le0pard13
Los Angeles, California
United States
A would be middle-child who ended up first born, L.A. native, and 3rd generation Mexican-American. I somehow arrived in a place I never thought I’d be — happily married, family man, working at a prestigious medical center starting my fourth decade now, and in technology. Just don’t ask me to explain it… I once described myself thusly:
“Born in the 50s, grew up in the 60s, but I survived the 70s.”
Truth be told, what I really get out of doing this blog (hopefully) is a chance to put some of me out there in the ether for the benefit of my children.
My role as father in the family makes it difficult for them to gather much beyond that. Naturally, after they discover that their old man really didn’t have anything deep to say about life and the popular arts, they can move on to puzzle out why mom married this guy. Remember kids: if you’ve grown up, got educated, have a successful enough career to afford the psychoanalysis, you can always blame your craziness on your father… 😉
If you enjoy the logo of this weblog, all credit goes to Ruth of the wonderful blog and community over at Flixchatter who crafted it for moi, for which I am forever grateful.
For those wondering why It Rains… You Get Wet is the title of this blog, I’ll refer to my answer I gave to my colleague Bubbawheat’s question from his Follow Friday article:
“It’s part of a piece of dialogue from one of my favorite films, Michael Mann’s Heat. It could be thought of as a throw away line by one of its main characters, Neil McCauley (portrayed by Robert De Niro), but it’s the capper. And it comes at a critical juncture of the film, after McCauley’s bank heist goes terribly wrong, and all his crew have been killed or wounded. The full quote goes, “He knew the risks, he didn’t have to be there. It rains… you get wet.” I admire it because it’s a small bit of words that speaks volumes. Hopefully, it’s what I strive to do with the blog, but I know I don’t come close.”
64 Responses to “About”
I was given a Stylish Blogger Award and the conditions are that it should be passed on to seven other worthy blogs. You’re one of them!
See the last comment at http://filmjournal.net/livius/about/ for details.
Best,
Colin
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I’m very honored, my friend. Especially since you’ve included me with such a fine group of creative bloggers with this award. I’ll begin to work on this one shortly. Many thanks.
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Yay Michael! Sorry I haven’t been around, I have been having some ups and downs lately.
I do have to be more diligent with my blogs~~I loved reading yours and catching up.
Hope all is well with you and yours.
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As always, good to hear from you, Bev. So far, so good. I hope all is well with you and yours, too. Thanks.
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I headed over here going on Ruth recommendation Michael. You have a good thing going here. I’ll be back again later to browse further. Good stuff my man.
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Welcome, Mark! Any friend of Ruth’s I’d be proud to have come by here. Many thanks for the kind words. I’ll making your blog a regular stop, too.
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Merry Christmas! I’ve nominated you for The Versatile Blogger Award, just follow the link – http://mikesfilmtalk.com/2012/12/22/the-vesatile-blogger-and-blog-of-the-year-2012-merry-christmas-to-me/
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Thank you very kindly, Mike. Cheers.
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No problemo! Happy Christmas!!
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Mr. Michael – I’m posting on Sunday (I think I’d said Saturday) my blogs dedicated to It Rains… You Get Wet – about being in my twenties and working on indie films in the mid-eighties. Thanks for prodding my memory, such as it is 😉
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Ooooh, I’m looking forward to it, Vickie. Can’t wait. Thanks :-).
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Just nominated you for the versatile blogger award 🙂 http://natashaharmeryear1.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/versatile-blogger-me/
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Thank you very much, Natasha! Much appreciated :-).
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I’ve nominated you for an award 😀 check it out here http://natashaharmeryear1.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/epically-awesome-award-of-epic-awesomeness/
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You are awesome, Natasha ;-). Many thanks :-).
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[…] Michael over at It Rains…You Get Wet […]
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[…] Howard Hawks classic Screwball Comedy, Bringing up Baby. And from an author who calls himself the LeOpard, aka Michael Alatorre, we have a run down on Howard Hawks classics down the years. Michael who in his own words was […]
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Hi, there! Thanks for following my little blog, and thanks for writing – I got the comment below through WordPress but saw no way to respond, so I am writing to you here (feel free to delete after reading):
“They thought Red State: Another Kevin Smith Commentary on Life and Other Craziness was pretty awesome.
You should go see what they’re up to. Maybe you’ll like their blog as much as they liked yours!”
Pray tell, who are “they”? 🙂
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Z
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Yes, I read the bio of your blog via The Lamb and enjoyed a sampling of your coverage of movies and books (something I’m passionate about). Looking forward to whatever you have in store. Thanks, Z.
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Thank you! And I look forward to reading your posts as well! So, are you the “they” you referred to in your message, or is it someone else?
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Yes, WordPress seems to use ‘they’ in their standard notification to refer to the blogger who ‘Liked’ your article.
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Aha! You are a wellspring of useful information! 😀
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[…] Michael Alattore- 13 Best Movies of Hawks […]
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Thank you very much 🙂
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[…] up on a superlative review from Niles was an equally brilliant one by Michael Alattore, of It Rains, …You Get Wet . In his own words Mike describes himself as a “Born in the 50s, grew up in the 60s, but I […]
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Yo got another WordPress Family award Mike – http://livius1.wordpress.com/2013/08/28/awards-time/
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Thanks so much, Colin 🙂
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A pleasure my friend.
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Hi michael – Just to let you know that I nominated you for a WordPress Family Award – thanks for all the fine blogging!
