| Monday, November 15, 2004 |
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Guilty Pleasures on a Sunday Evening...
There are many things for which I have a weak spot - far too many than I'd care to admit. The usual are the ones that most of you already know - politics of any kind, my fishies, random venting sessions and gossip. There are many more, however, that I'd rather not admit to...but *this* one, I can't help. I'm such a sucker for those cheesy, made-for-TV disaster movies. I can't help myself. So last night when I was flipping channels at around 10:30 or so, I was beyond excited when I hit the jackpot...Category 6: Day of Destruction!!! It had everything a girl could ever want...a B-movie horror soundtrack, glaringly obvious foreshadowing, horrible acting, special effects that I probably could have put together on my laptop! And then, *gasp*!!! Last night was only PART ONE OF TWO!!!! Oh, the excitement! But it just kept getting better. After focusing my full attention to this marvel of ridiculousness (I was distracted because I needed to do a water change for the lately-neglected Grumblefish...he was giving me a rather forlorn look that demanded attention, although I couldn't quite tell whether it was because he needed new water, or because he - like me - was getting sick of the bass that comes with living above a bar), I discovered the best part of all. This movie (as with many that are set in Chicago) was filmed in the 'Peg!!! It clicked in when I saw several soon-to-be-doomed characters sitting on a bench in a mall where I spent much of my youth. All told, by the end of the night, the movie was filmed at no less than three of my former workplaces - Polo Park Shopping Centre, the Manitoba Legislature and the Forks Market. All three were easy to identify, despite the the "nuclear power plant" that was in the midst of boiling the Assiniboine River which lurked behind the Forks in almost every shot. Despite all of the uproar from 'Peggers lately about their failing movie industry, it seems to me that there has been a steady string of films lately in which I can identify my old haunts (most recently, Shall We Dance - although, let me be clear...I won't be paying money for that one). However, in between playing the 'name that place' game, and basking in the glory of horrible special effects, I began to get a little annoyed with the movie. Why, you ask? What could possibly be wrong with all of this goodness? As the vast majority (do I even have regular readers whom I don't know?...probably not) of you know that I work for a major utility company. Although I haven't been here that long, I have been known to get pretty defensive when there are criticisms directed towards my company. So when the giant "Lexer Energy Corporation" started cutting corners and screwing people over in exchange for higher profit, I was a little miffed. Then came the heartless executives (including the "Senior Vice President of Public Affairs...hey, *we* have one of those!), the fancy boardrooms, and the laughing at all of those unfortunate power customers...well, I'd had enough. Not enough to make me stop watching, mind you...but...uh...enough nonetheless. It struck me that if I didn't know what I know about the energy industry in Alberta, I'd be pretty swayed that those mean ol' corporate execs were just like the ones in those boardrooms in downtown Edmonton. Not because I'm stupid or can't form my own opinions...but the amount of energy conglomerate bashing in this flick was far greater than the your average bit of bad PR. The bottom line? I hope that - as it deserves - this movie garners terrible ratings...the last thing I need right now is people in the midst of this supposed Alberta election deciding that the energy companies are out to get them... Oh, and I admit it...I can't wait for Part Two to air!!! Liberated at 7:34 a.m. | |
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