Flashback Friday- Airplane (1980)

We have to admit, that sometimes Hollywood takes itself a little too seriously. Which is why movies like Airplane (1980) were created.

Ted Striker (Robert Hayes) has one regret. Elaine (Julie Hagerty) is the one that got away. Elaine is a stewardess. Hoping for one last chance to renew their relationship, Ted sneaks onto the plane where Elaine is working. Food poisoning soon strikes the passengers and the crew. Now it is up to Ted to land the plane safely.

This movie is a comedy classic for a reason. The writing is top notch, the actors are some of the best comedic actors and it just overall extremely entertaining.

I recommend it.

Hath Not A Human….

I’m sure most, if not, all of us have seen the video above.

What I love about this video is that it proves that we are all human beings. We all deserve respect, we all deserve the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, regardless of the labels of religion, culture or familial background that are attached to us.

One of my favorite quotes from William Shakespeare is from The Merchant Of Venice. Replace the references to the character’s religions with the word human and the speech takes on a whole new context.

Flashback Friday- British Television Edition-Luther (2010-2015)

There are two kinds of police procedural dramas. There are the Law and Orders of the television world and then there is Luther (2010).

DCI John Luther (the delicious Idris Elba) is a detective who is brilliant at his job. His ability to do his job is astounding. But underneath the professional detective is a man whose emotions and actions can sometimes turn very dark and dangerous. When Alice Morgan’s (Ruth Wilson) parents are found dead, Alice appears to be the innocent victim, grieving for the loss of her parents. But Alice is not what she seems and enjoys playing cat and mouse with Luther.

This television program, imported from Britain via BBC America is unique among the television police procedural dramas.  The characters are thoroughly human and sometimes quite twisted.

I recommend it.

P.S. I have nothing against Law and Order. I have been a fan of Law and Order: SVU since it’s initial season. It is often the highlight of my Wednesday night.

Consider This

Among the cast of characters on Downton Abbey, one character stands out. He is Thomas Barrow (played by Rob-James Collier), a conniving, ruthless member of the staff who will do and say nearly anything to achieve his own personal goals. He is also a gay man in an era where homosexuality was a criminal act.

Thankfully, British authorities have seen the light and removed this unjust law from the books.

But in other countries, homosexuality is still on the legal books as a criminal act. At best, the victims are put in jail and tortured. At worst, they are executed.

Consider the following:

In Israel, there is no such law on the books. The Israeli LGBTQ community is just as open and vocal as any other country where acceptance is slowly and thankfully becoming the norm. Israel has also opened her arms of members of the LGBTQ community who are fleeing from neighboring countries due to persecution in their own lands. Tel Aviv hosts a vibrant, proud and open gay pride parade every year.

Israel is not perfect and will never be perfect, but opening their arms and welcoming minorities to live openly and proudly makes them nearly perfect in my book.