Winter Trees

Airplane! The Summary and Analysis!

The 1980 disaster spoof Airplane! is the story of Ted Striker, a former military aviator, and flight attendant Elaine Dickinson, his ex-girlfriend. She has lost respect for Ted, who suffers both fear of flying and a “drinking problem,” which leaves him shaky and unable to get liquids in his mouth, as result of his inability to handle the post-traumatic stress of his squadron being shot down in an unidentified war. How they met and fell in love is discovered in flashback scenes that parody Saturday Night Fever, From Here to Eternity, and other films. In effort to reconcile with the departing Elaine, anxious Ted reluctantly boards her flight. The in-flight meal of fish causes the flight crew to fall ill, so Elaine is left to fly the plane, with radio support from the bumbling and wisecracking ground crew. She is instructed to turn on the inflatable autopilot doll but needs to find someone that can land the plane. A confused doctor finally convinces Ted to overcome his fears and successfully land the airplane, thereby winning Elaine’s love. In the hilarious Airplane!, abundant use of sight gags, rapid-fire jokes, clever references, and funny wordplay effectively steer the plot. Sophomoric and cheesy humor is a big part of its enduring charm and influenced a wave of parodies. Fans of the Police Academy or Scary Movie film series, or any of Mel Brooks’ work, would enjoy this fast-paced, pun-filled movie. Despite the lighthearted vibe of the motion picture, it manages to feel claustrophobic and tension-filled, a result of close-up camera work, brisk scene editing, mock-serious dialog, and deliberate over-acting. Addressing the audience (breaking the fourth wall), and the shots of the obviously fake plane flying through the lightning storm are examples of the picture’s endearing cheesiness that appeals to one’s adolescent sense of humor. Airplane! makes a fun mockery of itself, as well as other movies, through its use of sarcasm and sharp wit. The engaging plot never lags, and the gratifying Hollywood ending seems conclusive but leaves one anticipating the inevitable sequel. This silly, yet highly recommended comedy flick stands up to its years and comes endorsed by critics and fans alike.

The "Bad Restaurant" Experience

The “Bad Restaurant” Experience-
A positive restaurant visit is largely based on one’s reaction to the sensory overload that can happen when dining out, sometimes in spite of the food or service. A fun atmosphere, decent prices and pleasant conversation can go a long way toward making up for so-so food and barely adequate service. In contrast, a negative restaurant visit can sometimes be an occurrence that is the fault of other diners, one’s self or even American society as a whole and not the fault of the so-called “bad restaurant” that usually serves tasty cuisine with a smile.
How many times have you been about to enjoy a visually appealing meal, the delicious aroma wafting in the air, soft music playing in the background as you discuss your day with a companion, when in barges a large family with screaming children, disrupting all conversation, demanding service and talking loudly on their cellphones? They immediately get the most attention from the hostesses, servers, and bussers who are trying their best to satisfy their impolite customers’ sometimes ridiculous requests and complaints in order to restore the vibe of the dining room to normal. You could very well finish your otherwise good meal with a bad taste in your mouth because your busy server mostly ignored your table, finally bringing your bill when you are about ready to call for the manager to complain. A person might get an attitude and make a loud scene like the annoying family when they could react in a more positive way, ensuring good service for their self, and current and future diners by leaving the busy server with an understanding nod and a reasonable tip.
Restaurant work can be very stressful and demanding. It is difficult for management to afford their tight budgets and handle disgruntled staff in these conditions, let alone try to monitor somebody else’s rowdy children or deal with customers unhappy with the temperature of their favorite unhealthy corporate poultry nuggets. Imagine you are the underpaid, overworked server and the above commotion happens to you dozens of times on a daily basis, you might think consumers sabotage their own mealtime enjoyment and possibly the food industry at large by refusing to pay more for a higher value dining experience.
Fine dining was originally the idea that those who could afford to dress up and pay higher prices for their dinner would dine among their supposedly more cultured, wealthier kind for a more pleasant experience. Luckily for the very rich there are still such places, but for the middle-class fine diner it has become harder to find a place where manners are regarded and disgusting noises and nauseating visions do not frequently occur. What used to be rare annoyances are now common; slurping of soup, dirty napkins scattered across the dining area, and undisciplined children acting rambunctiously. At seemingly every table, people in all forms of unflatteringly revealing dress are proudly displaying their tattooed bottoms or bulging bellies, causing some of our appetites to fade, if not disappear completely. Should restaurant management, or we as patrons, somehow hold our fellow diners accountable for their poor manners and lack of hygiene or have we invited poor etiquette into society? Eating out wholesomely and enjoying one’s self can be a daunting task.
An inexpensive and positive restaurant dining experience can be attained, but somewhere along the line, someone is going to have to pick up the bill. It could be the franchise restaurant worker whose wages aren’t enough to eat out at a good restaurant or the small-town mom and pop dining establishments that find it hard to compete with a dollar menu, super-sized mentality in America. Maybe it’s the local grocer who can’t afford to pay benefits, thereby remaining unable to hire qualified, reliable help; leading to less repeat business, fewer job opportunities and a lower tax base. Lack of wage increases for skilled workers in all food industries, due to high demand for cheaper goods, has left us with a lot of inferior, unhealthy mealtime options and a dissatisfied workforce.
Many have come to expect prompt but not-necessarily-great service and low priced food products but the stale cliché is true, “You get what you pay for”. Poorly compensated restaurant employees and even management are many times unmotivated to produce anything more than the least expected of them, sometimes resulting in unsanitary conditions and barely digestible food. Cheap fare from a few large corporate manufacturers and suppliers is transported great distances to arrive on your plate at the expense of well-paying, non-restaurant jobs in the local food and farming industries. Franchise giants dominate small town markets with generic “get in, get fed and get out” strategies that can leave heads and stomachs spinning. Toxic pesticides are spread over millions of acres on huge factory farms and run off into our waterways along with animal waste and other poisons. Cheap, subsidized corn syrup continues to be introduced into many foods as a sweetener despite the alarming rise of diabetes in America. The general malaise about something as critical as what we eat is puzzling. Is this the fault of the American consumer for demanding low prices at the expense of quality food, good service or even our health? Many food workers and customers at so-called “bad restaurants” and elsewhere rightfully believe we are to blame for having grown accustomed to being waited on hand and foot at bargain prices. However, long term economic and physical health effects on society could prove to literally and figuratively cost us an arm and a leg.