Kevin Spacey is back...

[VIDEO] I think I actually saw his video shown on TV one the morning of Xmas Eve. Didn't quite get the context and I thought he was largely blackballed after allegations of sexual harrassment. Remember he was even edited out of a Hollywood release All the Money in the World where he played J. Paul Getty. He was replaced by Christopher Plummer and select scenes reshot.

With this article from the Daily Mail there's some more context to this video.

Wearing a Santa Claus apron, he is seen preparing Christmas dinner in a smart kitchen.

'They're going to say I'm being disrespectful, not playing by the rules. Like I ever played by anyone's rules before. I never did. And you loved it.'

His monologue is delivered straight to the camera, just like his character famously does in House Of Cards to make viewers complicit in his immorality. 'They're just dying to have me declare that everything said is true and that I got what I deserved.'

He goes on in Frank's unmistakable Southern states drawl: 'You wouldn't believe the worst without evidence would you? You wouldn't rush to judgments without facts would you? Did you? No, not you, you are smarter than that. I can promise you this… I'm certainly not going to pay the price for the things I didn't do.'

With a final glower followed by dramatic music, he asks: 'Miss me?' It was classic Frank Underwood — menacing, malevolent and creepy — all the more so when it became clear that Spacey wasn't talking as his fictional character but as himself, and that the footage appears to be an aggressive riposte to news of an impending court appearance.

The Oscar-winning star played Underwood, a conniving schemer who resorts to murder on his path to the U.S. presidency, in five seasons of the award-winning Netflix thriller (based on the 1990 BBC adaptation of Michael Dobbs' novel) before he was embroiled in sexual scandal in October last year.

Without this context, I was believing that he was portraying a character. He was not being himself. Although I wonder if what happened to his career last year is what inspired this most recent video.

And looking through to his YouTube channel, this is his first video in a year. I'm guessing if he used this to publicize his work, he took a year break after some long ago sexual harrasment allegations come to light which you will read from the Daily Mail.

Jointed rails

[VIDEO] I had to share this video of a model train running over simulated jointed rails. It's a cool effect and just shows how I'm still learning about different aspects of railroading.

I didn't realize that during the course of the past decade, I've been through an area that still has jointed rails. That among other antiquated aspects of railroad technology. Like I said I'm still learning and as you see in the above video you might see some aspects of this along the Raton/Glorieta pass which is the route of Amtrak's Southwest Chief. [VIDEO]

I just feel the need to share the more common video of an Amtrak train doing through New Mexico on jointed rail and this time from the inside. [VIDEO]

Finally, here's a video about jointed rails vs. welded rails. As I figured would be the difference a quieter and smoother ride. I would imagine welded rails are what CTA uses for the L especially when there are opportunities to rehab the infrastructure. [VIDEO]

VIDEO - Bush 4141: Custom-made train to carry George HW Bush to his final resting place #Remembering41

[VIDEO] This is pretty cool. A custom made locomotive dedicated to a former POTUS. And while he only took one ride on it, he will ride on it again.

Union Pacific locomotive 4141 will carry the body of former Prez. George Herbert Walker Bush to his final resting place at his presidential library at Texas A & M University. And the livery makes it attractive as it mimics Air Force One and he took that bad boy for a spin one-time! Cool!

I wish I could have a locomotive when I become famous. :P

Saw #Creed2 and found this review

I just had to share this review with you all. You might have seen me retweet this on my twitter page. Here's in the tweet you can click on it to see the review in Cosmopolitan. It's interesting that they typical readership of Cosmo would even be interested in a boxing film.

So, #Creed2 is enjoyable and all, but I finally had to come to terms with how the franchise - in particular, this film - enables toxic masculinity at the detriment of its female characters. My latest for @cosmopolitan: https://t.co/JD7h0MA8bF

— Candice Frederick (@ReelTalker) November 20, 2018

I saw Creed 2 on Thanksgiving. And not to steal a schtick from the late critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel but I've give this film a thumbs up. The story of a man (Adonis Creed) who's about to fight the son (Viktor Drago) of a man (Ivan Drago) who took part in a fight that resulted in the death of that man's father (Apollo Creed). Basically we can call this sequal not only a sequel to Creed (2015) also for Rocky 4.

However the review for Cosmo that I just became aware of recently turns this film as an enabler for toxic masculinity.

It’s a boxing movie that we’re told has “heart,” a word coach Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) uses a lot in the film. "Listen to your heart," he keeps telling Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), who’s determined to defend his championship from Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), whose father Ivan (Dolph Lundgren) defeated Adonis’ dad in the match that killed him back in 1985’s Rocky IV. Adonis has some seriously unresolved issues about how his father’s death permanently devastated him and his mom Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad) and attempts to use this fight with Viktor to settle a score.

So right away, the two opponents—Adonis and Viktor—are established to have major daddy hang-ups. Viktor is also fighting to reclaim the title for the sake of his dad, whose own was stripped by Rocky himself in 1990’s Rocky V. This means everything that happens in Creed II is dependent on how these two male fighters choose to define their own machismo and protect their paternal legacies. Even Rocky talks about his estranged relationship with his son. These themes of masculinity are so oppressive that they relegate everything else that happens in the film—including the fact that Adonis and Bianca (Tessa Thompson) are expecting a baby—to the background.

