That ‘’70s Strip Is Son’s Time Travelling Valentine to Dad

 

"Thornsby" provides the joy of exceeding even high expectations. What was thought to be a complete collection of these single-panel strips from the ‘70s turned out to be the epitome of “so much more.”

To paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld, there would not have been anything wrong with actor/author Tom McLaren merely reintroducing old fans to this slice of Watergate-era life and providing “kids” this highly amusing history lesson. However, Tom does so much more.

This time it is personal. "Thornsby” (and Tom) is the creation of Fred McLaren. Tom proves that he is the best son ever by including a loving 10-page introduction from the perspective of a young boy. The reader can smell the cigarette smoke and hear the crackle of the vinyl as Tom watches his artist dad practice his craft.

Tom further honors his father by turning to friends and family as well as the files of the old man to make this book a truly complete collection. This returns the love that Fred expressed in ways that included having an all-American tow-headed boy making frequent appearances in "Thornsby." 

The added content as to the strips themselves includes notes as to the ones that literally and figuratively were banned in Boston. We also learn how the strip easily easily could have been titled “Being Fred McLaren.” The man loved busty babes and actual classic headlights. He also hated Monday’s a decade before a certain overweight orange tabby cat.

Fred was very kind to the formal and informal censor by highlighting the "fickle finger of fate" that Thornsby college-aged offspring Tune-In directed at his dad in a strip. Why the Beacon Hill bluebloods allowed that one remains an unsolved mystery. Fred shows more discretion by literally blurring the lines in strips (of course, pun intended) in which Tune-In indulged in the '70s craze of streaking.

The bigger picture is that Fred timelessly reflects the sensibility of the middle-aged man. As Tom writes, Fred was no Archie Bunker but shared his frustration as to era-specific woes such as regular car recalls and the eternal generation gap. Many current middle-aged fossils can relate in the form of struggling to master some technology and by detesting hipsters.

The bottom line this time is that the late Fred had every reason to be proud of his boy.

'Halo' S1: DVD, BD, 4K: RvB The Next Generation

The most important disclaimer regarding this post on the CBS Home Entertainment releases (complete with seven collectible cards in all but the DVD set) of S1 of the ParamountPlus series "Halo" is that this member of the Atari, which still is in my basement, generation has never played the game franchise on which the series is based. Further, my knowledge of post-Atari videogames is minimal.

The good news is that coming to "Halo" not knowing a Spartan from a member of The Covenant has not hindered enjoying this theatrical-quality production that is as addictive as the game on which it is based. This includes an almost 3D look to to this live-action series that gives is an aptly strong CGI vibe.

A special feature that provides a primer on the Xbox legend helps us Gen Xers learn what Millennials and Gen Zers already know. 

The broader appeal of "Halo" is that it takes the hilarious long-running "Red v. Blue" franchise to a wonderful new level by literally bringing the actual video-game characters in that series to life and giving them larger roles than being bickering and violent morons. 

The Blu-ray version looks crisp and clear played using a BD player and watching on a mid-range HD set. Watching on a 4K player with a high-end Sony Bravia 4K set really brings out the aforementioned sense of CGI. This highly suggests that the 4K version looks phenomenal; buying the gamer in your life the 4K steelbook will earn you a BFF. 

The following S1 official trailer perfectly reflects all of the above while expertly condensing the S1E1 and S1E2 exposition to a minute or so. These scenes additionally convey the "Dune" vibe as to harsh desert settings but do not include mention of the also relatable war for a critical natural resource. 

This promo. further ends on a perfect note with the says-it-all quote "Find the halo, win the war." This line rivals "Save the cheerleader, save the world" as the best-ever scifi series catchphrase.

In true scifi fashion, our epic journey begins the events that set our heroes, villains, and those somewhere in the middle on our quests. 

Our genetically enhanced main-man Master Chief Spartan-117 (a.k.a. John) beats the evil Covenant to discovering the central object of the franchise. This soon leads to realizing that John is The Chosen One but not why he effectively has the power to pull Excalibur from the stone. We also soon see the extent to which he will go to feel like a real-live boy. 

The ensuing events lead to a newly more humanized and independent John freeing rebel princess Kwan and giving her what he believes will be a save haven. Of course, everyone who has dealt with teenagers knows that just leads to more trouble. 

