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A veteran actor in the lead with a newcomer as his ‘student? CHECK! Car chases? CHECK! Car crashes? CHECK! Cars blown up? Check! An enemy who is the hero’s friend? CHECK! Doubles crosses? CHECK! People having secrets? CHECK! A pretty woman or three? CHECK! Bodies pile up as movie goes on? CHECK! A lot of computer work? CHECK! A lot of cell phones used? CHECK! And then disposed of? CHECK! A female villain in a non-James Bond film dressed in black leather and made up severely? CHECK! CIA? CHECK! Russian bad guys? CHECK! A ‘hot’ sex scene between two young leads? CHECK!

Hey folks does this tell you that “The November Man” is a spy thriller? It is and for that reason alone leave your logic checked at the door and don’t ask any questions. Sit back in your chair and watch Pierce Brosnan, playing a less suave James Bond, shoot 10 guys, with guns, in a row without getting a scratch, though he does have a few scratches later on. His trainee, Luke Bracey, does the shower scene that Brosnon would have done 30 years ago while Olga Kurylenko is the 21st century idea of a femme fatale. Along the way are Mediha Musliovic, Bill Smitrovich, Will Patton, Lazar Ristovski and others playing both sides of the fences. Oh yes, something added to spy thrillers now, there is a big fight and chase between two females.

“The November Man” is nothing you haven’t seen before unless you haven’t watched a movie in 50 years. It is a mindless, foolish, fast paced, enjoyable, yes enjoyable, movie to see over the weekend as you wait for the possible Oscar contenders start showing next month.

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My last 2 days in Caracas was spent drinking, eating, having sex and spending some time at plaza La Castellana which was the richest area of Caracas having the finest hotels and the Centro San Ignacio which is a shopping mall having restaurants, night clubs, musical theatre, a movie complex, etc., and was very cruisey and a lot of fun.

I do remember one meal I had there and asked the waiter to order for me. He brought a delicious appetizer which was an avocado stuffed with shrimp and had a light sauce drizzled over it. It was followed by a great mixed grill consisting of sausage, steak, sweetbreads and chicken cooked at the table. After that I was served a marquesa which was like a cheesecake made with a cookie crust. It was one of the best meals I had on my trip.

The last night in Caracas, still not feeling well, I decided to have an early dinner, no booze and hitting bed, alone, to get a good night’s sleep before the last week of my trip. I invited Stephen, John, Marco and Hector to join me as they had gone out of their way to entertain me and take me around Caracas. We exchanged addresses but I was never to hear from them though I did write them a few letters when I got back to Memphis.

I wasn’t going to leave Caracas until 5 PM so I decided, not feeling up to par, to get a massage, hit the sauna, take a swim in the pool and bake in the sun before I had to go up and pack. For lunch I had a broiled seafood platter and coffee not wanting to have any booze as that touch of a headache seemed to be getting a bit worse.

At 5 PM I boarded a Pan American plane, traveling first class, to Guatemala where I would switch a plane for Mexico city staying overnight and then going on to Acapulco where I would spend 3 nights and then on to Puerto Vallarta for 2 nights and the last leg of my trip back to Mexico city for 2 nights before boarding American Airlines to Dallas, go through customs and then head home to Memphis.

The only reason I know all this written in that last paragraph because that is what it says on my itinerary. The last thing I remember is wanting to jump off the balcony of my hotel room in Acapulco!

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Walking down the Sabana Grande Boulevard Stephen and I played the old cruising game that made me felt I was back on Times Square. We would stop at different shops and sort of look at each other through the reflections of the windows, walk a bit more, a couple of more looks until I just waited for him to reach ‘my’ window. He spoke very little English but seeing the Damon gay guide in my hand he took it and pointed to a bar listed in it and then pointed at himself. I figured he wanted me to follow him at the bar which I did to find out that he owned it. He introduced me to John who spoke fluent English and Raphael who was moving to Los Angeles on Saturday and Marco and Hector, 2 very wealthy effeminate guys. The six of us spent the late afternoon, early evening going from place to place. John, Ralph and Stephen agreed to pick me up at the Hilton and then we would go out for dinner and they would show me more of Caracas.

As I had a couple of hours before they would come to pick me up I went for a swim in the hotel pool and for a quick massage. The guy did a good job and when he, shyly, asked if he could come up to my room later to give me another massage I got the message and smiled shaking my head yes. I explained about my plans for the evening and I had no idea how they would and he said if I wasn’t back by midnight he would come to my room and wake me up with a massage in the morning.

I don’t remember the restaurant we went to but I did make note of what I ate and it was black bean soup and a Hallaca, which is a Venezuelan dish that is an important part of the Christmas holiday but served all year round. It is made of meat, pork, chicken, rice, olives, onions, raisins, etc., wrapped in a thick bean paste and then covered by banana leaves. It was huge, great and tasty. I wouldn’t taste it again until 30 years later in a Venezuelan restaurant in Fort Lauderdale and that brought back all the memories of the days and evenings I spent in Caracas.

