I sat in a movie theater with my best (JW) friend who had dragged me to watch a movie called Dr. No about a 'secret agent with a license to kill' back in 1962
and did so reluctantly. Why? I thought the idea of such a license was silly.
However, I relaxed, settled in, and decided to make the best of it.
The movie grabbed me!
This guy - this actor Sean Connery was terrific ...and that guitar theme, down low on the bottom string ...Wow!
I stayed with the series over the following years and decades as a loyal fan. I collected the soundtrack records (by John Barry) and eagerly looked forward to each iteration of the British civil servant working for His Majesty's commonwealth.
Oh, the changes!
Connery departed, Lazenby arrived. Lazenby departed, Connery returned.
The Saint, Roger Moore, changed his identity and became a permanent resident
and the films grew into extravagant slapstick adventure comedy as the seasons passed.
The stories were thin and thinner. But - at least they were a lot of fun.
Each new James Bond was shaped like a heap of soft clay by the hands of
Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson.
Political changes, upheavals in "culture" and a sensibility about sexism and race, and all the real world hooey crept in and Ian Fleming's Cold War hero became as much of a liability as an asset in an age of political correctness.
My "thrill" ride was over and the fun evaporated as a fan.
By the time Daniel Craig arrived - as far as I was concerned - these were simply Jason Bourne films with a British aftertaste. Solid, impactful, and extremely well done - but not MY James Bond of old.
Everything must change, right? That's what growing old teaches all of us.
The new James Bond film was probably ill-fated from the get-go for social and political reasons (as well as pandemic) and Daniel Craig was ready to move on.
Here was how the ENDING of the movie was received by me...
Here is my 'movie philosophy' 101:
I want to be entertained and I will willingly suspend disbelief and go along with the movie I'm given and leave whinging to the professional critics.
NO TIME TO DIE was professionally made, acted, and scripted and it worked.
I felt very sad and that's the idea, no? No point in beating a dead horse, they say.
All my emotional nostalgia baggage made it difficult to witness the obliteration of James Bond. It was like seeing Tarzan eaten by a crocodile or The Lone Ranger scalped by a Cherokee or Sherlock Holmes struck by a lorry.
Astonishing hubris on the part of the movie franchise owners. Simply astonishing!
It was Daniel Craig's desire to puncture the mythos and go out the sacrificial victim and he got what he asked for. But - the audience of fans who have remained loyal over the years? We got an ice-water enema.
I'm now 74 years old. When I saw my first Bond film I was 15 years old. My opinion doesn't matter to anybody. The world I grew up in is gone. The rules, the ethos of my Boomer generation are seen as a crappy joke. So be it.
Life is what happens while you're making other plans.
Statues of heroes are toppled now. Justice is its own pandemic.
Movies are forced to be politically feasible and nobody rings my phone to ask for my vote on the matter.
I won't pout and stick out my lower lip. No, Sir. I go with the flow. Resistance is futile.
("All your base are belong to us.") sic.
My Bond died before Craig's Bond succumbed. His name was Sean Connery.
My composer, John Barry, passed along the way as well.
The Bond of the last few decades has - at best - been a superb Elvis imitator in an extravagant Las Vegas Revue setting.
A diversion.
Don't forget to tip your waiter.
Now, where's my Taxi?
Posts by Terry
-
-
-
Terry
-
21
A "killer" question for Jehovah's Witnesses
by Terry inhere is a 'killer' question for jw's.
which description best describes how you see yourself and how you feel?which would you choose?
are you: 1. a christian 2. a jehovah's witness here's the scenario.
-
-
Terry
If I'm honest about my feelings back when I first encountered Jehovah's Witnesses (through my elementary school friend, Johnny) - I'd confess I was one of those
"un-churched" kids with a family that did NOT attend any religious services but
who had j-u-s-t enough Bible exposure to feel "spiritual" (whatever the hell that means.)
I understood the concept of JESUS but as far as JEHOVAH was concerned - I knew nothing.
