Showing posts with label In the Loop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label In the Loop. Show all posts
Oct 10, 2013
Our "Public Servants"
Yeah, I have posted this before. Do not care. It is more appropriate than ever.
Ardent
Jun 24, 2013
Yes, that is right,
Veep went there last night -- its final episode of season two -- and used the c-word on American television. Good for them. And, it was perfectly appropriate, and, honestly, a pretty accurate description of our "public servants" at "work" in our nation's capital, when Vice President Selina Meyer finally told us all what D.C. really stands for.
This was an absolutely smashing -- if you will pardon the expression re Veep's penultimate episode of season two -- season for Iannucci, Dreyfuss, Chlumsky, Hale, and all the writers and other "veeple" involved with this incredibly smart and swear-y series.
My favorite thread, or arc, this season was the brilliant depiction of sexism, and the objectification of powerful attractive women. There was a run of episodes near the middle where so many of the male characters could only relate to the very attractive Vice President in a sexual way. Women have had and are still having to deal with this "Axis of Dick" issue forever. Everything a powerful woman does in so many cultures always ends up being reduced to the lowest common denominator of how "hot" she is doing it, or whether she plays up her "hotness", or plays it down.
The Axis of Dick described by Meyer really does exist, and it is our mission to tear that shit down once and for all. (A little more every day. A little more every day.)
I also liked how they gave Meyer more power, more responsibility, and let her succeed a bit more this year. She is a still a typical In the Loop/The Thick of It Public Servant type, saying the wrong thing so often, hot mic problems, terrible advice, rash judgements, etc, ... But, this year, you more got the feeling that Selina might end up on top when all is said and done.
I do not even know if I could begin to track down all the great insults, and nicknames that season two produced, so, I am not even going to bother. Maybe I will find a link for you guys. But, no, now that I think of it, I will not.
Just watch the show. However you can, whenever you can. Veep is hands down, by far, my favorite television program in years, since The Wire, actually.
Great great stuff. See ya next year, Veep!
Ciao!
P.S. The video above will most certainly be taken down soon. Watch it while you can!
mds
This was an absolutely smashing -- if you will pardon the expression re Veep's penultimate episode of season two -- season for Iannucci, Dreyfuss, Chlumsky, Hale, and all the writers and other "veeple" involved with this incredibly smart and swear-y series.
My favorite thread, or arc, this season was the brilliant depiction of sexism, and the objectification of powerful attractive women. There was a run of episodes near the middle where so many of the male characters could only relate to the very attractive Vice President in a sexual way. Women have had and are still having to deal with this "Axis of Dick" issue forever. Everything a powerful woman does in so many cultures always ends up being reduced to the lowest common denominator of how "hot" she is doing it, or whether she plays up her "hotness", or plays it down.
The Axis of Dick described by Meyer really does exist, and it is our mission to tear that shit down once and for all. (A little more every day. A little more every day.)
I also liked how they gave Meyer more power, more responsibility, and let her succeed a bit more this year. She is a still a typical In the Loop/The Thick of It Public Servant type, saying the wrong thing so often, hot mic problems, terrible advice, rash judgements, etc, ... But, this year, you more got the feeling that Selina might end up on top when all is said and done.
I do not even know if I could begin to track down all the great insults, and nicknames that season two produced, so, I am not even going to bother. Maybe I will find a link for you guys. But, no, now that I think of it, I will not.
Just watch the show. However you can, whenever you can. Veep is hands down, by far, my favorite television program in years, since The Wire, actually.
Great great stuff. See ya next year, Veep!
Ciao!
P.S. The video above will most certainly be taken down soon. Watch it while you can!
mds
May 21, 2013
Thank frickin' goodness for Call the Midwife.
The Wife and I were away from our television set last Sunday, enjoying our second anniversary celebration, thank you v much, and we had an absolutely bloody marvelous time. (Hotel Vitale, Michael Mina, a movie, Boulevard, the City, the Ferry Building -- much more on all of this tomorrow.)
So, we settled in to watch our Sunday lineup yesterday instead. Man, am I glad we did that.
Although Veep was hilarious as usual, it was v strange, and uncomfortably awkward all the way through. Even though it was nice to see two more In the Loop vets make an appearance. No Veep next week, it gets a week off for Behind the Candelabra, which Renee and I are seriously looking forward to. Veep is fine, great, still almost perfect; they just had to have an episode to really raise the stakes and set up the last four installments.
But, can we talk about Mad Men? Seriously, what the fuck was that? Honestly, the way the last few seasons have gone I can finally confirm that I am strictly watching Mad Men in the way I watch The Newsroom on HBO. Purely for the gore and carnage on the side of the road as we drive on by. Sunday's episode, The Crash, was a complete travesty; an abomination. The Wife and I believe it would have been much better if it all had been a dream. Because we certainly could not believe what happened on screen. Completely implausible, and frankly, smacking of self-indulgence and pretension. Why so many people consider this program one of the greatest dramas ever is beyond me.
