Jethro the Cat Part 2

The Poem was too long to fit in one post
So here's part two to keep you engrossed:

I slightly revised a line of my ten year old poem. To correct a continuity error. I accidentally mentioned a "Beavis" and "Cletus" after I changed them to "Buck" and "Baxter." It's corrected now.

This was the group that came to meet the Gamemaster.

There was Jethro and Vance, and a dog known as Baxter.

A swine known as Bo, and Daisy Mae and then there was Buck,

Which, by the way, was the name of a duck.

“You want to go there?” the Gamemaster did ask.

“Just follow my scenario; it’ll put you to task.”

Before he could say anymore, Jethro let out a big roar.

“Come on, fella,” he shouted, “don’t be a big bore.”

“I want to go there; I want to see it this second.”

“So, Mr. Gamemaster, some action I do reckon.”

To the above, the Gamemaster just said one thing:

“OK, you cat, if you wish; this is where you zing!”

And with these words, he sent them on their way.

They traveled dimensions and arrived in a day.

For Jethro, who’d never left home, there was amazing.

He felt home right away, his excitement took wing.

The Gamemaster himself, or at least a projection,

Visited the group for a routine inspection.

He decided to tell them the scenario he made,

For the group of those he managed to persuade.

“Your mission, my friends,” the Gamemaster began,

“Is to travel my world and find this man of evil.”

“His name is the Evil Sire, the master of upheaval.”

“He has minions on the prowl, who have one ambition.”

“To enforce the evil order, and slay the opposition.”

“But I‘m sure you‘ll win and beat them to submission.”

These were the last words before he ended transmission.

After the routine inspection, the group went exploring.

And saw sights that weren’t even boring.

Like the land made of sweets with chocolate not water,

The land of riches where no one needed a slaughter.

A green pasture was there that could never be polluted,

Which was so full of life that could never be uprooted.

It was in the green pasture did the group first see

A band of creatures that was exactly seven and three.

Three of them were trash piles that sprouted big limbs

And the rest were those that they called “Grimms.”

They were the monsters that went bump at night

Who were there before them all for a fight.

So, the group set forth for battle due to obligation,

But with a view of the rule book, they found a regulation.

Only four for a fight, no more and more less,

It seemed so unfair, Daisy Mae did confess.

But it wasn’t long before a group formation did advance.

They were Baxter and Bo, with Daisy Mae and Vance

It didn’t take long before the four animals did win,

And sent the lackeys to elsewhere, such as oblivion.

Going through the world, the animals were victorious.

With each battle won, their status was glorious.

But one grew impatient, for he’d been kept from the fight.

It was Jethro himself; to protest, he’d feel right.

“I don’t enjoy it here where the Gamemaster resides.”

“If this is how it is, then I’m not going in stride.”

Right in his lair, where volcanoes and smog laid about,

The Evil Sire was plotting; his evil knew no drought.

“I must maintain my world, the one of evil and fear,”

“These six that I see, their intentions so clear,”

“I must keep them from my lair, so dark and so scary.”

“So I’ll call for the ones who are never contrary.”

The ones that he summoned were his enforcers of order.

They viewed fairness and peace as simply disorder.

Their names were so feared that none dared speak them.

And that’s why they won’t be mentioned in this poem.

The Original Jethro the Cat

I mentioned once that Jethro the Cat was a character in a poem I wrote. If you're wondering when, it was in my infobox up until I lost my dog, Sandy.

No delays. No hesitation. After ten years, I give you The Story of Jethro the Cat. It's a mix of Dungeons and Dragons, Looney Tunes and The Dukes of Hazzard. It may not be a good mix, but, that's what I intended when I wrote it:

I edited the poem slightly as I posted it - I realized I forgot I renamed a few characters during the writing process. I also rewrote a few sentences just now for better flow. And formatting. But here's the poem I wrote, pretty much, nearly ten years ago. From here on in, what's in bold is the poem. Everything else is commentary.

4/5/19: I've decided to restore the poem to its original form. After I rewrote it a bit. I will explain why in a Part 6. And link to where I will post my revisions.

The Story of Jethro the Cat

This is the story of Jethro the Cat.

But I bet you knew that.

Jethro the Cat lived on his own.

Somewhere outside a large metro zone.

He did what he liked and liked what he did.

Even if it was what his neighbors did forbid.

If they told him to bathe, he did so in mud.

If he was told to dress nice, it was a dud.

Invite him to dinner, and he just couldn’t wait.

It was his behavior that drove his neighbors irate.

“He’s not a good cat,” said the Sheep Daisy Mae.

“He treats the rules with such bad disarray. “

“We need to teach him,” said her sister Jenny

“His rule breaking will get him four ‘n’ twenty.”

But then, one day, a stranger came strolling to town.

He was tall and lean and his coat was rusty brown.

His name was the Gamemaster, not Bob, John or Fred,

He assembled the townsfolk and this is what he said…

“I’m from another world; it’s one that I call there.”

“But I can send you to see it; that is, if you dare.”

“You must assemble a group, make it no more than six.”

“And I’ll send you all travelling; how’s that for a fix?”

“You‘ll travel my world, and see things big and small.”

“But beware of those ones who don’t like you at all.”

“If you meet one of those ones, you can fight back.”

“With your abilities, you’ll give them the sack.”

“My world is safe and fun, but don’t act like fools.”

“For I, the Gamemaster, make all the rules.”

After the meeting at noon, it later transpired,

A sneaky ambition the Gamemaster got inspired.

“A world full of order and a world full of rules,”

“There is the place that’ll placate all fools.”

These were the words of the bovine known as Vance,

A schemer and brute who liked Jethro out of his glance.