Dr. Halsey, who provides "Halo" with a Soong element, takes her genetic engineering to the next level by essentially sending in the clones to make John even more of a super soldier and to restore his more obedient nature. This includes creating the independent-minded AI hologram Cortana, who definitely has shades of The Doctor from "Star Trek: Voyager." It is very clear that "Mommy" and "Daddy" have no qualms about putting Cortana in the middle of their war of wills.

The past of John, which is highly intertangled with every aspect of the series, being integral to restoring order to the this part of the universe sets the stage for showing the fascinating wonder years of this hero of the Unsc. We see how an unfortunate series of events lead to his going from being a happy boy with a dog, to a child soldier/guinea pig, to the man that he is today. We also learn how he becomes the "cheerleader" of the series. 

Of course, all of these leads to an epic season-ending battle that leads to S2, 

The aforementioned special features go well beyond the primer on the game. The highly enthusiastic cast and crew discuss their roles and the importance of every aspect of the series to the lore of the franchise. These entertaining offerings allow us "old-timers" to catch up with the "kids." 

Director Tommy Avallone Tells Tales of Making 'Bill Murray Stories' Documentary

A telephone conversation with filmmaker Tommy Avallone the day before the October 26, 2018 VOD premiere of his (reviewed) Gravitas Ventures documentary "The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons From A Mythical Man" aptly was mythical. "Murray' and an earlier Avallone joint "I Am Santa Claus," which chronicles the off-season lives of men who play St. Nick, show that this guy has equally strong imagination and curiosity levels that he exercises in a manner that enriches audiences in the same manner that Murray popping up at a kickball game or a college party enhances the lives of those who are there.

The titular urban legends in "Murray" are seemingly purely random visits by the titular star of "Saturday Night Live" (a.k.a. "SNL") and cult-classic '80s film comedies such as "Stripes" and the original "Ghostbusters" films. Hearing about those encounters puts the idea of "Murray" in the head of Avallone; obtaining the coveted toll-free telephone number that Murray uses in lieu of an agent or a manager created hope that the man the legend would participate in the film.

First Contact 

Scenes throughout "Murray" depict Avallone either rehearsing a message for the voicemail of Murray or recording and deleting one. We also see his mother get into the act. This illustrated the challenge of summoning Murray; he is like a cat in that he ignores those who attempt to entice him but literally or figuratively jumps in the laps of people who ignore him. 

Of course, speaking with someone who had the highly sought-after number required asking Avallone to share it, His denial of that request was less surprising than if he had divulged that information. Avallone added that "I can't tell you how I got it; it was a friend of a friend." Avallone emphasized that that friend was not a celebrity. 

Avallone added that he regularly called the number for a year-and-a-half to no avail; these calls continue at less frequently.

Truth or Fiction

Avallone stated that a reported Murray sighting that he included in the cold open of "Murray" was the first one that he heard. He then speculated that it was partially true.

This tale involved Murray coming up behind a man who was using a urinal at a bar; the rest of the story was that Murray put his hands over the eyes of the man. Avalllone opined that Murray did walk up to someone at some time and put his hands over the eyes of his "victim."

This led to discussing people making up Murray stories in reliance of limited documentation of many true one. Avallone provided a perfect response in stating that "I know people who do that; I don't like that. I am a documentary filmmaker; I like the truth."

This final word on this topic was that "What's great about the Bill Murray stories is that 99-percent of them are true."

Murray on Murray

Avallone shared that he has no indication that Murray has seen the film; he added that Bill's brother Joel has seen it and likes it a great deal. The documentarian added that he likes to think that Murray would like "Murray."

Avallone expressing the fantasy that Murray would show in the back of a theater and give him a thumbs up during a post-screening discussion expresses the thoughts of Murray fans everywhere. 

Another expressed desire regarding the impact of "Murray" was that viewers "start to think more like Bill Murray." he added that Murray reminded him of Santa in that "he comes in and leaves them smiling." 

Waldo on Weed 

Only knowing that the latest project of Avallone is titled "Waldo on Weed" prompted asking if the title character was either a cannabis expert or a stoner. It turns out that Waldo is the son of a friend of Avallone; the title refers to the boy using cannabis oil to treat cancer. 

The statements that "Brian and Waldo are really fun characters," and that the film is about "what a father would do to save a son" provide to good reasons to discover where''s "Waldo" when it is released.

Final Word

The similarities between Avallone and Murray extend beyond sharing a great offbeat sense of humor; they both passionately pursue their bliss and seek to provide the rest of us with the same. There is no doubt regarding the truth of the tale that they both awesomely succeed.