I had an interesting night in more ways then one but we won’t go into that and I started the day off with that massage! I met Marco and Hector in the hotel Lobby and they were going to take me sightseeing. I don’t know if this is when it all started but I do know that I had to cancel most of the sightseeing as I was getting what I thought was a bad cold. My nose was continuously stuffed up, I was coughing and what was rare for me I had the start of a headache.

Until I left Caracas on August 4th I was more or less in a haze. I was doing way too much drinking being hung-over every morning and what I though t was a cold was getting worse. Along with everything else if I had been in better shape I would have enjoyed it but I was having way too much sex, if there is such a thing.

I did meet a guy who was having lunch alone in the hotel dining room and I asked him if he would like company and he nodded his head yes. Turned out he was a charter travel agent in Minneapolis and he had booked a tout in Spain for Jan who was the owner of the WW franchise there. After lunch we went to the bar where we met a guy from Washington, D. C. Let’s just say we all got smashed and leave it at that.

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I arrived back in Rio on Friday July 27th and picked up right where I left off as if I had never left. I was just getting to ‘swing’ in Rio, spent a great day and night at Ipanema beach where the speedos and bikinis were even smaller than on the Copacabana beach!

Back at Rio, staying in another hotel, the Nacional, I met Denny and Claudio and the 3 of us went out to eat and I had 6 huge linguias which were smoked sausages with garlic and were finger licking good! After dinner we went to 2 gay dancing bars and I got smashed. We spent the night at Claudio’s place and I finally got back to the hotel at Noon two days later!

On the 30th I was going to take off to Caracas where I would spend 5 nights. I was by now familiar with the exchange rate of money in Rio, knew my way around on the beach, had made some ‘friends’ and it was time to leave. I did a lot of shopping before I left Rio getting everyone in Memphis gifts and decided unless I saw something very special I wouldn’t buy anything else. I did buy a boar’s tooth on a gold necklace for me.

I was doing a lot of charging and out of the $1200 I brought with me I still had $690 left with 12 days, or so I thought, to go before I returned home. I understood Caracas was the most expensive city in South America and the 3rd most expensive city in the world.

I arrived in Caracas at 5 AM after having been very sick on the plane which is very rare for me and may have been the beginning of the end for my trip. I was still a little shaky in the afternoon after I had taken a nap and sent my clothes to the cleaners. I was spending 5 nights here so I had time to get things done before the rest of the trip. I was staying away from the night life which was good and the hotel was situated in the financial and cultural center of the city. I planned to take it easy my first night just inspecting the hotel and the area around it. I watched TV for awhile–did you ever hear Van Heflin dubbed in Spanish? Heck do you kids even know who Van Heflin was?

The next day I took a walk to the “Broadway” of Caracas and was surprised the gay guide didn’t have anything listed for that area. I did come across their new Museum of Modern Art that had opened a few months before I go there and was not only a magnificent building but their art collection put the Museum of Modern Art in New York to shame. See my traveling wasn’t all about sex!!! LOL

Still feeling a little queasy I went to the hotel’s health club and after getting a massage and spending some time in the sauna I felt a little better. The masseuse had suggested I take a walk down to the Sabana Grande area which was THE boulevard of Caracas having all kinds of shops, artists doing their work on the streets, gallerias and sort of reminded me of Washington Square in Greenwich Village in New York. Walking along the Boulevard I got ’lucky’ and met Stephen.

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(The National Cathedral of Brasiilia)

As are most cities in South America there are many different ways of spelling them–I am using the spelling that is on my itinerary.

Even now 41 years later I remember the flight attendant on Transbrasil describing Brasilia and how it came to be. It seems it was, literally, dug out of the jungle to be made the capitol of Brazil. The architect designed it in the shape of a plane with the center being the business/government and embassy center of the city while the ‘wings’ were residential and each area had their own schools, stores and parks.

I got there at 1:40 PM on July 26th and left at 5:25 PM the next day so I really didn’t have too much time to explore the city. Once again I don’t have any notes regarding my stay there and I have only one outstanding memory of the place and that was the Cathedral of Brasilia and I can still see my going under ground to enter it. What I would call the steeple was at ground level and represented 2 hands reaching up to the sky. Between the ’fingers’ were stain glassed windows that gave a beautiful light to the chapel.

From what I understand the whole building turned out to be impractical because of the sun coming threw the windows made the place uncomfortable but I do remember being intrigued by the colors the sun gave shining through the windows.

I do know I stayed at the top hotel at that time in Brasilia but just now reading the reviews it seems it hasn’t been refurbished or taken care of since then!

