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Love’s Mood Game with a Punch
Spoiler Alert: This post includes content from the April 29, 2014 episode of The Goldbergs:
Addiction.
It’s a seductive lady (or, in Erica’s case, a hunky neighbor) that peers over from across the room like a new arcade game being plugged-in, lit up for the beginning of an unforgettable string of nights together.
It’s new and fun at first, but, if you’re not careful, she’ll knock you right out of your senses. She’ll have you scrounging high and low (emphasis on low) to keep going.
Not even Abraham Lincoln can save you with his luck.
“A penny? Worthless, it’s the garbage of money!”
The video game arcade was archetypal of the 1980s and Adam and Barry were rendered as shocked as the reality that there were “high-definition” animations inside the games. The trouble is when this digitally mastered past-time translates beyond the doors of the gaming wonderland and overtakes your every thought and every reaction. So much so that your younger brother’s prized possession can be traded-in for scraps (well, fifty cents anyways).
What would Han Solo say?
Like a favorite arcade game, that first crush has the same effect in terms of dominating our every sense and every thought. An uncontrollable power unlike most anything else in this world, we are at the beckon call and mercy of our love. But, as Erica tragically discovered, that guiding light of her life that stemmed from a varsity jacket was as fickle as a coach’s starting lineup.
The break-up. The breakdown. The über rational and scientific indicator for knowing how to feel in situations like this.
“My mood ring’s been black for three days!”
Let’s hop in a De Lorean with some Huey Lewis & the News and travel ~ 30 years into the future for a quick moment and see if we can discover the real “power of love.”
Living in the second decade of the 21st century virtually requires a digital footprint on a seemingly infinite grid. There are savvy gadgets, innumerable apps and convenient computers for the desk, lap and hand. The cloud is above us, next to us and in front of us (though sans a reliable, visible presence) every hour we allow that bright glow to permeate through during an intimate dinner conversation or while our eyes are attempting to close for the night.
There is always something to read, something to know and someone to text. Admittedly, the latter is a tremendous feature on our phones, bridging a communication gap with casual conversations here and there throughout the day.
Regardless, when did this happen? Why did we surrender ourselves to the pursuit of endless data? Collecting information is not good or bad in absolute terms, but it does distract us from the natural evolution of ourselves and our surroundings. Every so often, we need to break our technology-centric pattern and wake-up like it’s the 1980s, void of that bright shining light in order to refresh what “data” we really should be absorbing (do I really need to watch every interview with Steven Spielberg tonight?), experiencing and using to help ourselves and the people we care about.
Shouldn’t we be prioritizing our limited time with the people we hold dearest?
Ironically, whether in 2014 or 1980-something, we just need to unplug.
Sometimes, we need to open our bedroom window and yell at our former crush as he or she is chilling in his or her car with their “new love.”
Having a shouting sidekick like Beverly Goldberg doesn’t hurt either.
Plus, the wind can randomly and perfectly lift and hurdle a garbage can through the windshield of a former boyfriend’s car.
Strange how this phenomenon happens in almost every American neighborhood after a break-up…
The Goldbergs reminds us of a simpler time with entertaining stories of how we all struggle with life and our place in it (and the occasional addiction) during our most comically awkward years. Thankfully, human nature and our personal limitations eventually prompt us to turn off our gadgets for a little while or to realize the true price of pawning our younger brother’sMillennium Falcon for a couple plays at Punch-Out!! at the nearby arcade.
Turns out, it was a signed Moses Malone jersey (ouch!).
This personal awareness can also open the door for father Murray Goldberg to finally help his daughter in a very real way with her ailing, broken heart. It’s astonishing what can transpire when we allow someone to show us a helpful, glowingly inspiring alternative.
Like being on the receiving end of a punching bag, there are days when we couldn’t be happier to take a hit for our family.
Once again, The Goldbergs proved the ’80s was a fantastic decade with another heart-warming and entertaining KO.
Dude is Going to Look Like a Lady Again
Normally, there isn’t so much news about sequels made within the same 2-week period, especially when it concerns follow-ups to beloved ’80s and ’90s classics.
Strangely, the latest scoop of a man dressing up as an old Scottish nanny has the potential to revive Steiner Street to its 1993 golden presence.
It was recently announced that famed scribe and director Chris Columbus put his hands up in the form of an “L” and reverse “L” and joined his thumbs together for a vision of a Mrs. Doubtfire sequel in the joyfully eccentric northern California city of San Francisco.
Oh, and this is happening with the wonderfully crazy, wild and spontaneously hilarious Robin Williams.
It’s impossible to doubt the comedic fire he’ll surely bring to this sequel.
While we’re not experiencing hot flashes at this news, we’re all experiencing flashes of our favorite scenes from this story of a marriage and family of three children broken up by divorce in a funny, yet very real fashion. And the fact that the 1993 original was funny, sweet and painfully real with the tugging of our heart strings throughout was a defining dynamic that perfectly complemented the unforgettable comedic one-liners of Robin Williams and, of course, a stellar cast.
There is no release date, but that shouldn’t stop our cautious optimism of what will eventually be projected on the silver screen for multiple generations to enjoy.
Thankfully, somebody boxed the trailer from Mrs. Doubtfire and then shipped it onto the Internet (that process can get confusing).
“Could you make me a woman [again]?”
“Honey, I’m so happy!”
And Uncle Frank, maybe make an extra mask or two…just in case.
