By request. Sorry, Max.
I’ll be watching the game and Curb Your Enthusiasm, because a Cowboys loss and Larry David are about the only think that can salvage the suck that was the last 24 hours of football. Of my teams, everyone I like lost except for Georgia.
Zam
Today was definitely a shitty day for football. At least Wisconsin won yesterday.
r€nato
All my teams – AZ Cardinals and Arizona State won.
I’d like to talk trash about next week’s ASU-Georgia matchup, but I think it would be wise not to. ASU looks a lot better than they did last year but Dennis Erickson still hasn’t been able to pull off any upset wins against ranked teams.
asiangrrlMN
Boo hiss on teh Emmy thread. I’m taking a nap.
scarshapedstar
If by “shitty” you mean another 40-point game for the Saints, then yeah, it was a big ol’ shitpile!
JenJen
Agreed! The game and Curb Your Enthusiasm for me. And Mad Men later.
I was in the kitchen and couldn’t see the TV, but just the sound of Jerry Jones’ voice made me cringe. I can’t really put my finger on it, but that’s always been my reaction.
General Winfield Stuck
@asiangrrlMN:
Yup. Though tomorrow night there’s a two hour House season opener. tonight I’m going to attempt to watch most of the 4 hour long version on Netflix instant the Leone epic Once Upon a Time In America. have never watched it.
Betsy
No Emmys here. After the banana bread comes out of the oven, we’re going to watch Downfall. It better be good – it’s freakin’ two and a half hours long.
Max
Well, at least there wasn’t an Emmy’s red carpet arrivals open thread.
Punchy
BEARZ BITCHEZ!!
(Jake Reed needs the Heimlich maneuver at this point)
General Winfield Stuck
@Betsy:
If your talking about the German made Hitler flick, it is fabulous and chilling. Watched it a few weeks ago.
arguingwithsignposts
@Betsy:
Downfall is very good.
CPO Snarkey
J-E-T-S! JETS! JETS! JETS!
gwangung
Not worrying about Emmy telecast.
My group is participating in Seattle SketchFest this coming week (Tuesday, to be exact). FYI for Seattle BJers…
Comrade Darkness
Of my teams, everyone I like lost except for Georgia.
But the Pats lost; doesn’t that make up for everything?
Also, the BJ logo at the top is no longer clickable to the homepage. that was a nice feature, and kinda web standard.
Comrade Mary
So I’m the only one watching the Emmys, watching Kristin C.’s sweet, ugly and genuine tears? Plus there’s Neil Patrick Harris, bitches!
EDIT: so I get the edit button on Firefoz 3.5 but not 3? Hmmm ….
Kryptik
Look at it this way, John.
WVU could be a good football team.
If they could stop with the goddamn penalties. I stopped watching at half-time, knowing that they’d blow it after god knows how many plays were blown because of stupid penalties.
Corner Stone
@r€nato: Don’t know if you coined it or not – but props to you on “gigadouche” from one of the previous threads.
Super sweet call.
Comrade Mary
And there’s John Hodgman doing colour commentary. C’mon, people.
Corner Stone
@gwangung: I have to admit to you, I’m more than a little pissed I can’t attend this.
Sounds like a hell of a time.
Corner Stone
@Comrade Mary: Has he mentioned hobos yet?
Comrade Mary
Not yet, but he’s lying at the drop of a hat. I love him.
Laura W
Because no one on this blog every watches tv or talks about tv in front page posts or comments.
There’s obviously room enough on this blog for everyone’s favorite band/decade/sexual partner preference/mid-life crisis/band/pet/anti-depressant/book/author/songwriter/operating system/digital camera/nervous breakdown/marital break-up/sport/team/recipe/neti pot/nose hair trimmer/herb/adult beverage/beer/wine.
Seriously, people. Lighten up.
General Winfield Stuck
This is your daily dose of primo wingnuttlery from the value voters summit.
See, it’s simple, if you tell your young son that all pornography is homosexual then he won’t want to pound it to Playboy Centerfolds and you kill two devils with one stone. NO porno, no homo. And then grown up to be a bible thumpin winger and get your jollies while not hiking and in bathroom stalls with man diapers.
bubba
Yeah, thanks loads from the peanut gallery here we call Arkansas. Glad it was a bright spot for you.