In my years of indoctrination attending the Kingdom Hall, Jesus was crowded out of my heart. Instead of a starring role, he became a supporting actor.
Actual "love" of Jesus was not a part of my emotional toolkit.
As Hollywood scriptwriters will tell you, a mcguffin:
is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself.
Jehovah is the superhero.
JW's, IMHO, are not Christians. They are Anti-Christ - but the rank and file simply don't even slightly suspect the bait-and-switch.
JW's aren't Bible readers either. They are cherry-pickers. -
21
A "killer" question for Jehovah's Witnesses
by Terry inhere is a 'killer' question for jw's.
which description best describes how you see yourself and how you feel?which would you choose?
are you: 1. a christian 2. a jehovah's witness here's the scenario.
-
-
Terry
The purpose of my O.P. question is to confront the JW with LOYALTY to an organization in opposition to LOYALTY to Jesus.
If they called themselves Jehovah's Christian Witnesses the question would not be necessary. But they don't. (They tried it a very short while and then dropped it.)
It is Either / or.
Who does the JW serve? Jehovah OR Jesus. What they call themselves flashes a spotlight on that distinction and the difference it makes. -
43
Help me figure out what to say...I'm not usually at a loss for words
by Terry inwell, i finally found him on facebook!.
his name is tollie padgett.
he was my congregation overseer (before the "elder" changeover) when i was in prison in seagoville in the late 60's.. i've been searching for him for years and years.
-
-
Terry
pistolpete18 hours ago
Hey Terry, why don't you contact the person who told you this and see what he found out?
____
I emailed him yesterday. We'll see what he might have to say. -
43
Help me figure out what to say...I'm not usually at a loss for words
by Terry inwell, i finally found him on facebook!.
his name is tollie padgett.
he was my congregation overseer (before the "elder" changeover) when i was in prison in seagoville in the late 60's.. i've been searching for him for years and years.
-
-
Terry
My "gut" feeling is that Tollie left for real medical reasons and the rumors about his apostasy were based on erratic behavior and dropping out.
Had he really apostatized, everyone would have heard from the horse's mouth an exact accounting of his reasoning on the matter.
I leave room for error. It's all arguable now. -
7
In 1923 - I almost died!
by Terry inin 1923 i almost died.
__________in 1923 i almost died.. allow me to explain .... on the day of my parole from seagoville federal correctional institution, i walked out of the entrance of the prison and my grandfather was waiting for me at the gate.. the last time i’d seen him was in 1967. today was 1969.. he looked older and i must have looked much skinnier.. i opened the door and climbed into the front passenger side.. there were no seat belts back then.. jack avery hybarger was a private man, very shy about looking into anyone’s eyes.. he bottled up his emotions.
we weren’t a family that hugs or says “i love you.”.
-
-
Terry
Thanks for the kind words.
I find that the only way I'll ever end up with an autobiography is if I write
an essay each day (more or less) and then assemble them later.
I skip around chronologically just to remain interested :) -
43
Help me figure out what to say...I'm not usually at a loss for words
by Terry inwell, i finally found him on facebook!.
his name is tollie padgett.
he was my congregation overseer (before the "elder" changeover) when i was in prison in seagoville in the late 60's.. i've been searching for him for years and years.
-
-
Terry
I spoke last night to one of the Brothers who spoke to Tollie's widow, Carol.
He revealed to me that she said that for the last decade of his life he was having mental problems and his "apostasy" period was caused by health issues.
When I spoke with him on the phone he sounded the same as back in 1968.
Well, forgive me...but ...this "sounds" like a cover story. I apologize if it isn't.
She said he wasn't himself anymore. So maybe.
I don't know which a JW would prefer: an apostate or a mental illness.
Probably the same thing to them, eh? -
19
Silly song lyrics
by jhine inafter a conversation with hubby l started thinking about silly lyrics in songs , of which there are many .bang a gong by marc bolan is pretty daft , although apparently his lyrics are deep .
do you have any favourite daft lyrics?
.
-
-
Terry
BEATLES again ...