He and the neighbors travelled to Jethro’s location,

And gave him the idea to go “there” for vacation.

He accepted the idea; he gave it no thought,

Which meant that persuading him was a battle unfought.

Dumbo

Tim Burton ends the decade the same way he began it: with a live-action Disney remake. This time, he reinvents that flying elephant Dumbo with screenwriter Ehren Kruger. Let's see how high this elephant flies this time.

Dumbo the elephant is born to Mrs. Jumbo in 1919. Mrs. Jumbo was recently acquired by Max Medici (Danny DeVito) for his circus. But he sees no value in a baby elephant with huge ears. He sees less value in Mrs. Jumbo when she runs amok during a performance. Mama and baby are separated.

Siblings Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) find out Dumbo can fly when he sucks a feather in his trunk. Dumbo becomes a sensation. That's when millionaire V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) comes calling. The Circus joins Vandevere's amusement park, Dreamland, where Dumbo is the star. But when Milly and Joe find Mrs. Jumbo there, Vandevere decides to get rid of her. So they and their father, horse-trainer Holt (Colin Farrell), and acrobat Collette (Eva Green), decide to free both elephants.

Let's examine the story. The barest bones of the original film are done in the first act. Of course, the most dated aspects are gone. But its most emotional key-points are still there. The new human characters, except for Max Medici, weren't as compelling as Dumbo. They weren't terrible either, save for a cruel circus hand who deservedly bit it in Mrs. Jumbo's rampage. The final realization concerning the "magic feather" is rushed. Mr. Vandevere's evil plot is as short-sighted as it's mean.

And the star of the show: the technicals. Dumbo and Mrs. Jumbo are realistically-textured CGI pachyderms. Dumbo's clown makeup early on is one of the film's saddest sights. It's another story when they start moving. They are obviously CGI most of the time they move around. It's distracting. The digital and practical sets from production designer Rick Heinrichs were better realized. Those infamous Pink Elephants on Parade, here, an act at Dreamland, was perfectly odd. Colleen Atwood's costume designs were splendorous as usual. Danny Elfman's score includes memorable renditions of the original film's soundtrack. I could go on, but I won't.

Dumbo's biggest problem is that it values style over substance. There's a few plot elements, like Milly's key, that other films did better. While there is some emotional substance, it won't stick with you as much as the scenery. I'll applaud the film for being slow-and-steady and not slow-and-frustrating. It's 112 minutes are good for an afternoon matinee.

I know this month's been slow. But I promise more, much more, next month....

Captain Marvel

We're a month away before the Avengers play their Endgame. We now have one last hero to join Earth's Mightiest Heroes for their final battle. Her name is Captain Marvel, formerly Ms. Marvel and is currently a box-office Marvel. It's easy to see why with her first cinematic adventure.

Vers (Brie Larson) is a soldier for the Kree Empire, whose arch-enemies are green shapeshifters called Skrulls. She has massive energy powers that her commander, Yon-Rogg (Jude Law), helps her control. She also has recurring nightmares of an older woman (Annette Bening) she's never met. That's what she thinks.

Anyway, Vers is nabbed by the Skrulls when a mission goes awry. She escapes and crashes in 1995 Los Angeles. She's met by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), agents of SHIELD. The Skrulls come to Earth looking for a Dr. Lawson. Vers thinks Dr. Lawson is the key to her past. She also finds out the Skrulls' motivations are more than meets the eye.

Directors and Writers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Half-Nelson, It's Kind Of A Funny Story) collaborated with Geneva Robertson-Dworet on the screenplay. The setup of the Kree-Skrull War and its players is intriguing. The revelation of both sides' true colors is a strong twist. Vers' time on Earth makes for a funny and meaningful fish-out-of-water story. But the strongest story element is the film's best supporting player; a cat named Goose (played by four cats), who also turns out to be more than meets the eye.

Larson is great as Vers, later revealed as Carol Danvers. A few reviews have questioned her arc about controlling her emotions as Larson's performance is quite subdued. But I get it. Her fierce body language comes through perfectly. She's a determined, snarky soldier. Her chemistry with Fury and her fellow pilot Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) is endearing. The climactic moment where she lets loose with her abilities is awe-inspiring.

What about the rest of the supporting cast? Jude Law as Yon-Rogg is a good mentor turned great adversary. The Kree Starforce unit is a nice bunch, which makes it a shame they aren't really nice. Bening makes an impression as Carol's mentor and the AI Kree Supreme-Intelligence which takes her form. Ben Mendelsohn stands out as the Skrull leader Talos. Akira Akbar is good as Maria's daughter, Monica. All in all, another fine bunch of Marvelous actors.

And here's another fine bunch of technical Marvels. The visual effects department has two crowning achievements. I've already mentioned a fully-powered Carol, but there's also Fury and Coulson. They've been digitally de-aged 20+ years and it's flawless. Nothing. Is. Amiss. The costume designs by Sanja Milkovic Hays includes a fantastic alien wardrobe for Krees and Skrulls alike. Ben Davis's cinematography and Alex McDowell's production design best come together in the Supreme Intelligence's eerie dimension.The Alien characters had great makeup work behind them. The soundtrack, whether the old standards or Pinar Toprak's score, is another good listen.

Captain Marvel's debut was well-worth it. It's an exciting space-adventure which never lags in its 125 minutes. Carol's mid-credit scene sees her join the Avengers in time for Avengers: Endgame. And we're even more ready to see how that'll play out. If you want to see a movie starring another Captain Marvel, look forward to next month's Shazam!

The End Credits scene gives us one more scene with Goose the Cat. And it's funny and creepy.