Demo Woman
@Comrade Darkness: You click on consistently wrong since 2002
My picks are not doing so good for this emmy thing.
Laura W
@Comrade Mary:
I’m on 3.5.3 and have not seen the edit function since yesterday afternoon. I miss it. Godspeed, little edit function for Firefox.
Comrade Mary
I’m crying over Cryer, but not in a good way. His category was loaded with talent, and they all lost to him, despite each getting big applause.
I think the Ohio voting machines were rigged.
EDIT: Laura, I’m on 3.5.3 on Windows XP Pro. Maybe it’s a cache issue?
gwangung
@Corner Stone: It’s fun stuff, and you get to see some REALLY good people from across the country come into town and perform. (Lots of folks who’ve been with Second City and the Upright Citizens’ Brigade, and a few with the Groundlings and Acme).
Some of the folks we’re going to miss, because we’re doing our own show at the time (this week, we’re sharing the stage with burlesque folks), but the forums and after-show drinking is always fun…
r€nato
@General Winfield Stuck:
and then the first time he flogs the dolphin… he’ll think he’s gay.
Advantage, gay agenda!
Bad Horse's Filly
If you like to cook, I may need your help.
I’d like to try something new. I am starting a new series for my recipe blog. I’m calling it Men Who Cook. Started because when I began featuring guest recipes, they all turned out to be men.
I’d like to continue the trend with a little bit of narrative about how you came to cooking and why you like to cook. Please think about participating. It’ll be fun, promise. You can learn more and email me here:
And I voted for Bitsy today…did you?
JK
I’m a big fan of Mad Men, but my vote for best tv drama series, if I had one, would be The Shield. Their final season was fantastic and the series finale was the best single episode of a tv drama series I’ve ever seen. Rescue Me should have also been nominated for best tv drama series.
Michael Chiklis (The Shield) and Denis Leary (Rescue Me) should have received best actor nominations.
John Scurti (Rescue Me) and Daniel Sunjata (Rescue) should have received best supporting actor nominations.
Does anyone else hate 30 Rock? I’ve watched most episodes and I don’t understand the critical acclaim and fanatical following this show has received.
RedKitten
@Comrade Mary: I can’t get over how teeny-tiny Kristin Chenoweth is — no wonder she found her Emmy statuette to be heavy; the damn thing is bigger than she is!
Corner Stone
Has there ever been a battle more decisively won than Faith Hill vs. Shania Twain?
General Winfield Stuck
@r€nato:
They never think that far ahead. That’s why we call them wingnuts.
Demo Woman
@Laura W: The edit function was just a tease.
r€nato
@Corner Stone:
thanks. I didn’t mean to ‘trademark’ that by the way, I only wanted to put an “R” in parentheses when describing a GOP politician. I didn’t realize that turns into (R).
You are all free to use ‘gigadouche’ as you wish.
However, ‘teradouche’ and ‘petadouche’ will cost you 25 cents per usage.
Oh by the way my online photo prints store is now open, thanks to the inspiration JC and Laura W and the rest of you gave me earlier this summer.
South of I-10
@Laura W: The Emmy’a are clearly over the line! I guess I will have to watch them now.
Bad Horse's Filly
@Bad Horse’s Filly: Okay, link fail. You can learn more and email me here:
Men Who Cook
http://whats4dinnersolutions.wordpress.com/2009/09/18/men-who-cook/
Corner Stone
@JK: I have 30 Rock Q’d up on Netflix IW but haven’t got to it yet. It always seemed a little kitschie to me but I’m willing to try it out on streaming.
r€nato
@Bad Horse’s Filly:
you will have mail from me shortly.
You Don't Say
I love Georgia, but didn’t think anything could surpass the suckiness of the last four minutes of the WVU game until the last four minutes of the Steelers game today.
You Don't Say
@You Don’t Say: Oh, but who couldn’t love the Jets beating the Patriots!?
Bad Horse's Filly
@Comrade Mary: Mountain time. I’m on an hour delay here. I will watch, but only because of NPH.
Comrade Mary
@Bad Horse’s Filly: The force of your alias compells you! Plus, he’s one of the highlights.
