Well its got wheels and curtains in the windows and it looks like a big Tylanol!

My look into action continues after another slight delay, as we look at a picture that's not only a thrill-a-minute but its also a laugh-a-minute, but first lets talk about life.  I'm officially on summer break now, and I'm enjoying it...but it is a little boring.  I won't lie.  Of course, I'd probably be a lot happier if all was well with my new home theater set up.  Oh don't worry, there's nothing wrong with the new tv, it arrived in perfect condition and works great...its the audio receiver.  When we plugged it in, the fan was making a clicking noise and it sounded like something was loose inside and hitting the fan.  I probably could have fixed it, but I didn't want to open it up and void my warranty.  So I had to return the receiver today and they won't exchange it, because its out of stock now...also, I had to pay my own return charges which stank.  And I can't buy a new receiver until next week when I have the refund money back in my account (I'm a little broke right now).  Otherwise, things are fine.  Everything works, I just don't have amazing sound right now.  In other news, I met up with some friends over the weekend and had some well-deserved fun.  In a few weeks I'll be back down in Athens to take classes, and I'm hoping some of those people will be around to hang out with.  I know one or two will be gone for summer by then, sadly.  Oh well.  I think Dad is excited that I'll be there...I think he's lonely.

Anywhere, now's the time to talk about this evening's film which is considered quite the classic in the comedy world, but it does qualify as action as it spoofs the disaster films that were so popular back in the 1970s and so it has a fair amount of action set pieces in it.  So buckle yourselves in and get ready to relive the sides-splitting laughter and suspense that is Airplane!

The film opens at a bustling airport where Hare Cristinas are being accosted by the Church or Religious Consciousness and two announcer voices are arguing over whether or not the white zone or the red zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers.  Amidst the chaos we meet our main characters, Ted Striker and Elaine Dickinson, who appear to be breaking up.  Elaine is a stewardess on a flight to Chicago and just wants Ted to leave her alone, and Ted doesn't want to fly because of past problems.  However, Ted manages to get himself on the plane before it leaves and attempts to patch things up with her...making surrounding passengers suicidal with boredom from his stories about their relationship.  Also on board is a little girl who needs a heart transplant, a doctor, a nun with a guitar, several married couples, and a wacky flight crew.  It would seem that that was enough for this film...but wait, there's more!  When food poisoning begins making everyone on the plane sick, Ted is called upon to fly the plane to safety, assuming his nerves can stand it.

There's more than enough crazy shenanigans to keep several planes in the air and to keep anyone laughing...well, anyone who has a funnybone.  What's that you say?  Surely a film made in 1980 can't be that funny now.  Well I tell you that it can be...and don't call me Shirley.  Airplane! was one of the many collaborations between Jim Abrahams and David and Jerry Zucker, and like Top Secret and The Naked Gun this film is full of bad puns, sight gags, and raunchy humor.  What makes this film more superior to those others stems from its careful juggling of the comedy and the suspense.  The film, even when its jokes are lame, is very exciting and makes you want to keep watching until the film ends and you find out what happens to everyone.  There is much that is quotable about the film as well, like the 'Don't call me Shirley' lines and the Jive scenes, and the actors are all top notch as well.  Its also amusing how the film lampoons the conventions of disaster films like Airport and others like it, including the unusually diverse supporting cast and the over-dramatic reactions to everything that goes wrong in the plot.  All of it is designed to get any cheap laugh it can out of you, not unlike the work of Mel Brooks.  So if you're in the mood for something a little exciting and very absurd, Airplane! should be right up your alley.  Check it out, and fly the funny skies.