Monday Minute 001

Welcome to the first ever Monday Minute!

The Monday Minute! is a new series that will provide weekly updates for loyal readers on the titles that have been added to the Jumjax™ Database and our newly accessible IMDb tracking lists.

Jumjax™ Database: New Additions

IMDb is incredibly gracious to host our ever expanding lists for us. We thank them once again from engaging with us in this partnership. Four new titles have been added to the lists since the last update. Unfortunately, not one of these titles showcases jumping jacks within its runtime. 

• Films and Television Shows That Utilize Jumping Jacks
• Films and Television Shows That Do Not Utilize Jumping Jacks

The newly added titles are as follows:

[The Magic Sword:] Quest for Camelot (1998) - 86 minutes

No jumping jacks here! I thought perhaps the 2-headed dragon, Cornwall and Devon, might break out a few jumping jacks in their expanded musical number, but, unfortunately, they did not. That is probably one of the better places for them in this feature. Alternatively, the blind ex-stable boy turned forest hermit Garrett might use jumping jacks to sharpen his reaction time. Or maybe Kayley could have done them in the montage of her fantasizing about being a knight--as her late father was before her--while doing chores. All in all, an ok animated film. I liked the message King Arthur's knights provided when they sang "United we stand, now and forever / In truth, divided we fall" and then King Arthur sings "Liberty and justice for all." Pretty good message, even without jumping jacks. Unfortunately, it is a 1/10. Not recommended.

Daimajin (1966) - 84 minutes

Samurai films are cool, and "monster" films are also cool! Had a lot of thoughts like "Woah! How did they manage that in the 1960s! I don't think I could manage that NOW--2019. They were very creative people, you've got to hand it to them." But this one really misses the mark when it doesn't include a training montage with jumping jacks. Samurai are notorious trainers of mind and body, and jumjax™, being the best exercise, would certainly be a part of that. Or at least, one would think... Spoiler (highlight text to view): Imagine the great Majin shaking off his stone-y slumber by repping out a few sets of jumping jacks to get the feeling back into his ancient limbs. Now that would have been good. 1/10. Not recommended.

Hour of the Wolf (1968) - 90 minutes

I think the biggest takeaway from this flick is that the protagonist couple had a horrible system in place for staying awake. For example, instead of sitting around staring into lamps and having languid conversations, or lighting a bunch of matches one at a time and watching them slowly extinguish (which is what they did), they could have used a more active approach such as the one Matt uses in Season 2, Episode 2 of Corporate (2018- ). Matt uses jumping jacks (among other activities such as vacuuming) to get his blood pumping in his attempt to stay awake. To me--and I imagine most others--this active approach would make these characters and this movie much more relatable. If they really wanted to stay awake during the "hour of the wolf," they would have surely utilized a more active method. Admittedly, for Matt, being active only works for a short while. He eventually succumbs to sleep and has a nightmare, which would fit well in this movie. I guess my point is, maybe if Johan and Alma had been more active, they would have either successfully stayed awake and been healthier from being active, or accidentally drifted to sleep from being tired. They then would have had sleeping nightmares instead of living a waking nightmare. Either way, jumping jacks would have made it better, and would have been a complimentary fit to the story. An oversight not to include them. 1/10. Not recommended.

Do the Right Thing (1989) - 120 minutes

It is hot in Brooklyn, and I'm not just talking about the weather. I find myself a little disappointed to find no jumjax™ present in this one. With plenty of shots of the neighborhood and it's cast of characters, jumping jacks could have been a subtle part of multiple frames. Spike Lee knows just as well as I do that jumping jacks were a part of 80s Brooklyn culture, and it seems like a big miss to not give them screen time here. During the opening sequence, Tina (Rosie Perez) could have thrown in a few jumping jacks, and you wouldn't find any complaints from me. As it stands, 1/10. Not recommended.

That's all for this time! Be sure to check out the full lists hosted by our new partners, IMDb. You can find the links at the top of this post.

xxoo, always yours

-Frank

P.S. Happy 91st day of Christmas! I think it is 91st. Can someone double check that for me?