JK
@Corner Stone:
On, September 19th, 2009 at 11:58 pm, you wrote the following to asiangrrlMN:
Does your dislike of these bands extend to the solo work of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Towshend?
Bad Horse's Filly
@r€nato: Yeah! I’m expecting big things from this group. There have been some great meals posted over this last year I’ve been reading.
freelancer
@JK:
Completely off your topic, but did you see this from Sully?
Thus Spake Zarathustra as performed by a public school orchestra.
I’m laughing so hard it brought tears to my eyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKH3iemEd-A
Comrade Mary
Whoa — I just saw that on MetaFilter. It’s actually the Portsmouth Sinfonia, not a school group.
Classical Muddly was a Top 40 UK hit. Bless ’em.
mellowjohn
da bearssssss.
sorry, jc, but your stillers are gonna win more games that our bears. ya gotta give us one.
smiley
You like Georgia? What have they won since Hershel Walker’s (1980) freshman year? Seriously. Is it their colors? Uga? WTF?
I must admit, however, that Athens is an awesome college town. Go there during college football season if you have the opportunity.
Corner Stone
@JK: Yes. I’ve tried, really I have. It’s just not me.
With the exception of Pete’s research into child porn I have to disavow pretty much all the work done by these bands and individuals.
gbear
@Laura W: LauraW, I tried to bring polka bands into the mix last night and it died instantly. This crowd is fickle.
But I also have to admit that I’m not watching TV tonight either. Sorry.
Max
So, in that stadium we have W, Rudy, Jerry Jones, The Giants and The Cowboys. Where are the terrorists when you need them?
Madden will have to take one for the country.
parksideq
@JK: I’ve been a fan of The Shield since the first episode. Possible one of the few shows of the past decade to start, continue, and end on a consistently high note. Awesome acting, awesomer writers.
Oh and the Giants are up 3-0. I hope they kick Romo and Co.’s collective asses in their shiny new coliseum.
EDIT: Boo, Cowboys are up 7-3. And edit function is back on Safari 4.0.3 (Mac edition).
r€nato
here’s an easy-as-pie recipe for y’all, since we are being a bunch of foodies here:
Drunken Cauliflower (Cavolo Ubriaco)
a cauliflower
extra virgin olive oil
couple or three decently-sized garlic cloves
1 cup or so of red or white wine (I vastly prefer red but either will work)
===========
wash the cauliflower and break into florets.
dice up the cloves of garlic.
pour enough olive oil in the pan to just coat it, plus a little extra. Don’t overdo it. You just need enough olive oil so it can coat the cauliflower.
Sautee the garlic until it is just barely golden.
Place the florets of cauliflower in the pan and push and flip them around until they are coated with a little olive oil.
Brown the cauliflower – let it sit 5 to 7 minutes or so in the hot garlic-flavored olive oil, then turn it so other sides can get cooked. Keep at it until the cauliflower is sort of brown – takes about 15 to 20 minutes if I recall correctly.
Once the cauliflower is browned, pour some wine into the pan and push and turn the cauliflower until it soaks up a good portion of the wine. Add some more, keep at it until the wine is more or less soaked up.
Serve and enjoy. I am indifferent to cauliflower under normal circumstances but it is truly delicious when cooked this way. Buon appetito!
Corner Stone
I love Gerard Butler.
That is all.
Svensker
@You Don’t Say:
Sweet, sweet, sweet.
ChrisB
@Kryptik: Turnovers did them in. Turnovers
freelancer
Man,
This site’s redesign is buggy.
Comrade Darkness
@r€nato: Interesting. I generally par-boil the califlower in a concentrated stock until it’s just getting tender, then wok at high heat until brown. I usually have too many other things going on the stove to give the vege such attention, but I’ll have to try it to see the results.
Tattoosydney
@Bad Horse’s Filly:
I’m in too – I’ve just sent you an email…
General Winfield Stuck
testing edit function FF
Bad Horse's Filly
@Comrade Mary: I should mention, since I just saw her in the opening, that my friend is the script supervisor on the Emmy’s. And the Oscars. And the Grammys. I never get any good gossip though. I suppose that’s why she still has a job, she keeps the secrets as well as the scripts.
Corner Stone
@Comrade Darkness: Personally, I like cauliflower oven roasted as well as steamed but my preference is raw.