P.S. I’ll never forget when my family and I were at a cafe in Kauaʻi several years ago and my sister and I were ordering food just feet from somebody who looked very familiar…
Yes, he was 007. And yes, he was super nice. But, he was also the hapless Stu Dunmeyer.
Incredibly, I believe he was driving a Mercedes!
30 Minutes of Heaven
“Some things in life are as amazing as you hope they’ll be.”
“The Goldbergs” on ABC (Twitter)
Spoiler Alert: Some contents of this post includes scenes from the April 8, 2014 episode of The Goldbergs
When we’re young, the natural progression is to grow up. That’s life. We’ll do anything we can to reach that summit of all things incredible that are surely waiting for us at the end of each quest. And why are we so anxious to mature at this very moment? Like spin the bottle, we’re excited to see fate point us in the very direction of our sought after wish/pretty crush we dream of…
(Here’s a fun fact: the best clothing item to wear during this journey is a blue velour shirt. Oh, and don’t forget about oysters and Moroccan pillows!)
Laser tag is awesome, just to put it out there.
In particular, Adam Goldberg knows this because it’s so antithetical to what he and we all do on a daily basis: running around and shooting lasers at friends and random people in an abandoned warehouse-like building? Yes, please! However, leave it to older sister Erica and older brother Barry to break the news of the utter “un-coolness” this childish activity showcases. That’s why, on his birthday no less, Erica and Barry both convince Adam (for different reasons) to ditch lasers for twister, a bottle of milk (that was full until Barry came to the rescue) and a closet with a 7-minute timer.
To be fair, the latter list was all Barry. And you wouldn’t expect anything less. Not even one bit. Just so naturally fantastic.
What’s more is that Adam was also dealing with his absent-minded father Murray (who forgot his birthday…again) and his overly-protective and snuggles-happy mom Beverly who was hell-bent on throwing her baby boy the perfect birthday party fully-equipped with a homemade Bert and Ernie cake, a clown, bagel bites and, of course, her.
But do you know what’s cooler than all that? A make-out party in the basement with mood-lighting, soft cheese and Big Tasty spinning the beats there to impress his crush.
What could go wrong? What won’t be hilariously awkward and outstanding about this?
Like each of the past episodes of The Goldbergs, this show is an entertaining mimic of so many personal experiences of mine and all its viewers who watch it and love every minute of it (nostalgia overload!). Last night’s story perfectly showed that for those of us who still indulge in past favorites and borderline childish activities (I guess my Superman license plate could be an example) that it’s okay to be ourselves. Although, there’s a serious/logical reason for still liking Superman so much, but that’s for another day.
If we’re goofy one day, then we’re goofy that day. If we’re romantic for one day, one week or one month, etc., then we’re romantic that special evening or random Wednesday morning with a gesture from the heart because it feels right.
Growing up is a straight-forward, yet somewhat confusing concept. We need to live for what our gut and heart tells us to do. It’s this instinct that draws me to take a date to a bowling alley (even with my limited talents in the lanes) for a fun evening and to quote movie and funny television show lines (actually, that’s just awesome!) and to pick cereal with marshmallows in it every so often because while most mornings are spent eating like an adult, there are occasions that should be enjoyed like a not-a-care in-the-world 8-year old.
But it’s also this same instinct that drives me to (in no particular order) work relentlessly at achieving great things in sports and academics, finding my true career, finding that special someone and anything that would help family and friends. It inspires me to travel across the country for a music festival or a sitcom taping or to venture around the world to immerse myself in new cultures for once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Plus, it motivates me to put every single bit of my pride aside and dress up like a big green dinosaur (full suit with tail, mind you) and go to a Halloween festival with all of Westerville looking on because it means the world to my nephew.
Back to 1980-something, Erica could not stand the sight of her little brother Adam acting like, well, her other younger brother Barry. In what was a moment of pure shock, Erica reacted to Adam’s make-out party like her mom Beverly!
Erica’s world view changed that night…
After Beverly thoroughly embarrassed Adam “ladies man” Goldberg with an unexpected sit-down in the closet behind the coats (where are those ski boots?), Adam’s crush rushed out. She asked him why they didn’t just play laser tag? Then, Adam remembered that his dad had surprised him with laser tag gear for him and all his friends just twenty minutes earlier.
It was on (laser tag, that is).
Beverly, Murray and Erica looked on from the front porch as their goofy son/brother played laser tag with his friends in the yard. Not even Al Capone’s secret vault could draw Murray away and Erica was happy to see she had her weird little brother back again.
And, without the assistance of an empty milk bottle or closet, Adam finally got his first kiss after saving his crush from a laser attack with an action movie-caliber diving effort.
With the ’80s classic “Just Like Heaven” playing in the background, being himself turned out to be “the cure” for Adam getting his birthday wish.
‘in all the towns, in all the world’
As members of my family travel through and experience cultural staples of a few European capitals this week, their final destination abroad is one that truly seems out of this world (regardless of its definitive realness). For a short time, they will enjoy the eternally nostalgic city of Casablanca, Morocco. If you’ve seen the entire 1942 classic, or even just a scene or two, it’s mesmerizing and seductive for all the right reasons: the setting, plot, characters and that unforgettable airport runway.
Since today is Thursday, it’s only appropriate that the adventurous trailer of that masterpiece from the golden age of Hollywood be shown in connection with their journey.
“Here’s looking at you, Throwback Thursday.”
Jimmy's Daily Planet 