Then, we finished up with Call the Midwife, and faith was restored again. Great acting, great writing, great stories, and some thoroughly cheesy soapy moments. A breath of fresh air after Super Awkward Hallucinatory Sunday.
There is hope. Perhaps the future is not broken, after all.
Mwah, ...
 |
| These ladies could solve the whole Israel/Palestinian thing, I have no doubt. |
So, we settled in to watch our Sunday lineup yesterday instead. Man, am I glad we did that.
Although Veep was hilarious as usual, it was v strange, and uncomfortably awkward all the way through. Even though it was nice to see two more In the Loop vets make an appearance. No Veep next week, it gets a week off for Behind the Candelabra, which Renee and I are seriously looking forward to. Veep is fine, great, still almost perfect; they just had to have an episode to really raise the stakes and set up the last four installments.
But, can we talk about Mad Men? Seriously, what the fuck was that? Honestly, the way the last few seasons have gone I can finally confirm that I am strictly watching Mad Men in the way I watch The Newsroom on HBO. Purely for the gore and carnage on the side of the road as we drive on by. Sunday's episode, The Crash, was a complete travesty; an abomination. The Wife and I believe it would have been much better if it all had been a dream. Because we certainly could not believe what happened on screen. Completely implausible, and frankly, smacking of self-indulgence and pretension. Why so many people consider this program one of the greatest dramas ever is beyond me.
Then, we finished up with Call the Midwife, and faith was restored again. Great acting, great writing, great stories, and some thoroughly cheesy soapy moments. A breath of fresh air after Super Awkward Hallucinatory Sunday.
There is hope. Perhaps the future is not broken, after all.
Mwah, ...
May 13, 2013
"I am an angry bird, and you are a pig!"
There just is not any better show on television right now in my opinion.
What is intriguing is that the liberal political blogs are still reluctant to do live open threads about the program, or even frickin' use the hundreds of great lines in their postings. This troubles me. Fair enough, if you do not like the show on its merits, but what I really suspect is that many serious Lefties can not take a joke. (I also understand if folks do not like the program because of the swear-y language -- even though Lefties have been lambasting Winger blogs for being prudes for ages now.)
And, Lefties, including myself, have been ridiculing the Wingers for decades now as the Political Wing with Absolutely No Sense of Humor. There is a lot of truth in that. Wingers are getting busted by satirical websites daily, seriously embarrassed. But, one of the most important characteristics of a sense of humor is the ability to laugh at yourself.
Even though Veep has never made a big deal about Selina Meyers (and the Administration's) political party affiliation, it is becoming increasingly obvious to viewers that she is a Centrist (just like all Democratic Veep and POTUS' since LBJ) Democrat. And, if the "serious" political blogging Lefties can not deal with that, or are going to get up on their high horse about satirizing serious political issues, and how mean these folks are, then I give up.
I am 'bout the Leftiest guy any of you know, and I am still a pragmatic proud Democrat, too. But, I also know that No Matter Who You Vote For The Government Always Gets In.
Mindbogglingly highly recommended, everyone should be watching Veep right now, best thing on teevee by miles.
All my love,
From the Axis of Dick,
Ardent Henry
Mar 4, 2013
We saw this "kid" on an episode of It is Always Sunny in Philadelphia the other day.
A.J. Brown: Yeah, so, ... uh, item: We need to have a conversation about the mood of the British Parliament, the bumps in the road ahead, and whatnot --
MALCOLM TUCKER: I'm sorry, I don't, this, uh, situation here ... is ... is this it? No offense, son, but, I mean, you look like you should still be at school with your head down a fucking toilet.
A.J.: Your first point there, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take it. Your second point, I'm twenty-two, but, uh, item: It's my birthday in nine days, so, if it would make you feel more comfortable, we could wait.
MALCOLM: Don't get sarcastic with me, son. We burnt this tight-ass city to the ground in 1814, and I'm all for doing it again. Starting with you, you frat-fuck. You get sarcastic with me again and I will stuff so much cotton wool down your fucking throat it'll come outta your ass like the wee tail on a Playboy Bunny.
************
A couple of notes: The "kid" is an actor named Johnny Pemberton, and the second season of Veep starts on April 14th, a week after my birthday. Woo-hoo!
Mwah, ...
Oct 15, 2012
Many of you probably already know this:
LL Cool P showed up late for his "I really care about the help those less fortunate than I" photo op this weekend. Those who were there to eat, had eaten, and the kitchen was closed, having been all cleaned up.