Cut up a little cauliflower, broccoli and carrots. Toss them in a bowl with a mix of french/italian/habenero hot sauce.
Raw veggies with a little dressing and fresh cracked pepper is the abso shiz.
In fact, I’m pan sauteeing a couple flattened chicken breasts (crusted with my dry rub mix), fresh corn on the cob, and this raw veggie mix for dinner tonight.
madmommy
@Max:
Madden’s liable to whack W upside the head at some point. He tends to get a bit animated during football games.
Wonder what the SS detail will do then?
JK
@freelancer:
Many thanks for that brilliant clip.
FYI – Tomorrow on TCM
10:15pm On The Waterfront
12:15am Dr. Strangelove
2:00am 2001: A Space Odyssey
I’ve developed an intense love hate relationship regarding YouTube.
On the one hand, I love and cherish it for clips like this one and many other amazing things such as Joni Mitchell performing on tv, ancient performance clips of Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, Woody Allen guest hosting the Tonight Show, great film clips from favorite movies of mine, etc. This clip of Thus Spake Zarathusta clip is fun because I know I can find legitimate professional quality performances of it on YouTube.
On the other hand, I despise YouTube with an intense, burning passion for the infinite avalanche of cover versions of my favorite music. As you know, I’m a great music lover, particular rock music from the 1960’s and the 1970’s. When I type Chelsea Morning, And It Stoned Me, or Stolen Moments in the YouTube search box, the only hits I want to see on my search results page are the original studio recordings of these songs by Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and Oliver Nelson and any live performances of these songs by these artists. Instead, I’m now confronted with a dozen or more horrific, horrendous, putrid, noxious cover versions of these great songs by people lacking a quark of musical talent.
If YouTube COULD EVER resolve copyright and fair use issues with the music, tv, and film industries, thus allowing the posting of the original studio recordings of my favorite music and all the other original tv and film content I love, it WOULD TRULY BE the greatest invention since the wheel and sliced bread.
Corner Stone
Why are the Cowboys sucking oxygen? They’re like 500ft above sealevel. WTF?
gnomedad
From the sole entry to date in the Balloon Juice Dictionary:
Bowdlerization in Balloon Juice! I’m sooo disillusioned. You could at least said “frack”.
JK
@parksideq:
I think The Shield and Rescue Me are the Rodney Dangerfields of tv drama series. They’ve received virtually NO RESPECT from many critics, viewers, and voters for award shows.
r€nato
@gnomedad:
how did you find that?
And why is “peak wingnut” not already in there?
jl
The Raiduhs won? Heidi game style?
Oh well, whatever. I don’t really care, since the team organization and the fan base has become a little too, let us say, unusual, for me to be fan anymore. Suddenly realized that after I read they’d won. I’ll keep track I guess, and watch them play if fate brings them to me while I am in front of the TV screen. Or maybe not.
Niners looking good. I can still root for them. Even if it seem like they would rather be the San Jose-ers, assuming I am up to date on their real estate projects. Whatever.
r€nato
@gnomedad:
somebody fixed DFH…
srv
Bill Moyers had Sam Tanenhaus on, author of the Death of Conservatism
Quite good.
http://www.amazon.com/Death-Conservatism-Sam-Tanenhaus/dp/1400068843/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253496706&sr=8-1
JK
@Corner Stone:
What 4 or 5 bands or solo artists do you love?
arguingwithsignposts
@r€nato:
perhaps “Clown sh-oe-s” won’t make it because of the filter. But I’m looking forward to definitions for Burkean Bells, etc.
smiley
@JK:
I guess it’s just me, it’s a Stanley Kubrick film after all (bow to the master), but I’ve always found that film to be really boring. Great music, great visuals, waaay to long, and the plot, such as it is, is just not that interesting to me. Like I said, I guess it’s just me.
debit
Dr Horrible cameo on the Emmy’s. Awesome!
r€nato
@smiley:
you gotta remember, this was the late 60s, when every serious artist had to prove that they had dropped acid or at least smoked a lot of weed.
This trend was especially evident in certain films of that era…
Brachiator
If Charlie Sheen wins an Emmy for Two and a Half Men, and goes into a 9/11 conspiracy rant, will Kanye West jump up on stage and call him a “jackass?”