I don’t recall any meals, or sex, there, so I am just hanging onto the once in a lifetime experience of going to a church underground.

Now on to Caracas!!

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Our local AMC movie theatre has gone in a new direction having reconstructed the whole building. They are now offering dinners, snacks, desserts, sandwiches, burgers, salads, etc. all given to a server who gets your order, delivers it to you and then you pay your bill. There are plusses and minuses about the whole setup but I do see it becoming a very expensive proposition for a family going to the movies or even a couple on a date.

It is no secret that movie theatres make their money from the concession stands and not from ticket sales as most of the latter go to the film makers, distributors and studios. In many cases a soda and popcorn cost more than a theatre ticket but with these new food prices it will even be higher. If you want to get an idea of the food prices go to www.amctheatres.com/food-and-drink but remember they vary from theatre to theatre.

I wanted to ‘try’ out the new AMC–I liked the $7 admission on a Friday but you never know what a movie costs unless you check out the movie and performance schedule on the web. Depending on whether it is a matinee or evening, a PG or R rated film, a regular or 3D film the prices range from $7 to $14. The seats are the most comfortable I have ever sat in in a movie house–the serving of food can be and is disturbing–also I would hate to see the line at the ticket window when busy–along with prices you have to select your seat before you get your ticket!!!

They have less auditoriums than they did previously, which means they are showing less movies and each auditorium has a lot less seats than they had so they are really depending on food sales to make the money. With the movie companies making less money because of the cut in the audience size I wonder if they have some deal regarding concession sales.

As I said I like the $7 ticket price on Friday for PG-13 films but since I don’t eat food in the theatre if the AMC is showing the same picture as the Gateway Theatre, and getting the lower price, I might go to the former BUT if they are getting a $9 price I will definitely go with the latter–which I will in most cases anyway as The Gateway Theatre is special to me.

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The best thing about “Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame To Kill For”, AKA Sin City 2, was that I got in for free, plus got a free popcorn and a free soda, all courtesy of The Gateway Theatre Loyalty Card.

I had not seen the first “Sin City” so I was intrigued for about a half hour by the sparse use of standout color in what is basically a black and white film noir of the 1940s and 1950s shown as a combination of live, digital, comic book, pulp fiction and graphic novels. After the novelty of a slash of bright red across the lips of a black and while character wears off there was a little interest in the name of the actresses playing the female roles as most of the men are more ‘seasoned’ veterans, and recognizable, though even here one or two have face but not name recognition.

Anyone familiar with the old movies, or books, like those featuring Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer or Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade or casts with Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, Barbara Stanwyck, Lana Turner, Veronica Lake, Victor Mature, etc. will find their counterparts in Sin City 2. Every man is hard boiled and every woman a femme fatale. The main difference between this film and the old films are the amount of violence perpetrated not only by the men but more so by the women.

Written and directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller I would love to know which one has the eyeball fetish! The production design by Steve Joyner and Caylah Eddleblute is outstanding as are all the other production assets such as costumes, hair and make up.

With a cast including Eva Green, Jessica Alba, Bruce Willis, Powers Booth, Mickey Rourke (almost unrecognizable ), Josh Brolin, Rosario Dawson, Stacy Keach, Jaime King, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ray Liotta, just to name a few, plus a cameo by Lady Gaga, keeping track of who is who and trying to remember their real names will keep your mind off of the screenplay that is not at all original in any aspect of film making.

There is almost as much nudity, frontal and rear, by both males and females, though there is a sense modestly, as there is violence. Killings are by guns, arrows, knives, hands, feet, cars, etc., all graphic and far from modest.

The best/only way to see this movie is with a free ticket, a free popcorn and a free soda.

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From 8 PM until 1 AM it seems like I am doing a lot of things but I never feel rushed or pressured. Along with eating dinner, posting my blogs, responding to those who have commented on my blogs, checking out a few web sites like groupons for special dining out coupons or mypoints.com I am usually corresponding with Mary and/or Sharon or taking a quick look at face book or like this past week, Memphis Chuck is ‘hacking’ (with my permission LOL) into my computer to get rid of the many mistakes I make which in turn slows the machine down.

While doing all that I am watching TV shows such as “Suits”, “Graceland” which one of our resident has a role in, “The Bridge”, “True Blood” and /or “Taxi Brooklyn” not to forget “Big Brother” as I wait for Zach to be kicked off. At 11PM it is the late night news to see if I have won the lottery or power ball and having to hear about the latest killings, war, child abduction and animal abuse.

11:30 PM the TV goes off and I relax for an half hour playing Free Cell, Hearts and Bingo before walking outside for another half hour just to watch the stars and moon and taking a walk to The Point which at this time I have all to myself feeling as if I own the whole world. Then back home, get into bed and read books until the eyes won’t stay open anymore.