No problem! Ryan lined up the photographers and the beat writers, and he and his wife promptly washed perfectly clean dishes just so everyone would know what a real empathetic, sweetheart of a guy he was.
And the press went along with it.
Man, Armando Iannuci and his crack writing team -- the folks behind In the Loop, The Thick of It, and Veep -- have got to be kicking themselves right now, "Why didn't we think of that?!"
Oh, I am sorry, they already did write something like this for their fro-yo episode of Veep! I think the Mittens/LL Cool P campaign is suffering from the usual and expected Conservative Inability to Recognize Irony -- which is one of the greatest tests of intelligence -- and are now taking clues from Selina Meyer's team on how to run a campaign.
That this OEE is even remotely close right now says a lot about our electorate. Ugh!
************
On a completely different -- and much happier -- note, Treme keeps chugging along. We got to see Sugar Boy Crawford last night, who just passed away last month. And, it was great to see Marcia Ball, too. She looks and sounds fantastic, still.
So, here's a video of her:
Mwah, ...
P.S. Special thanks to Pnut for part of this post.
mds
No problem! Ryan lined up the photographers and the beat writers, and he and his wife promptly washed perfectly clean dishes just so everyone would know what a real empathetic, sweetheart of a guy he was.
And the press went along with it.
Man, Armando Iannuci and his crack writing team -- the folks behind In the Loop, The Thick of It, and Veep -- have got to be kicking themselves right now, "Why didn't we think of that?!"
Oh, I am sorry, they already did write something like this for their fro-yo episode of Veep! I think the Mittens/LL Cool P campaign is suffering from the usual and expected Conservative Inability to Recognize Irony -- which is one of the greatest tests of intelligence -- and are now taking clues from Selina Meyer's team on how to run a campaign.
That this OEE is even remotely close right now says a lot about our electorate. Ugh!
************
On a completely different -- and much happier -- note, Treme keeps chugging along. We got to see Sugar Boy Crawford last night, who just passed away last month. And, it was great to see Marcia Ball, too. She looks and sounds fantastic, still.
So, here's a video of her:
Mwah, ...
P.S. Special thanks to Pnut for part of this post.
mds
Aug 13, 2012
"A quickie?"
"You are such a coward. Take your backlog of Mojo, your shit clothes, and your eighth of dope, and your flute, and piss off!"
 |
| This is about half of my Mojo collection, and the Dylan and The Dead one you see in the shot above? I own it. |
Apr 23, 2012
I thought Veep was very good
Last night. It is an American version of The Thick of It, with all the bungles, swearing, and incompetence. And I thought they made the switch across the pond seem seamless. And, it is just going to get even better. A lot of people were probably scratching their heads. They are not familiar with these In the Loop/The Thick of It guys. It will grow on folks, and should prob be a cult-y sort of hit for HBO.
Mark my words, most of the lefty political blogs that are bitching about Veep now, will be posting scenes and quips from it themselves in a few months from now.
I had nothing to fear, after all. Veep is going to be one of my all-time faves. (And Sorkin's new show, The Newsroom, happening in June, looks dynamite, too. HBO are Kings. But when do we get the third season of Treme?)
Mark my words, most of the lefty political blogs that are bitching about Veep now, will be posting scenes and quips from it themselves in a few months from now.
I had nothing to fear, after all. Veep is going to be one of my all-time faves. (And Sorkin's new show, The Newsroom, happening in June, looks dynamite, too. HBO are Kings. But when do we get the third season of Treme?)
Apr 16, 2012
Being a "boy", as it were,
And a nice boy, I think it is fair to say, my favorite story arc of Lena Dunham's new series for HBO, Girls, is going to be the one involving Marnie and Charlie. Charlie is obviously the sweetest guy in the world, affectionate to a tee, and perhaps a little too sweet to his Sweetie. Naturally, in Dunham's Universe, Marnie is "repulsed every time [Charlie] touches me" and presumably will be threatening to end the relationship once or twice every episode.
The Marnie/Charlie arc is an opposite twin of the Hannah/Adam arc, and some in the audience are left to wonder, Is there no "boy" out there who can fit the (Mythical?) Happy Medium?
(When Renee and I first started going out, one of the things she said she liked best about me was that underneath my sensitive, feminist, nice guy exterior I was "still just a dude." High praise, indeed. And I completely mean that.)
