bit of laughing and a reminder that all kinds of people make embarrassing mistakes and as bad a blunder as anything you ever did.   I take comfort in knowing my blunders can't be rented via netflix and viewed over and over again. — I don't know about you but when I watch some baaad movies I wonder just what in the world the writer-director-cameraman-actors-editors and producers/distributors were thinking.   They thought someone would really consider this film something good and that people would be excited about seeing it? — Some people are out to make entertaining movies and really good movies as well as really bad movies will entertain you.    So I've picked some my favorite baaaad movies and mention a few others to give... Wed, 21 May 2008 18:25:36 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Top-10-Worst-Movies-Favorite-Baaad-Movies-review-cb330 ChrisJarmick 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Easy-Riders-Raging-Bulls-review-57db5 The Long Intro: — Once upon a time film critics wrote critical essays that encouraged readers and viewers of movies to develop a film aesthetic and gave some constructive feedback to the artists making movies (as opposed to hired guns making movies that are more temporary entertainment than art). These critics who wrote long (some say long-winded) critiques and essays,  inspired, berated, humiliated and even angered the people who really cared about the movies they were making. I mean cared about the actual content of the movies rather than how much money they made. Imagine that!!! What a concept, huh? — — Two of the most influential critics in the 60s were Pauline Kael and Andrew Sarris. They championed films like Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde and filmmakers like Robert Altman, Francis Ford Coppolla, Martin Scorsese, Brian DePalma, Sam Peckinpah and so many others. These weren't dry academic criticisms, but accessible, passionate, colorful reviews that... Tue, 20 May 2008 17:42:34 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Easy-Riders-Raging-Bulls-review-57db5 ChrisJarmick 4