(Chuck Berry sued John Lennon )Here come old flat top
He come grooving up slowly
He got joo joo eyeball
He one holy roller
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker he just do what he pleaseHe wear no shoe shine
He got toe jam football
He got monkey finger
He shoot Coca-Cola
He say I know you, you know me
One thing I can tell you is you got to be freeCome together, right now, over meHe bag production
He got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard
He one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knee
Hold you in his armchair you can feel his diseaseCome together, right now, over meHe roller coaster
He got early warning
He got muddy water
He one mojo filter
He say, "one and one and one is three"
Got to be good looking 'cause he's so hard to seeCome together, right now, over meOhCome together, yeah -
36
Could end of November be special?
by Kosonen indid you know that noah entered the ark in the end part of november and also that jesus' followers flead jerusalem around 25th of november 66ce?.
could it be that a significant group of jehovah's witnesses would begin to flee to the "wilderness" in the end of november?
revelation 12 speaks about a flight of a symbolic woman to a wilderness.
-
-
Terry
Imagine you just paid your rent.
You have a whole month until you have to pay again. You go to bed secure in that knowledge.
When you wake up the next morning you discover 11 days have been removed from the calendar and your rent will be due again only 20 days!
This is exactly what happened when the Julian Calendar was revised to the Gregorian calendar.
And why was it revised? So EASTER could be celebrated "correctly."
The last day of the Julian calendar was Thursday, 4 October 1582 and this was followed by the first day of the Gregorian calendar, Friday, 15 October 1582 (the cycle of weekdays was not affected).
So, that was that, eh? All settled? No way!
Each country (Protestant or Catholic) either complied or ignored Pope Gregory's revision.
This led to a wild discrepency between borders!
One family on the East side of a border could living a different day and month from a family living just on the West side!!
Depending on where you lived, a letter mailed which ordinarily took a week and a half to reach its destination might suddenly arrive the same day it was sent!
Let us ask ourselves a question: WHY would Protestants pay any attention to a Catholic Pope in the first place?
Catholics revised to the Gregorian calendar while many Protestants remained with the Julian Calendar!
Great Britain and the colonies in America did not adopt the Gregorian calendar until 1752!
Wednesday, 2 September 1752 was followed by Thursday, 14 September 1752.
What if you were living in Alaska?
In Alaska the change took place when Friday, 6 October 1867 was followed again by Friday, 18 October. This was after the US purchase of Alaska from Russia, which was still on the Julian calendar. Instead of 12 days, only 11 were skipped, and the day of the week was repeated on successive days!
Crazy, wacky, kooky--but . . .
So What?
Think about this.
When Jehovah's Witnesses start computing the "correct" day to observe this and that, they do so at the command of a CATHOLIC POPE!
As much as individual nations, tribes and religions have arbitrarily adopted (or not) completely arbitrary means of computing time, days, months and years---How could any reasonable person think it is even possible to know how many years have passed from event to another event?
Keep that upper most in your mind the next time the Watchtower starts mouthing off about dates and times in their cartoon chronology!
It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582
- ________
ALSO
CHECK THIS OUT
https://www.catholic-forum.com/members/popestleo/g35MAR13-APR10.pdf
-
-
-
Terry
My attitude keeps me from taking anything seriously.
I am an absurd person. I see life as absurd.
Life isn't what happens - it's how you deal with what happens.
Except in the case of a bullet wound.
Happy activities: I ride my bike instead of driving a car.
Every time the price of gasoline goes up - I smile bigger.
I took the Stimulus check and bought an electric bicycle. I can go much farther
and not worry about getting back, or about steep hills.
I have an APP that shows me weather radar so I'm prepared.
I stay informed so I won't be ignorant - but - I don't argue with people
who are minimally informed (and only from one source.)
People who say and do provocative things - I try and avoid them and do not engage.
If forced to engage I remain calm and inquisitive.
I have abandoned the past (not wallowing in regrets). Today is enough.
All the above has to do with TEMPERAMENT.
I'm no good at worrying so I don't do it.
And that's what makes me happy: not seeing things as happiness destroyers.