Category Archives: Film & TV
Fuck it scene from The Deer Hunter
Marty! The flux capacitor!
Spotted across the street from my local coffee shop this morning. Cherry!
Ben Hur galley ship scene (with subtitles)
Bad Lip Reading: Redneck Avengers
Bad Lip Reading videos sit solidly atop my list of net humor (which, I suppose, is all humor now). Brilliant writing. Brillianter voice work. But this gets a special place in my bib overalls because everyone around me growing up (southeast Missouri) talked like this.
Mad Max: Fury Road
I don’t believe I’ve ever paid two see a movie twice in one week but I plan to see this one again in a few days. It was like trying to drink from a fire hose. There was SO much happening onscreen that my eyes/brain just couldn’t process it all. Wonderful little bits of detail. Like the hand mirror used to replace the broken outside mirror of the war wagon that was — for my money — the star of the movie. Check that: all of the vehicles… and the stunt men/women are the stars of this movie.
If you’re looking for a complex story with great dialogue and subtle performances, look elsewhere. I don’t think there were 100 lines spoken in this movie. No, this is a chase movie. From the first frames to the last. Two hours of nitrous-enhanced adrenaline. I thought the 2nd Mad Max movie was pretty exciting but it was Dukes of Hazzard compared to this one.
Ex Machina
Golly. I don’t know where to begin. I really enjoyed the film Ex Machina but that tells you next to nothing. Certainly the best treatment of AI I’ve seen on screen. There were a few moments reminiscent of Blade Runner. When Rachael realized her childhood memories were implanted; when Roy went to see his creator, Dr. Tyrell. But I found this a fresh and thought-provoking story.
If you’re that guy that kept pointing out why the flux capacitor was just a made up thing and couldn’t be used for time travel, yeah, you’ll probably find lots of _flaws_ in the tech of this movie. And now you know why it took you sooo long to get laid. Given half a chance, I’m quite willing to suspend my disbelief and did so for this movie.
What does it mean to be almost but not quite human? When we have the technology, will we be able to scrape enough ‘goodness’ to create beings better than ourselves?
When I’m really absorbed in a story I sometimes forget to breath for a few seconds. I was a little light headed by the end of Ex Machina.
A Walk Among the Tombstones
I’m a big fan of the Matthew Scudder novels of Lawrence Block. So I cringed a bit when I saw someone had made a movie based on the character. With Liam Neeson no less. In all fairness, I thought the first Taken movie was a pretty good flick and I didn’t see the sequals. I just didn’t see him as Matthew Scudder. But damned if I didn’t enjoy every minute of this movie.
The name Scott Frank (director) didn’t ring a bell but he wrote Minority Report; The Wolverine; Marley & Me; Out of Sight; Get Shorty. The last two being among my favorites. Turns out the guy can direct, too.
Blackhat
Went to see Blackhat today. What can I tell you, I’m a sucker for any movie dealing with computers and the Internet. And Michael Mann has directed some of my favorite movies. While sitting through this longish (2 hours+) movie kept reminding myself to suspend my disbelief. Like from the observation deck of that tall-ass building in Dubai. Or better yet, put your disbelief on a bus bound for Boise.
I think the Jason Bourne/Matt Damon movies ruined this genre for me. Few films measure up. And the villain in Blackhat? Meh. And it’s not like Michael Mann can give us a good villain. Tom Noonan as Francis Dollarhyde and Brian Cox as Dr. Hannibal Lecktor in Manhunter; Wes Studi’s Magua in The Last of the Mohicans; even Tom Cruise’s tool-cool-for-school hit man in Collateral. I fear that Mr. Mann’s mojo is on the same bus to Boise.
A typical work day for Stephen Colbert
The interview below might just be the best interview I’ve heard. (Listen to the Real Stephen Colbert Explain How He Maintained his Flawless Character for Nine Years) Plotz asked really good questions and they were short (I hate long, windy questions).
It was like meeting Stephen Colbert for the first time. I hardly recognized the voice or the person speaking. He takes us through his working day and it was fascinating. And grueling. Difficult to imagine doing this 160 times a year (1400 total).
I’m gonna miss the character but it feels like the right time to stop. Maybe as it was for Seinfeld. I’ll record Late Night (as I did The Colbert Report) once Colbert gets behind the desk. I’m a little nervous about it. Like discovering your wife of twenty years is really a deep cover mole for a foreign government. Will I like the real Stephen Colbert as much as I liked the character I’ve come to know?