1 day to go, Ladies and Gentlemen

"With excitement like this, who is needing enemas"



Just a glimpse into the sheer genius of this film.

2 days!

...just keep breathing everyone.

one for cinco de mayo, 4 DAYS LEFT!!!!

I do not think any commentary is necessary for this clip. But, it does need to be said that this film segment is from Short Circuit 2, which needed to mentioned during this countdown, because it too had a profound effect on how sequels can both stand on their own and continue the genius of its' predecessor. (766 days until the 25 year anniversary of Short Circuit 2)

only 5 days until the 25th ANNIVERSARY OF SHORT CIRCUIT

Every once in a while I peruse the 2nd hand stores looking for Short Circuit merchandise. There is not much out there any more. Whereas 21 years ago there was a plethora of good finds, especially Short Circuit 2 t-shirts. This morning I found gold, solid gold in plastic form (as pictured above). Remember folks, as long as you stay determined and keep after your dreams they will come true.

7 Days.. Short Circuit in one word...

Flawless

9 days to go... Linguistics with pancakes

On the surface this scene is fun and light. We all love the quirky hilarious lines like, "Still Lumpy" or "Crisp yet moist potatoes". But, let us not forget the many themes at play in the film. Communication is such an all encompassing issue in our lives and in our world. The ability to convey our feelings and our individual knowledge is essential. Here we have Johnny 5, the most intelligent robot in history, attempting to make breakfast and failing. He fails because he is unable to comprehend the steps of the recipe that are not written, as in taking the potatoes out of the box and not spilling all the pancake batter. But, he succeeds in a far more important way. He displays true compassion, by making an effort to do something helpful for Stephanie. In this modern age we often forget that compassion and empathy are forms of communication far more powerful than cellular phones and the world wide web.

Friday or Fiveday, I'm in love.... with only 10 days left

I don't care if it's Terminator 2
Alien's lame and X-men two
Chewie I don't care about you
It's Johnny I'm in love

Wall-E you can fall apart (and your clearly a rip off of Johnny 5)
Star Trek, Avatar break my heart
Robocop doesn't even start
It's Johnny I'm in love


Lawnmower Man... lame
And Sneakers always seems a shame
But Johnny never hesitates...
I don't care if The Matrix is back
Star Wars, Waterworld heart attack
Judge Dredd, I'm never looking back
It's Johnny I'm in love

the 11 day special, 2011

Thanks Johnny 5. Not only do you help us to understand life, but you also figured out a way to quench our deepest thirsts by combining orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit and tangerine. What a five-some!!!

12 divided by 2 = 6

Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am beside myself right now. In only 6 days (minus 11 hours), AMC will be showing Short Circuit!! (Tuesday, May 3rd at 04:00am). I am the type of person who prefers to adhere to a traditional approach to movie watching. I don't have netflix, I don't download (STEAL!!) movies from the web. I watch them when they come on tv or, on special occasions, on VHS aka the vinyl of the video. So let the countdown begin 133 hours from this moment we will be delighted with the opening credits of Short Circuit. JOHNNY 5 IS ALIVE!!!!

A Special Day for Mr. Ben Jabituya, with 13 days to go!

There are many layers of complexities within this character. On the surface he is a genius. The layer beneath the surface is laughter, and that is a place we all enjoy. We all love his improbable jokes, like the famous "I think she is a virgin. Or at least she used to be." Ha!! What a fine example of both his sense of humor and his intelligence.

For most of the film we believe that Mr. Jabituya is from India, or a neighboring country, based on his accent. It is only later revealed that he in fact grew up in Bakersfield and his parents are from Pittsburgh. This dramatic turn of events plays into the concept of perception, which I touched upon earlier. Of course we Americans would immediately assume this man is foreign, because of the way he speaks. But, these are things that aren't up to us and we must remember to never judge a book by its cover. This point is made even stronger upon learning that the actor Fisher Stevens, is in fact Jewish. Yet another way this brilliant work continues to teach us life's most important lessons.
And I leave you with a quote from the master:

"Let us punch the sack, tomorrow is the next day."

That is true wise Ben. Not only is it 'the next day', but it is also the day that brings us one day closer to the 25th anniversary of when we were first introduced to your beaming smile. Thanks Mr. Ben.

Monday April 25th, 14 days to go

Many films have attempted to tackle the issue of perception. It is of course relevant that the medium of 'motion picture' has frequented this subject, for perception is the key that unlocks film's ultimate power. This tender moment demonstrates the film's ability to demonstrate to us, as humans, how our perception dictates our reality. John Badham's directing (famed for Nick Of Time and Saturday Night Fever) truly shines in this moment as does the flawless script (more on the genius twins of S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock later, and they aren't twins but they may as well share one giant mind of linguistic prowess). I could go into some of the greatest lines of this scene, but I would like to let the actors do what they do best. So sit back and relax as Johnny 5 and Stephanie Speck remind us how beautiful and difficult life can be...

One for yesterday (15 days to go)

"Oh my goodness I am sporting a tremendous type woodie right now" - Ben Jabituya

Let's take a moment to really appreciate this utter gem of a scene. It's dusk in the midst of a wild and often enigmatic adventure. Newton Crosby, played by the always impeccable Steve Guttenberg, is feeling something we all long for, he has just spent the afternoon with the girl of all our dreams, Stephanie Speck, (brought to life by actress Ally Sheedy) He carries a certain smile on his face as he returns to his friend Ben (dont worry fans, there will be much more in regards to Mr. Ben Jabituya aka the greatest film performance of the modern era). Ben is eager to know how things went and as he begins to realize the success of Newton's romanticizing, he is so overwhelmed with joy that he cannot contain his own excitement. A true friend is never jealous, something that's much easier said then done.