Re:(erielack) [no EL content, but funny nevertheless] My weekend video rentals

["James Harr" <bnchmark_@_eclipse.net>]

Paul and list:

This film sounds downright painful to have to sit through. Funny thing is,
this past weekend MY wife and I rented a movie, as we are wont to do.

We rented Far From Heaven, starring Dennis Quaid as a sexually confused
business executive, and Julianne Moore as his doting wife. The film's story
takes place in Hartford, CT, but a lot of it was actually filmed in various
locations around New Jersey. Well, come to the very last scene in this movie
(the point where my eyes are usually drooping) and I hear a train horn blow,
my eyes pop open, and there is a passenger train, made up as New Haven RR
equipment (with somewhat obvious stick-on lettering), making ready to depart
from, not Hartford, but Glen Ridge station!!! The location was the
ex-Lackawanna [Montclair Branch] Ridgewood Avenue Glen Ridge station! The
view was looking west, towards the concrete arch bridge that carried
Highland Avenue (the street I grew up on) over the tracks. Very cool... I
recognized it right away, but they did a great job capturing the feel of a
New Haven RR commuter station, right down to the "McGinnis" style lettering
on the station posters, etc...

It's actually a very good movie (Ms. Moore was nominated for best actress, I
believe). Some may not want to have to sit through it just to get to the end
to see a 20-second view of an ex-Lackawanna station, but it was fun for me
to catch this - this is one of the places where I grew up watching the EL
at!!!

Interesting that the credits thank NJ Transit, the Morristown and Erie RR,
the NJ Fil Commission, and other towns in NJ, but not Glen Ridge itself...
Wonder why...

Jim Harr




From: "Tupaczewski, Paul R (Paul)" <paultup_@_lucent.com>
Subject: (erielack) [no EL content, but funny nevertheless]  My weekend
video rentals

Over the weekend, my wife and I went to the video store to rent a movie for
Saturday night viewing. Of course, there was nothing good on the shelves,
but one new release caught my eye:

"DEATH TRAIN"

Yep, an action movie. With death. And a train. How can you lose? My wife
begrudingly gave in and said, "OK, there's nothing else good out right now."

The movie starts off with a bunch of guards onboard a train car (resembles a
baggage car to me). Apparently, they're protecting something, and we later
learn it's a large shipment of diamonds (being sent, of course, on an
armored train!).  They toss in PLENTY of prototype segments of BNSF and UP
trains (I recognized Cajon Pass in several of the clips). Mind you, all the
trains shown are supposed to be representative of the SAME TRAIN (the motive
power and train itself dynamically changes, I suppose), and all the trains
are freights. Hmm.

Of course, the movie goes on, and the head guard leads the "bad guy" (under
the guise of being a "switch repairman") into the cab. They show the back of
the cab, and you see some 1960s-era computer equipment, and the rear cab
door (on the fireman's side of the cab!) is just an office doorway leading
into some office. Great effects.

Anyhoo, the bad guys get away with the diamonds, so our fearless lead guard
works tracks them down to Mexico, where they're captured, and are being
returned to the US on a (surprise!) train. Of course, the train happens to
have a whole lot of Americans on it, and some Mexican folks that have
suspiciously American accents. In their defense, the train scenes appear to
have been shot in Mexico with Mexican equipment. Of course, the prisoners
break free and take over the train. Eventually, there's a big climax where
the train (whose engineer was shot), out of control, slams into a steam
train (being operated by a drunk Mexican taking swigs of tequila - I kid you
not!) and the whole thing blows up.

There is horrible editing (they keep showing runbys, and the "steam train"
goes from one to two engines and back to one) - occasionally, they show the
running gear of a side-rodded switcher rather than the bizarre Alco-esque
Mexican diesel they use (complete with lack of front or side handrails).

Overall: If you are a knowledgeable railfan, and truly want to laugh all
night, rent this one. The acting is horrible, the continuity stinks, but
it's great escapist entertainment.

Back to our regularly-scheduled EL content. :)

	- Paul

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