Posted Thu Sep 1, 2011 at 11:30 AM PDT by Dick Ward
by Dick Ward
Ah, September. The leaves start to change color, the weather gets a bit cooler, and you can bust out your jeans and that cool jacket you bought on clearance over the summer. It's also a great time to crack the windows, let in a nice crisp breeze, and enjoy some great Blu-rays.
And yes, September probably has more than 30 Blu-rays, but it's a play on the old pseudo-poem to remember month lengths so you'll have to forgive me the inaccuracy. The important thing is that I'm clever. Or kind of clever.
Baby Safety Month
You might think that it's important to keep your baby safe every month, but apparently September's the time that everyone's going to be paying
attention. It's a little like going to church on Christmas and Easter - all the regulars know what you're doing but the rest of the folks don't. ' Raising Arizona' teaches what may be the most important child safety lesson of
all. Don't let Nic Cage steal your baby. Seriously, you let that guy near your kid and he'll just run away with it.
National School Success Month
Back to school for all the kiddies, the teenagers and the adults trying to make up for all the college they didn't go to when they were younger. No
matter how much you love your classes, your mates and your teachers, you have to admit it'd be great to pull a ' Ferris Bueller's Day Off.' Just think of all the fun you'll have crashing parades, fancy restaurants, and classic cars.
3rd Week of September - National Farm Animals Awareness Week
The great and powerful Aaron Peck says it in his review of the Blu-ray and I concur - " ' Babe', for some reason, is one of the only talking animal movies that I can stand. " It
has all the hallmarks of a 'Furry Vengeance' but comes off as good instead of dreadful.
September 3rd - Skyscraper Day
When you say the word "skyscraper" some may think immediately of the Empire State Building or the Sears Tower - or whatever it's called now - or even
one of those fancy places in Dubai. When I think about skyscrapers the first thing that comes to mind is Nakatomi Plaza from ' Die Hard.' In all seriousness, can you think of a better way to celebrate a skyscraper
than dropping terrorist Alan Rickman from it? I sure can't.
September 5th - National Cheese Pizza Day
Pizza . Ninja Turtles. Back in the day, the two words were inseparable. It's only fitting that the ' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' collector box - which is even styled
like a pizza box - is the movie series of choice here. Eat your pizza fast though. The first flick holds up, and the fourth is pretty sweet but the
second and third don't hold up at all. Also, Sam Rockwell is in the first Ninja Turtles
movie, so that's gotta count for something.
September 11th - National Grandparents Day
We all have fond memories of our grandparents, and whether they took us fishing, hooked us up with a trip to Disney World, or just let us bum around
their house and eat food that Mom wouldn't let us have, there's a lot of nostalgia there. ' Princess Bride' is a great flick in its own right, but outside of the main story
there's a sweet little subplot about a boy bonding with his grandfather. Sweet stuff.
September 16th - Stepfamily Day
There are two very distinct opinions when it comes to the movie 'Step Brothers.'
There are the people that love it and consider it to be a really fantastic piece of comedy and then there are the people who are wrong. We need more
Ferrell and Reilly badly, but until we get it, 'Step Brothers' remains their finest piece of teamwork.
September 18th - Lance Armstrong's Birthday
Lance Armstrong is pretty good at riding the bicycle if my sources are correct. I mainly know him from his acting work, like his role in 'You Me and
Dupree' and his fine cameo in 'Dodgeball.' Actually, that's pretty much the
whole list. 'Dodgeball' is a funny movie, but Armstrong's cameo is by far the most memorable part.
September 22nd - U.S. Postal Service Founded
To celebrate the first U.S. Post Office hitting the scene, why not enjoy another film about the beginnings of a great post office - that of the city of
Ankh-Morpork. 'Going Postal' is one of Terry Pratchett's best books. The
adaptation leaves a lot to be desired, but it's better than nothing. Slightly.
Safety Pin Invented
When I was in high school the safety pin was the ultimate symbol of punk rock. If you had them in your jacket, your pants, or pierced through some part
of your body, you were as punk as it got. Of course, the rest of the clothing we wore as faux-punk kids of the 90s was lifted straight from The
Ramones, who had a sort of starring role in the 'Rock 'n' Roll High School.'
The movie isn't great, but The Ramones are in it. Weirdly enough, I only discovered this flick through its sequel 'Rock 'N' Roll High School Forever.'
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