It was the first episode of Girls last night, so, sure, some of the writing seemed a little show-offy, and some of the pop culture references fell flat. (And speaking of which, why is it that no one seems able to drop facebook in to the conversation of a film or teevee show without embarrassing themselves? Or is it just me? The only time I have seen facebook successfully incorporated in to conversation is when Anna Chlumsky does it in In The Loop. But of course, those guys have a writer who's only job is to add pop culture references and swear words to the finished scripts. *sigh* More on the In The Loop/The Thick of It/Veep team in a minute.) But despite that, it is plain to see that Girls is going to be the teevee event of the Spring and Summer, and will be a fine addition to Blockbuster Sundays, alongside Mad Men and Game of Thrones.
It is especially nice to see that Whit Stillman's lovable, difficult cad, Chris Eigeman, now has credits in both Gilmore Girls and Girls. I have a really decent Gilmore Girls joke here but no one outside of a few people at the Food Hole Walnut Creek would get it, so, I am going to skip it.
************
Man, does Veep look awful, or what? My heart sinks and I cringe every time they show those crummy clips. I will be there, seven PM on Sunday, but I am really expecting the absolute worst. (At least Girls is on right after it!) And, I think I have figured out why Veep is going to stink. Peter Capaldi. The Thick of It and In The Loop are completely hung on Peter Capaldi's character, Malcolm Tucker. (And Malcolm Tucker is based on Tony Blair's infamous Press Secretary, Alastair Campbell.) It is not just a cultural barrier, moving from UK politics to US politics, it is the fact that without a US Malcolm Tucker equivalent the show will fail. Plus, you have Capaldi's talent to match, as well. Capaldi's performances in The Thick of It and In The Loop make for an absolute tour de force. Malcolm Tucker completely overshadows Capaldi's entire career. He will always be known as Malcolm Tucker now, full stop.
I would love to be pleasantly surprised on Sunday but I am doubting it.
************
Meanwhile, the Rangers are an American League wrecking crew with a four game series with the Tigers in Detroit this weekend. Fabulous stuff.
And my staycation is over. It is back to work tomorrow.
All my love,
Michael
The Marnie/Charlie arc is an opposite twin of the Hannah/Adam arc, and some in the audience are left to wonder, Is there no "boy" out there who can fit the (Mythical?) Happy Medium?
 |
| "Mom, give Jess a chance. He understands me." |
(When Renee and I first started going out, one of the things she said she liked best about me was that underneath my sensitive, feminist, nice guy exterior I was "still just a dude." High praise, indeed. And I completely mean that.)
It was the first episode of Girls last night, so, sure, some of the writing seemed a little show-offy, and some of the pop culture references fell flat. (And speaking of which, why is it that no one seems able to drop facebook in to the conversation of a film or teevee show without embarrassing themselves? Or is it just me? The only time I have seen facebook successfully incorporated in to conversation is when Anna Chlumsky does it in In The Loop. But of course, those guys have a writer who's only job is to add pop culture references and swear words to the finished scripts. *sigh* More on the In The Loop/The Thick of It/Veep team in a minute.) But despite that, it is plain to see that Girls is going to be the teevee event of the Spring and Summer, and will be a fine addition to Blockbuster Sundays, alongside Mad Men and Game of Thrones.
It is especially nice to see that Whit Stillman's lovable, difficult cad, Chris Eigeman, now has credits in both Gilmore Girls and Girls. I have a really decent Gilmore Girls joke here but no one outside of a few people at the Food Hole Walnut Creek would get it, so, I am going to skip it.
************
Man, does Veep look awful, or what? My heart sinks and I cringe every time they show those crummy clips. I will be there, seven PM on Sunday, but I am really expecting the absolute worst. (At least Girls is on right after it!) And, I think I have figured out why Veep is going to stink. Peter Capaldi. The Thick of It and In The Loop are completely hung on Peter Capaldi's character, Malcolm Tucker. (And Malcolm Tucker is based on Tony Blair's infamous Press Secretary, Alastair Campbell.) It is not just a cultural barrier, moving from UK politics to US politics, it is the fact that without a US Malcolm Tucker equivalent the show will fail. Plus, you have Capaldi's talent to match, as well. Capaldi's performances in The Thick of It and In The Loop make for an absolute tour de force. Malcolm Tucker completely overshadows Capaldi's entire career. He will always be known as Malcolm Tucker now, full stop.
I would love to be pleasantly surprised on Sunday but I am doubting it.
************
Meanwhile, the Rangers are an American League wrecking crew with a four game series with the Tigers in Detroit this weekend. Fabulous stuff.
And my staycation is over. It is back to work tomorrow.