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I’m honored, Sergio. Many thanks, my friend.
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Michael: I recently ran across your blog researching graphic artist Pablo Ferro. An LA-based friend has produced a documentary on Ferro’s career called “Pablo,” which had a premier Tuesday at the Hammer Museum. Ferro did the main title sequence, among others, for one of my favorite films, Dr. Strangelove. And, I really enjoy reading your wordsmithing.
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Welcome, Francis :-). Thank you so much for the kind words and the recommendation for the documentary on Ferro’s career. I really want to see it!
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Hi Michael! SoundEagle is glad to be acquainted with you here.
Happy November to you! SoundEagle would like to wish you an ever more satisfying journey of blogging in the final quarter of 2013. Cheers!
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You are more than welcome, SoundEagle. And thank you very kindly. Cheers!
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I see you joined the TDWFB campaign. How did you place that footer there? I’ve been trying to download the WP version, but to no avail.
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I just enabled this via my blog’s WP dashboard. Go to Settings…Protest NSA Surveillance. Click on the checkbox labelled ‘Protest Enabled’, and save changes.
And thank you very much for the Likes, Matt. Much appreciated, my friend.
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Damn! I was so going about this the wrong way, trying to find the right place to plug in the HTML code, toying with widgets and images and such. Thank you 🙂
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Hey there! I’ve just nominated you for a Versatile Blogger Award, because I genuinely enjoy reading your posts.
I totally understand that these awards are not for everyone, (and you may already have it), but should you choose to accept it, then here’s the link to your nomination:
http://theflimculb.wordpress.com/2014/04/17/the-versatile-blogger-award/
If not, no hard feelings, I still rate your blog!
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I’m honored! Many thanks for this and the kind words. I’ll give it a go 🙂
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No worries. Your blog is great! I always enjoy perusing it when it crops up in my reader.
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Would love to collaborate! sonia@movieandmusicnetwork.com http://www.movieandmusicnetwork.com
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Are you looking in your mirror?
Your explanation of why you have created this wonderful blog is inspiring. I will be redoing mine. I look forward to reading many more of your posts. Ciao.
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Thank you very much, Nightingale. Much obliged. 🙂
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I am brand new to this blog but I’ve seen you around on many of my favorite sites for awhile. Nice to finally meet you and your blog and I look forward to getting to know both better over the coming months! Cheers.
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Same here, Tom. Thanks and look forward to becoming a regular reader over at your site, as well.
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I watched Heat again a couple of nights ago and instantly thought of this place when De Niro delivered that line.
It’s been one of my favourites since I saw it in the cinema back in the day and I find it’s one of those films that gets better and better with every viewing.
Even just thinking about the final scene causes salt water to well up!
Add to that the sheer weight of the Moby’s piece ‘God Moving Over The Face of The Water’, you’d have to be carved out of stone not to feel some emotion.
“I am never going back.”
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Oh, I so agree, Paul. Even after 20 years, it still is a gravity well of emotions. Moby’s number pitch perfect for that scene. Will be watching this again fairly soon. Thanks so much for chiming in on this, Paul. Much appreciated.
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You have such a fab blog. Even if you don’t accept, please see this as a thank you for all the great stuff you share.
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This time with the link (d’oh!) https://alexraphael.wordpress.com/2015/06/21/awards-three-and-two/
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Heading over. 🙂
Thanks.
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I’m truly honored, Alex. Very much appreciated, my friend. Thank you.
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I share your feelings about leaving a digital space that my kids might one day enter to explore who their father was beyond the father role.
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Welcome CMF and thanks for that. 🙂
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Hi! I have nominated you for the Sunshine Blogger Award 2017! – see https://dbmoviesblog.wordpress.com/2017/01/28/sunshine-blogger-award-2017/
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Oh, thank you very kindly for this. 🙂
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Have you by chance seen the original version of ‘Heat’, ‘L.A. Takedown’?
That has one of my favourite film lines in it. “I’m double the worst trouble you ever thought of”. Heat is a glossier remake, and also has great lines, but it is also a straight by the book remake in essence, and I always preferred the roughness of the original.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yes, I have, Pete. The original does have that rough charm, as you say. No doubt. The movie has another appeal — its bank shoot-out. Perhaps, not as technically proficient, or graced with the audible brilliance of the gunshots reverberating off the downtown buildings, as in HEAT, but its edge of Beverly Hills location has a unique allure. I was astonished when I first saw it as it’s staged not one street block from where I work.
Thank you very kindly for the comment, Pete. Much appreciated. 🙂
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Thanks for your ‘local’ perspective on the film too. So many people have never heard of it, I might have to write a review!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Oh, would love to read a review of “L.A. Takedown”. It’s true, that one doesn’t get the appreciation it should. Thanks, Pete.
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What theme are you using for this blog? Love it. Clean and minimalist.
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The theme is called Watson by the Theme Foundry. Best 🙂
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I ran across a bit of music a few days in a You Tube video. It is familiar; however, I cannot place it. I think that it may have been part of a movie soundtrack. Perhaps you will be able to identify it for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6zb3xBt_qQ.
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It’s a compelling, haunting video and musical piece, a. First time I’m hearing it, so can’t trace it. Even Shazam’d it to see if the app could nail it down, but no luck. Sorry.
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Thanks for trying to help me. In the event that I identify it eventually, I will share what I learn with you.
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