Monday Minute 013

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

Finally watched some movies this week after two weeks off. You're gonna wanna see the results!

• 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:

Howard the Duck (1986) - 110 minutes

I think Howard the Duck (1986) has a lot of very good and very important things going on, but, unfortunately, it is missing something vital: a grounding in reality. Howard makes use of some impressive "quack fu" maneuvers, but it feels like he doesn't do anything to earn them, such as training exercises, which cheapens the outcome. 1/10. Not recommended.

Funky Monkey (2004) - 94 minutes

Now this is good cinema. Suave secret agents, a high-speed high-stakes skateboard chase, American Football, coming of age story elements, big laughs, a new dad. The young boy Michael starts the film as a piece of trash worthless nerd who sucks at American Football and talking to girls, but all that changes after a great training regimen (which includes jumping jacks) is implemented by Michael's new brave father figure, agent McCall, the perfect match for Michael's computer programmer mom. Did I mention the super simian soldier, Clemens? This ape was also trained by agent McCall, and since we know McCall's training regimens include jumping jacks, it's no wonder this ape keeps on kicking. By the end of the film, we see Michael's dynamic training pays off in the long run. An instant classic. 9/10. Recommended. Jumjax™ timestamp: 53'

Men in Black: International (2019) - 131

We capped the week off with a feature combining the space elements and the threat of the imminent destruction of the Earth from Howard the Duck (1986) with the agent elements from Funky Monkey (2004). Unfortunately lacking any jumping jack activity. Should have taken more inspiration from the playbook of Funky Monkey (2004) and included some agent training exercises, especially as Agent M (Molly (Tessa Thompson)) is an agent in training. 1/10. Not recommended.

I guess taking some time off was exactly the recharge needed to get back into the hunt. That's another one confirmed in the books that utilizes jumping jacks. 1 out of 3 this week--not a bad return.

xxoo, always yours

-Frank

None-day Minute

I haven't watched a single flick this week, so, unfortunately, I can't update you on updates to the database, or the lists hosted on IMDb, but feel free to look back at past weeks or even go back and watch a movie off the "jumping jacks confirmed" list.

On the bright side, sometimes it's nice to turn off your screens and get some sunshine, especially in summer (which it is now in the northern hemisphere). Get it? Bright side? Sunshine? Ha ha, just a little joke. If you do switch off your screens, be sure to switch on your sun screens. Ok! OK, I'll stop! Ha ha.

always yours, xxoo
-Frank

Monday Minute 012

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

Keep grindin'.

• 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:

Tough Guys Don't Dance (1987) - 110 minutes

Tough guys may not dance, but I imagine most of them have a regimen of activities to keep themselves physically fit, which, if they have any brain between their ears, would include the best exercise for all essential muscle groups--the jumping jack. A lack of tough guys in this one in my humble opinion. Plenty of dancing all over the place though. 1/10. Not recommended.

Delgo (2008) - 89 minutes

Some animated hijinks but no animated jumjax™. Delgo (2008) has some interesting world building pieces, but lacks in the full puzzle being put together. If I could have seen the first draft I think I really could have helped them out. How do these warriors of the Lockni and Nohrin (and Ando) stay prepared for battle? Why don't we see Delgo himself training to do all the acrobatics he does? Perhaps a few jumping jacks to limber up first? You know what's next. 1/10. Not recommended.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) - 131

I hardly think Godzilla being a white blood cell of the living Earth makes a lick of sense, but even if you are willing to suspend that disbelief to watch the movie, it never gets explored further. It would be like if during Osmosis Jones (2001) they told you he was a white blood cell and then totally ignored that he was a white blood cell fighting viruses with the help of his crime fighting partner Drix. They should have mentioned more that Ghidorah was a virus that Earth caught and made it sick. And that humans aren't so much a viral infection, but more like bacteria, of which your body needs a healthy balance working in harmony, especially for gastro-intestinal health, but with too many bacteria in the wrong places, things can get dangerous. That's why the white blood cells are so important! At the very least, show us how Godzilla trains to stay fit enough to fight all these monsters. 1/10. Not recommended.

Yojimbo (1961) - 110

Another samurai flick with strong characters but lacking in training sequences. The dueling crime bosses could easily have had their hired swords doing jumping jacks to stay fit for the coming battle. 1/10. Not recommended.

Every movie watched is another step closer to a complete database.

xxoo, always yours

-Frank

Summer fun, task 37: Learn games of the past- like kick the can!

Hello everyone,

It's me, your fun SUMMER guide here to talk about task 37 (Learn games of the past- like kick the can!) from the must-read SUMMER fun guide. I just want to point out that this task in incredibly non-specific, which is a blessing and a curse. You could take the opportunity to learn about any game that has been played previously, ever. That is good news for us, as we come from diverse backgrounds and might enjoy learning about some games more than others! Feel free to learn about any game that tickles your fancy, unless it's one you are inventing right now! Then you will have to wait a few minutes for it to be a game of the past! I digress.

Today, I will focus us in on the recommendation within the parentheticals: "like kick the can!" Games of the past like kick the can... Where can we go with this!? I direct your attention to the online resource Wikipedia for the completion of this task. Their list of traditional "children's" games serves as a great catch-all for anyone wanting to learn about "games of the past" (and present and future, as it were). The list is presented through the framing of "children's" games, which is a bit of a misnomer. Don't be fooled, these are games for anyone and everyone. I must admit that this page of Wikipedia was poorly cared for and disastrously organized, so I reorganized it and added jumping jacks to the list (a terrible omission). I guess I am going a bit above and beyond being a guide for just the FNB community this summer, as I originally intended. I'm sort of a guide for all of humanity now, if you think about it. Pretty big contribution.

Some of my favorite games that I learned about were basketball, baseball, football, kickball, tennis, etc--the classics. There were a few I had never heard anything about, such as Ampe and Poohsticks. Those are good games I would like to play.

As your fun SUMMER guide I encourage you to also learn about these games, even if you aren't going to play them right now. Maybe you will have the opportunity to play them later, so it doesn't hurt to be prepared. Sure, some of them may seem like childish "playground" games, but if you think you're too good for playground games, you've forgotten where you've walked. (Yes, even you were a kid once, unless you are an A.I. program reading this entry for data analysis.) Learning about them will both broaden your horizons and add the potential of having a dream where you play these games, which could be a lot of fun. Worth a shot.

Always yours, xxoo
-Frank