All my love,
Michael
Mar 18, 2012
I am very excited
About the new upcoming HBO series, Veep. Renee is wary, not excited. I think she is worried about Julia Louis-Dreyfuss being the star, or, maybe she does not think that that swear-y The Thick of It/In the Loop style will translate well to American audiences. In the Loop was a considerable cult hit here in the US (it probably helped that James Gandolfini starred in it, too) but most Americans have no idea about The Thick of It. And I do not think The Thick of It would be a massive hit here if shown on Sundance or IFC or whatever. The Thick of It is probably too English for a regular (whatever that is) US teevee audience. Of course, I would dvr every episode and watch them over and over again, myself. And re Ms Dreyfuss: No, she is not one of my personal faves, but when she had excellent material in Seinfeld, she was very good. And, the writing team for Veep is the same folks who did The Thick of It and In the Loop, including the one writer whose job it is to add clever swearing and hip pop culture referenced insults. (Wow, what a job, right? Why can not I get paid to loll around the house and add snappy clever insults to great scripts?) I could be completely wrong. Maybe Veep will be a disaster. We will see.
************
I am less excited (but keeping an open mind) about the new upcoming HBO series, Girls. Girls is the baby of Tiny Furniture writer/director/star, Lena Dunham. And it looks to be, the film, Tiny Furniture, stretched out to series length. Tiny Furniture was not my cup of tea, for sure. But, my favorite part was Jemima Kirke's fabulous creation of her character, Charlotte. Charlotte is by far the best thing in the picture; a cynical, drug-addled, lazy, insanely sexy, spoiled rotten twenty-something City-girl going on forty-five, who affects a ludicrous sort-of English accent all the time for no reason at all, naturally. Love it! Give me more!
And, good news, Ms Kirke looks to be playing a character like Charlotte in Girls. (Just watched trailers for Veep and Girls, and it looks like Renee might be right. Veep looks empty and quiet. Girls looks fresh and fun.)
If Veep stinks, I will always have The Thick of It on YouTube.
Mwah, ...
************
I am less excited (but keeping an open mind) about the new upcoming HBO series, Girls. Girls is the baby of Tiny Furniture writer/director/star, Lena Dunham. And it looks to be, the film, Tiny Furniture, stretched out to series length. Tiny Furniture was not my cup of tea, for sure. But, my favorite part was Jemima Kirke's fabulous creation of her character, Charlotte. Charlotte is by far the best thing in the picture; a cynical, drug-addled, lazy, insanely sexy, spoiled rotten twenty-something City-girl going on forty-five, who affects a ludicrous sort-of English accent all the time for no reason at all, naturally. Love it! Give me more!
If Veep stinks, I will always have The Thick of It on YouTube.
Mwah, ...
Feb 8, 2012
Just Plain Honorable Mention, Period
This is my personal Honorable Mention list, and is not part of the final compiled Top Ten that will be published in this space on 2/29/12.
(In no particular order:)
1. This is Spinal Tap
2. In the Loop
3. Withnail and I
(Those first three are my Holy Trinity of Cult Films, I mos def know every single word backwards and forwards from those three amazing films.)
4. Slacker (depends on how you feel but I am either great fun to watch Slacker w/ or a terrible bore. I know every frickin' single person in it. Still the greatest representation of Austin ever.)