I'm going to assume the "toxic masculinity" of the movie is bad for the women most affected here. Mother is concerned about her son and his wife is definitely concerned about her husband. Well the family drama is important, but then the other side of the movie is the drama that takes place for the boxers once they get into the ring.

I wonder if it's ever understood that a man feels as if he must handle his business. Sometimes a man might let something slide, however, in the case of boxing why should he stand down from a guy boasting that he won't lose. Perhaps Creed needed to get back into the ring and prove something. Somewhere out there and under different circumstances (and yes not exactly within the context of competitive sports) a man is facing similar situations.

What this writer might neglect is what I was able to deduce in this movie. Viktor Drago is with his father Ivan at a dinner to celebrate their boxing successes. It gets somewhat marred when an elegant blonda haired woman enter the dining room. As it turns out it's Viktor's mother and Ivan's ex wife. After the events of Rocky 4 (1985) Ivan's life unraveled and that woman played by Brigitte Nielsen in both films left Ivan and his son. So now I understand why Viktor seemed upset and let his father know what's up. And matter of fact Ivan tells him what happened Ivan lost!

I won't give too much away, but once the fight is over I began not to be surprised at what happens near the end of the movie. Especially with the background I gave you, although I've yet to really fully watch Rocky 4 which I concluded years ago was probably the beginning of the Rocky franchise jumping the shark.

All the same, this toxic masculinity, where is it here?

If you haven't seen it do so here's a trailer to get you excited. [VIDEO]

Virtual Railfan: Amtrak's Southwest Chief back-to-back

[VIDEO] Having been wrestling obsessed over the weekend, I just wanted to share this vid from Virtual Railfan. Two Amtrak Southwest Chief trains back-to-back in LaPlata, Missouri train #4 was very late coming from Los Angeles, it would normally get into LaPlata in the morning. I'm curious what happened although I see it was pulled into the station by a BNSF freight locomotive.

That happened 20 minutes after train #3 pulls out of the LaPlata station near it's regular time. Sometimes (perhaps often) the train is late pulling into LaPlata especially when I'm able to see train #3 at night. I rarely get to see Train #4 it seems I'm more of a night owl when I watch the Virtual Railfan cams on YouTube.

Feel free to check out the Railcam page here.

"The Big Bus"

[VIDEO] Been years since I've seen this film. I was horrified when I first saw this film at even a humorous idea of a nuclear-power bus. Now looking at recent clips of The Big Bus beyond this trailer, I just can't take this movie.

The odd subplots a fallen veterinarian, a man with a terminal illness, a couple about to divorce, a pastor who lost his way, a bus driver accused of cannibalism, and that's probably not have of the subplots. The main plot is that an intercity bus company creates and builds a nuclear-powered bus for non-stop service between NYC and Denver. And this is seen as a threat to the oil industry.

You know this movie is absurd and is a cult classic. It probably wasn't very popular when it was first released but someone appreciates it now. For me, it's probably one of those movies I would think of as you're entertained and then you can forget about it later. I would put The Big Bus in that category, though just for old time sake this is one movie I would like to see one more time.

No more clips on YouTube! Like this one! [VIDEO]

Hmmm, it's funny to see the stars that I know in this movie. Rene Auberjonois, Richard Mulligan, Joseph Bologna, Stockard Channing, and I just found out the late Larry Hagman is in this movie though probably in a bit part. These are names I would know today though one of those (Bologna) I know from this movie. The others were in far more well known productions years down the road Auberjonois I mostly know from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Mulligan was the star of series Empty Nest & Soap. Channing was on the series The West Wing.

The Chicago Black Hawks make a change on coaching staff.

While awaiting WWE SmackDown Live and the results of the 2018 midterm elections this caught my eye today. And interestingly since I unveiled my new "Champs" page here on the blog. This caused me to say woah today...
From the Sun-Times

Before practice, the Hawks announced a coaching staff overhaul, which included the firing of coach Joel Quenneville and his assistant coaches, Kevin Dineen and Ulf Samuelsson.

Rockford IceHogs coach Jeremy Colliton replaced Quenneville as the 38th head coach in Hawks’ history.

The Hawks also named Barry Smith, who most recently served as the director of player evaluation for the Hawks, as an assistant coach on Colliton’s staff. The rest of the coaching staff is expected to stay with the team.

There’s no doubt that Quenneville, who has a Hall of Fame resume, is one of the most successful coaches in the history of both the Hawks franchise and NHL. His three Stanley Cups in six seasons speak for themselves. But after missing the playoffs last season, which was Quenneville’s first losing campaign in his 21-year coaching career, and a slow 6-6-3 start through 15 games this season, something had to give.

General manager Stan Bowman said the decision to part with Quenneville, the second-winningest coach in franchise history (452-249-96 in 797 games since 2008), was “very difficult.” He also clarified that Quenneville’s firing wasn’t based on one specific incident, although the Hawks’ most recent road trip was “concerning.”

Yeah, I remember they missed the playoffs last year. Just three years after winning their last Stanley Cup. An unexpected result to those of us used to the Hawks going to the playoffs during the course of the 2010s. Here's hoping Colliton brings the Hawks back to the dance this year.

And perhaps Coach Q isn't ready to retire from coaching in the NHL yet.