What makes this just another special day was that I woke up in the morning and had another day of life. Some days may be better or worse than others but as long as I wake up in the morning I am ready for anything and grateful to be faced by Mother Nature once again. She never stops giving and even in her furious days there is magic in seeing what she can and does accomplish. She can test us like no one else can and then all of a sudden knock us over with a rainbow or a sunset.

Give me that chance of waking up in the morning, walking out of my dark bedroom into the light from outside and I know it is just another special day.

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THE ONLY BLACK EGRET OF THE WHITE BUNCH THAT COMES OUT AFTER THE RAIN.

It was 1 PM, all the calls made, all the emails answered and time to face the world. I took the Hollywood Reporter, the Time Magazine and Entertainment Weekly, all devoted to the death of Robin Williams. I was going down to The Point where I would read them and in between talk to a few neighbors sitting there or passing by. If there was any one spot in Fort Lauderdale that Mother Nature shined it was here. Boats were docked all over Karen Bay while those on paddleboards or being towed by boats in rubber rafts would pass by. There would be the occasional fish jumping out of the water, a bird flying by or a plane leaving a jet stream as they passed by.

Because of medicine I was taking I wasn’t suppose to be out in the sun too long or go swimming in the pool but I would now and then even though in the summer in South Florida you don’t jump into the water, not even the Atlantic ocean, to cool off as the water temperature is usually higher than the air temperature but just floating on your back, looking up at the sky and get lost in my surroundings.

After 2-3 hours of pure relaxation disturbed only by the negative news regarding the world situation and the sadness of the death of Robin Williams not to mention briefer recollections of Lauren Bacall who personified a special time in Hollywood history it was time to go back to the apartment. It was just another special afternoon in a special life treasured by me for each minute.

Between the hours of 5-7 have almost become a ritual for me. I would sit at my computer desk which overlooked the windows and I would watch the beginning of the sunset or, as was a given in the summer time, the rains coming down, watering all of the fauna that surrounded the buildings making the green sparkle as the lowering sun played its colors.

I would go downstairs for my mail around 5:30-6, talk to a few neighbors as we waited for Mark, the mailman, to distribute the eagerly awaited letters from friends and family, if they snail mailed anymore, and the not so eagerly waited bills and junk mail. I would go back upstairs to watch Diane Sawyer and the evening news followed by Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. If it was Wednesday evening I would have to get things ready for Thursday when Allen would take me shopping and take me to run my errands plus we would go out for lunch. I would also bring out my high blood pressure kit plus my INR home testing kit, both of which I would use Thursday morning and then call in the results.

Now just another special day was turning into another special evening.

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I came out of my pitch dark room into the brightness of the living room. I looked out the window and Mother Nature was providing us with another sunny, probably hot and humid day and for now not even a wisp of a breeze. I got the Sun-Sentinel and Wall Street Journal newspapers from right outside my door and took a quick glimpse out of the outer door looking over the walkway–it was quick because I was nude and didn’t want to excite my neighbors. (Yeah, like they would even notice a 78 year old nude man!)

I brought the papers, in quickly glancing over the headlines, and then took them apart section by section in the order I wanted to read them. Went into the kitchen to put the water on for coffee, poured my glass of orange juice and took an inhale of my Advair. Went into the bathroom, brushed my teeth washed my face, back into the kitchen, drank my juice, made my coffee and brought it over to the computer desk and sort of got my day mapped out though there wasn’t anything I HAD to do. I did have to call about a prescription, order a couple of token gifts to be sent out, one for a birthday and one for a wedding anniversary.

As always I sat at my desk for a few minutes and just looked out the window and the special effects Mother Nature made just for me. The sun was high against the pale blue of the sky with a wisp of a white cloud here and there. And wherever I look there were many shades of green trees and multicolored flowers all over with my eyes finally falling on the water, and boats on it, flowing in the canal from the bay.

I turned on the computer, read and responded to the email, looking for the one from Gateway Chuck with a compliment regarding something I had written. It had almost become an addiction and I looked forward to it every day. After that I checked out Broadway showbiz.com, talkinbroadway/allthatchat.com, 2 blogging sites, a couple of face book pages, the New York Post, the New York Times and then looked over the drafts of posts and decided which ones I wanted to post and where.

By the time I got all the above done it was time to prepare what I was going to have for dinner. I made up the salad of Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, a chopped onion and for tonight blue cheese. Then I made a hoagie shaped beef patty which I put on a bed of mixed vegetables and rice topped with sharp shredded cheddar cheese. With the evening meal all set it was time for lunch so I mad a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich with an apple for dessert and a glass of cold water which I added some lemon juice and Sweet ‘N Low. Sat down at the dining room table with lunch and the papers getting ready for the rest of just another special day.

iT DOES RAIN ONCE IN AWHILE