5. Dazed and Confused (maybe the finest French New Wave film ever made in the US. It is not just a genre picture.)
6. Me & Orson Welles (not really a cult film, I suppose, but I wanted to get some more Richard Linklater in here.)
7. School of Rock
8. An Education (not really a cult film, again, but part of my Nick Hornby selections.)
9. Fever Pitch (UK edition! About Arsenal! Not the one w/ Drew frickin Barrymore in it.)
10. High Fidelity
11. Dirty Pretty Things (you see, now I have slipped in to Stephen Frears' category.)
12. Dangerous Liaisons (I think this would be a great rep house cult movie. It is prob just me, though.)
12 1/2. The Snapper
13. Sexy Beast (this received a vote in someone's Top Ten! Matthew L's.)
14. Bottle Rocket
15. Rushmore (also made Matthew L's Top Ten!)
16. The Life Aquatic
17. The Royal Tennenbaums
18. The Big Lebowski
19. Serial Mom
20. Polyester
21. Female Trouble
22. A Hard Day's Night
23. Yellow Submarine
24. Shaun of the Dead
25. Hot Fuzz (also made Matthew L's Top Ten!)
26. Spaced (the two season fourteen episode English teevee show that Wright and Pegg did before Shaun of the Dead.)
27. Scott Pilgrim vs the World
28. Welcome to the Dollhouse
29. Storytelling
30. Happiness
31. Life During Wartime
32. Palindromes
33. Poison
34. Safe
35. Velvet Goldmine
36. Evil Dead 2
37. The Shining
38. Don't Look Now
39. Bad Timing
40. The Man who Fell to Earth
41. The 39 Steps
42. The Lady Vanishes
43. Young and Innocent (yeah, so I am being a little 'loose' w/ this cult definition! So sue me.)
44. Rebecca
45. Notorious
46. Strangers on a Train
47. North by Northwest
48. The Man who Knew too Much (the orig UK edition w/ Nova Pilbeam in it -- what a name, hunh?)
49. Rear Window
50. Under Capricorn
51. Rope
52. The Commitments
53. Angel Heart
54. Lolita (the Kubrick version, thank you very much!)
55. Dr Strangelove
56. 2001
57. The Maltese Falcon
58. The Big Sleep
59. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
60. The Third Man
61. The Magnificent Ambersons
62. The Lady from Shanghai
63. Passport to Pimlico
64. It Always Rains on Sunday
65. Pink String and Sealing Wax (they better mention Googie Withers in the Memoriam Tribute at the Oscars.)
66. Dead of Night
67. Whisky Galore!
68. Day For Night
69. Claire's Knee
70. Pauline at the Beach
71. Les Bonnes Femmes
72. Repulsion
73. Chinatown
And I am going to stop there. But I will be probably keep adding to this list, so if you are interested, just check back every now and then.
Mwah, ...
UPDATE! (2/9/12):
74. Darling
75. Cold Comfort Farm
76. Two for the Road
77. Bedazzled (orig Cook/Moore version w/ Eleanor Bron.)
78. Singing in the Rain
79. An American in Paris
80. Footlight Parade
81. Night Nurse
82. Baby Face
83. The Blue Angel
84. Bringing Up Baby
85. Shanghai Express
86. Twentieth Century
87. Shop Around the Corner
88. Design for Living
89. Ninotchka
90. To Be or Not to Be
91. The Merry Widow
92. The Thin Man
93. My Man Godfrey
94. Make Way for Tomorrow
95. Some Like it Hot
AH
(more soon, ... )
UPDATED! (2/11/12):
96. Tabloid
97. Man on Wire
98. Inside Job
99. The Thin Blue Line
100. The Most Dangerous Man in America
101. Roger and Me
102. Bowling for Columbine
103. Fahrenheit 9/11
104. Casino Jack
105. Harvard Beats Yale 29-29
106. The Fog of War
107. Standard Operating Procedure
108. Manufacturing Consent
109. Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
110. The Life and Times of Harvey Milk
111. We Were Here
111 1/2. The Corporation
112. The Deal
113. The Queen
114. The Damned United
115. Longford
116. The Special Relationship
117. The Wire (tv series)
118. Treme (tv series)
119. Generation Kill (tv miniseries)
119 1/2. Mildred Pierce (tv miniseries)
120. Lone Star
121. Matewan
122. City of Hope
123. Return of the Secaucus Seven
124. Brother from Another Planet
125. Sunshine State
126. Passion Fish
127. Swimming to Cambodia
128. Monster in a Box
129. Terrors of Pleasure
130. Stop Making Sense
131. Silence of the Lambs
132. Something Wild
133. Mildred Pierce (Curtiz/Crawford film)
134. Eight Men Out
135. Bull Durham
136. Damn Yankees
137. Moneyball
UPDATE! (2/15/12) :
138. The Art of the Steal
139. Theremin
140. Helvetica
141. Sideways
142. Election (It has been all downhill for Reese Witherspoon since Election)
143. Junebug
144. Little Miss Sunshine
145. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
146. Loves of a Blonde
147. California Dreamin'
148. Tales of the Golden Age
(In no particular order:)
1. This is Spinal Tap
2. In the Loop
3. Withnail and I
4. Slacker (depends on how you feel but I am either great fun to watch Slacker w/ or a terrible bore. I know every frickin' single person in it. Still the greatest representation of Austin ever.)
5. Dazed and Confused (maybe the finest French New Wave film ever made in the US. It is not just a genre picture.)
6. Me & Orson Welles (not really a cult film, I suppose, but I wanted to get some more Richard Linklater in here.)
7. School of Rock
8. An Education (not really a cult film, again, but part of my Nick Hornby selections.)
9. Fever Pitch (UK edition! About Arsenal! Not the one w/ Drew frickin Barrymore in it.)
10. High Fidelity
11. Dirty Pretty Things (you see, now I have slipped in to Stephen Frears' category.)
12. Dangerous Liaisons (I think this would be a great rep house cult movie. It is prob just me, though.)
12 1/2. The Snapper
13. Sexy Beast (this received a vote in someone's Top Ten! Matthew L's.)
14. Bottle Rocket
15. Rushmore (also made Matthew L's Top Ten!)
16. The Life Aquatic
17. The Royal Tennenbaums
18. The Big Lebowski
19. Serial Mom
20. Polyester
21. Female Trouble
22. A Hard Day's Night
23. Yellow Submarine
24. Shaun of the Dead
25. Hot Fuzz (also made Matthew L's Top Ten!)
26. Spaced (the two season fourteen episode English teevee show that Wright and Pegg did before Shaun of the Dead.)
27. Scott Pilgrim vs the World
28. Welcome to the Dollhouse
29. Storytelling
30. Happiness
31. Life During Wartime
32. Palindromes
33. Poison
34. Safe
35. Velvet Goldmine
36. Evil Dead 2
37. The Shining
38. Don't Look Now
39. Bad Timing
40. The Man who Fell to Earth
41. The 39 Steps
42. The Lady Vanishes
43. Young and Innocent (yeah, so I am being a little 'loose' w/ this cult definition! So sue me.)
44. Rebecca
45. Notorious
46. Strangers on a Train
47. North by Northwest
48. The Man who Knew too Much (the orig UK edition w/ Nova Pilbeam in it -- what a name, hunh?)
49. Rear Window
50. Under Capricorn
51. Rope
52. The Commitments
53. Angel Heart
54. Lolita (the Kubrick version, thank you very much!)
55. Dr Strangelove
56. 2001
57. The Maltese Falcon
58. The Big Sleep
59. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
60. The Third Man
61. The Magnificent Ambersons
62. The Lady from Shanghai
63. Passport to Pimlico
64. It Always Rains on Sunday
65. Pink String and Sealing Wax (they better mention Googie Withers in the Memoriam Tribute at the Oscars.)
66. Dead of Night
67. Whisky Galore!
68. Day For Night
69. Claire's Knee
70. Pauline at the Beach
71. Les Bonnes Femmes
72. Repulsion
73. Chinatown
And I am going to stop there. But I will be probably keep adding to this list, so if you are interested, just check back every now and then.
Mwah, ...
UPDATE! (2/9/12):
74. Darling
75. Cold Comfort Farm
76. Two for the Road
77. Bedazzled (orig Cook/Moore version w/ Eleanor Bron.)
78. Singing in the Rain
79. An American in Paris
80. Footlight Parade
81. Night Nurse
82. Baby Face
83. The Blue Angel
84. Bringing Up Baby
85. Shanghai Express
86. Twentieth Century
87. Shop Around the Corner
88. Design for Living
89. Ninotchka
90. To Be or Not to Be
91. The Merry Widow
92. The Thin Man
93. My Man Godfrey
94. Make Way for Tomorrow
95. Some Like it Hot
AH
(more soon, ... )
UPDATED! (2/11/12):
96. Tabloid
97. Man on Wire
98. Inside Job
99. The Thin Blue Line
100. The Most Dangerous Man in America
101. Roger and Me
102. Bowling for Columbine
103. Fahrenheit 9/11
104. Casino Jack
105. Harvard Beats Yale 29-29
106. The Fog of War
107. Standard Operating Procedure
108. Manufacturing Consent
109. Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
110. The Life and Times of Harvey Milk
111. We Were Here
111 1/2. The Corporation
112. The Deal
113. The Queen
114. The Damned United
115. Longford
116. The Special Relationship
117. The Wire (tv series)
118. Treme (tv series)
119. Generation Kill (tv miniseries)
119 1/2. Mildred Pierce (tv miniseries)
120. Lone Star
121. Matewan
122. City of Hope
123. Return of the Secaucus Seven
124. Brother from Another Planet
125. Sunshine State
126. Passion Fish
127. Swimming to Cambodia
128. Monster in a Box
129. Terrors of Pleasure
130. Stop Making Sense
131. Silence of the Lambs
132. Something Wild
133. Mildred Pierce (Curtiz/Crawford film)
134. Eight Men Out
135. Bull Durham
136. Damn Yankees
137. Moneyball
UPDATE! (2/15/12) :
138. The Art of the Steal
139. Theremin
140. Helvetica
141. Sideways
142. Election (It has been all downhill for Reese Witherspoon since Election)
143. Junebug
144. Little Miss Sunshine
145. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
146. Loves of a Blonde
147. California Dreamin'
148. Tales of the Golden Age
Jun 15, 2011
Woody Allen's
 |
| Ms Cotilliard enjoys some "down time" |
I do like Woody slipping in some GOP, Teabagger jokes early. And as the film unravels it gets even more delightful with each passing night of the story.
It was nice to see Alison Pill from Scott Pilgrim in this. And Mimi Kennedy, too. She was so great in In the Loop, "I'm not a monster, Liza."
Plus, Woody's opening Paris version of Manhattan is scrumptuous, as well.
Sep 29, 2010
Had to do it.
The Malcolm Tucker appearance is worth the price of admission alone. The David Brooks stuff is just gravy (but really good gravy, ... )
Aug 10, 2010
Liveblogging the Rangers/damn Yankees game & The Ghost Writer (UPDATE 1!)(UPDATE 2!)
