So... we was watching VCDs 5

I find a story good when I can relate to its characters. To quote Roy Neary in CE3K (1977): this is important.

The story might feature all kinds of monsters and craziness, but if you can't relate to the characters, then you can't relate to the story and all the monsters and craziness in the world won't be able to fix that. The monsters and craziness are after all just the bells and whistles, not the meat and potatoes.

That's why Steven Spielberg suggested that at heart Transformers (2007) should be about a boy and his first car. Everything else – the Autobots, the Decepticons, Agent Simmons – is the icing on the cake. Spielberg's point, as I see it, is: go ahead and take the wacky for a spin, but whatever you do, keep it connected with the ground. All the movies I have enjoyed as a kid and today as an adult have this one thing in common: as wacky as they are, they're all connected with the ground. For example:

1. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980), my all-time favourite movie, is about a hick from the sticks who dares to dream big.

2. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), a fantasy of kids having the adventure of their lives at besting grown-ups at their own game.

3. Back to the Future (1985) asks the question: what if you were to meet your parents as high school students?

4. Ghostbusters (1984). Forget about the ghosts. This movie is about the three main protagonists (who are basically playing themselves) and the chemistry among them.

5. The Goonies (1985). See #2.

Which brings us to Super 8 (2011), the movie I saw on VCD. Super 8 tells about a group of teenage kids from a blue-collar town who are spending their summer vacation making a zombie movie on Super 8mm film. Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) is the make-up guy, Charles Kaznyk (Riley Griffiths) directs, Cary (Ryan Lee) does special effects, and a couple of other friends, including Alice Dainard (Elle Fanning), have taken on acting duties.

First thing of all I have to say that that is one hell of a creative way to staying out of trouble. These are decent kids. They're real too: you might recognize a personality or two or you might even be one of them. Then the wacky comes along and the story moves into E.T. territory, but that's cool because director/ writer J.J. Abrams has grounded things beforehand. He made sure of that through the kids' friendship, banter, puppy love, and their relationship with their parents.

(Running time: 112 minutes)

Time out, or something

I've been browsing eateries and hotels on Google Earth as of late. I've largely confined my browsing activities to the Netherlands.

I must say that I've learned some interesting stuff. For example, my old parental home in Wormerveer is, as the crow flies, only 10 miles away from the Tuschinski in Amsterdam, and 7,000 miles from where I live now.

Also, I've made out Wormerveer's surroundings relative to neighbouring towns and villages, surfed the main streets of Amsterdam and its cafes behind the Old Church, checked out bakeries countrywide based on random whim, and sampled hotel accommodations and amenities, also countrywide and based on random whim.

Wormerveer has some cosy looking inns and an inviting looking lodging establishment. As for its restaurants: while a couple do seem like well thought-out projects, others look like they could use a Restaurant Makeover (I base my verdict purely on what information and pictures I can find on their websites, so tifwii).

I guess I'm in need of some time out or something, and that I like food a lot.

To the Shire

Van Halen is about to release new music, Euro 2012 is around the corner, you might want to catch the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Games (or not), and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is slated for release in mid December.

What I'm saying is, not all is doom and gloom, even if this is the year the ancient Mayans prophesied to be the end of something something, a prophesy that's being nourished consciously or otherwise by a pervasive media-fed notion that the world is standing on thin ice and that something has gotta give sooner rather than later.

Well, worry not. Here's to the Shire: