My Wife's declaration last night?

After sitting through The Newsroom? "Why are we even watching this, anymore?"

I know the word irony is way overused, and oftentimes, used incorrectly, but it is certainly ironic to me that Sorkin has created a show about a fictional cable news network that I am now strictly watching solely to be infuriated at, swear at the teevee, and throw napkins at the screen.  Which are the precise reasons I watch Fox News!

My Wife is completely right.  Any sane person, especially after last night's "Rudy" debacle of an episode, would drive right past this wreck.  But I just can not help myself, craning my head back, to soak up the damage.  

Do not be like me.  I can not recommend The Newsroom anymore.  Keep moving, there really is nothing to see here.

Alison Pill, get out while you can! Go star in all of Woody Allen's new films.  Insist Sorkin kill you off, devoured by a fax machine whilst trying to cover the debt Super Committee negotiations.  

And, Sorkin, I told you to leave Hope Davis out of this! 

(But no one listens to the crazy old dirty Okie Commie who watches television just to be mad at it.)  

Watch Hope Davis (as Hillary Clinton, a woman Michael Truly Loves) in The Special Relationship, instead.  And The Daytrippers.  And watch Alison Pill in To Rome with Love, Milk, Midnight in Paris, and Scott Pilgrim vs The World.  And watch Jeff Daniels in Something Wild.  

A few weeks

Ago I received my Criterion BluRay Something Wild.

Something Wild is such a truly fantastic motion picture that lives up to its' equally fantastic title.  I almost do not know where to begin.

It is sexy as all get out, funny, scary, posits a healthy and refreshingly diverse world/community (much like John Waters' later films- Waters, along with John Sayles have great cameos in the film), has a freaking great soundtrack, including the Feelies as the High School Reunion band (The Willies), and works marvelously well as a popcorn munching movie entertainment.

Jeff Daniels' performance is the real revelation here but there are great performances throughout, notably Ray Liotta (in his first film.)  Sadly, Ms Griffith has never come anywhere near close to this performance since.

Many people probably grumble about the last act of the film, the violence, the complete tone and style change.  I seem to remember thinking as much when I left the theater back in Austim, where I saw it w/ my buddy, Kevin Parker.

But I see now that that last act is absolutely essential to the success of the film.  Yes, it is a comedy, but the stakes have to be raised.  Jeff Daniels has to see the perils of actually doing "something wild", that you do not just get the Scotch and crazy hotel sex and Lulu for free.

That is the whole point of this great film.  How many of us live safe, predictable, dare I say, boring lives strictly due to the fear of actually walking out on that ledge or limb?

I think it is Demme's finest film, better even than The Silence of the Lambs.  An absolute must-see.

What is my favorite moment? The young girl outside the church asking Jeff Daniels, "Mister, you alright?" and then her sweet arm gesture after he reassures her he's okay.

(My least favorite? The slow motion on Liotta getting his smokes, pretty corny and unnecessary.)