Ugh, the Rangers are letting this game against the Yankees slip away from them, trailing 2-1 T6, & Oliver almost nailed Cano in the head.
Bought The Ghost Writer two days ago and they did something really cool. Though incredibly skimpy with the bonus features, they did a double sided disc that is blu-ray on one side and reg dvd on the other. So, Sweetie & I can take it to bed with us.
Once again, like A Single Man, this film is even better to me upon seeing it at home. I noticed that Polanski co-wrote the script (first name mentioned) with the author of the book it was based on. It is obv to me that this was a topic v close to Polanski's heart: torture, ill-advised military efforts, the massive influence of intelligence agencies on public governance, etc, ... And what he did was 'sugarcoat' this heavy political statement with a good deal of humor, and an 'old-master' style. The film reminds me of Hitchcock. It sort of has a McGuffin. We see way too much of the Memoir for it to be a true McGuffin.
But there are no bells & whistles, no lectures, no heavy-handed polemics. Just gripping, popcorn-munching drama, with good comic moments. It is a great film, I think, now.
Of course, this sugarcoating didn't do shit. Polanski's legal troubles in the States almost surely doom any film he releases Stateside these days. And any anti-Bush film (except those by Michael Moore) massively bomb.
(psst, the exception is the most brill In The Loop. The right cannot figure oot true satire, they are so clueless. They still believe The Colbert Report is a conservative program.)
Speaking of bombs, David Murphy continues his torrid pace, trying to keep Borbon on the bench, & hits a two-run homer. T7 Rangers 3-Yankees 2.
Back to The Ghost Writer: The public is fucking sick, leery, wary of political films right now. It is because of 9/1-1. This ain't the seventies, that is for goddamn sure.
UPDATE! A-Rod hits a home run. T7 Tied at 3, Yankees have a runner at 3rd, 1 oot. Cervelli at the plate, Rangers' infield in. 0-2 count. Francisco pitching. Angels tied, A's tied. 2-2 count now. 3-2. Cervelli is oot, little looper to first base, 2 down. Gardner at-bat. Foul ball. 1-1. Foul to the left. Grounder to Elvis. Rangers escape.
UPDATE 2! Murphy does it again. Hangs a loss on Rivera w/ a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th. (What is it aboot Rivera when the score is tied, he is just not the same pitcher?) David Murphy is en fuego, the sold-oot crowd in Arlington went nuts.
Video soon.
Bought The Ghost Writer two days ago and they did something really cool. Though incredibly skimpy with the bonus features, they did a double sided disc that is blu-ray on one side and reg dvd on the other. So, Sweetie & I can take it to bed with us.
Once again, like A Single Man, this film is even better to me upon seeing it at home. I noticed that Polanski co-wrote the script (first name mentioned) with the author of the book it was based on. It is obv to me that this was a topic v close to Polanski's heart: torture, ill-advised military efforts, the massive influence of intelligence agencies on public governance, etc, ... And what he did was 'sugarcoat' this heavy political statement with a good deal of humor, and an 'old-master' style. The film reminds me of Hitchcock. It sort of has a McGuffin. We see way too much of the Memoir for it to be a true McGuffin.
But there are no bells & whistles, no lectures, no heavy-handed polemics. Just gripping, popcorn-munching drama, with good comic moments. It is a great film, I think, now.
Of course, this sugarcoating didn't do shit. Polanski's legal troubles in the States almost surely doom any film he releases Stateside these days. And any anti-Bush film (except those by Michael Moore) massively bomb.
(psst, the exception is the most brill In The Loop. The right cannot figure oot true satire, they are so clueless. They still believe The Colbert Report is a conservative program.)
Speaking of bombs, David Murphy continues his torrid pace, trying to keep Borbon on the bench, & hits a two-run homer. T7 Rangers 3-Yankees 2.
Back to The Ghost Writer: The public is fucking sick, leery, wary of political films right now. It is because of 9/1-1. This ain't the seventies, that is for goddamn sure.
UPDATE! A-Rod hits a home run. T7 Tied at 3, Yankees have a runner at 3rd, 1 oot. Cervelli at the plate, Rangers' infield in. 0-2 count. Francisco pitching. Angels tied, A's tied. 2-2 count now. 3-2. Cervelli is oot, little looper to first base, 2 down. Gardner at-bat. Foul ball. 1-1. Foul to the left. Grounder to Elvis. Rangers escape.
UPDATE 2! Murphy does it again. Hangs a loss on Rivera w/ a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th. (What is it aboot Rivera when the score is tied, he is just not the same pitcher?) David Murphy is en fuego, the sold-oot crowd in Arlington went nuts.
Video soon.
May 23, 2010
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