Bad Horse's Filly
@debit: When! Where? Mine is on an hour delay. Don’t want to miss it. Bad Horse would not be happy.
freelancer
@smiley:
That’s how I felt the first time, couple times really, but it seems like some of my favorite films, I was bored off my tit.
Blade Runner
The Insider
2001
Hated these movies after the first several times I watched ’em.
Mousebumples
@debit: Totally made my night. I, at first, figured it was just something NPH worked in (and it probably was), but I loved that they brought in Captain Hammer too for an extended moment. Win!
(Bad Horse’s Filly – it’s between 1:30 and 1:45 in)
SGEW
@smiley: It is, in fact, just you. 2001: A Space Odyssey is the greatest English language film of all time, and its detractors are either philistines and/or Michael Bay fans.
Heretic! Infidel! Apostate! Damn your eyes!
(Joking. Kind of.)
[N.B.: I’m also very fond of Ozu’s films, which every American seems to think are duller than tatami lint, so my sense of what’s “boring” in cinema should be taken with a grain of salt.]
[ETA: Hooray for the return of the edit function! Death to typos!]
debit
@Bad Horse’s Filly: In the middle of the awards for movies and mini series. If you have a DVR, may as well hit record.
gnomedad
@r€nato:
lolz, that didn’t take long!
General Winfield Stuck
@smiley:
I have to be in a certain frame of mind to watch the slow pacing of Kubricks 2001 SO. I think he made it that way in a kind of sterile slowness to evoke the watcher to think and contemplate the experience of possible origins of life, and not necessarily the one he was throwing out with the black obelisks. The first time I saw it, I was stoned silly and my only response was “wow man” “farm out”/ No viewing since has matched that.
Sort of the same style as the Original and Clooney remake of Solaris.
Bad Horse's Filly
@Mousebumples: @debit: Thanks for the heads-up, I’m only half watching it. I’m sure I’m missing all the good stuff from NPH and the PC guy.
SGEW
@General Winfield Stuck: Don’t get me started on the remake of Tarkovsky’s Solaris. Talk about heresy!
JK
@smiley:
It’s not just you. I love 2001: A Space Odyssey, but I’m well aware that many people hate it.
AMC used to air a great series called Movies That Shook The World. There’s an episode which discusses the making of 2001 and the initial critical and public reaction to it.
If my memory is correct, Andrew Sarris, who’s regarded as one of the best movie critics around, hated 2001 when it was first released.
Robertdsc-iphone
Michigan(my team) won. USC (parents’ team) lost. Pats lost.
It’s 90 degrees inside because some moron didn’t bother to set the AC to work this weekend when they knew there’s going to be people here that have to push the work out. Goddamned idiots.
Can we haz some Tunch, please?
Brian J
I don’t know what sort of new camera technology they are using to film “Curb,” but the show looks stunningly clear and beautiful. It’s different from the past, so it’s a little distracting, but the show itself is so ridiculously offensive and funny that it won’t matter for long. It’s similar to but better than “Seinfeld” was, I think, and I fail to see how anyone who liked that show doesn’t like “Curb.” If he’s willing to do it, any of the big four networks looking for a hit should just shower money on Larry David to come back and make a show. If it’s half as good as “Curb,” it could singlehandedly turn any network, even NBC, around.
I don’t have much interest in the Emmys, primarily because the show became tedious and while I like TV a lot, I don’t get to watch much of it. It figures that as soon as the show itself becomes good again, at least according to the live blogging, I stop watching. Oh well.
Mousebumples
@Bad Horse’s Filly: I’m sure all the good stuff will end up on Youtube after the fact. My favorite part so far is the Dr. Horrible shoutout – but NPH’s opening number was pretty sweet too.
smiley
@r€nato: @freelancer: @SGEW:
Ok, but what do you think of that film (In 25 words or less ^8>))?
@freelancer:
Um, I’m unfamiliar with that phrase, though I love tits. Please explain.
Brian J
The show is very good, at least to me, but it can be uneven. If I had to guess as to why it’s so popular, it’s probably because it has enough of an inside Hollywood sense of humor that even the mediocre episodes feel funny to those who actually vote for these awards.
debit
@Mousebumples: The presentation for best writing in a variety show had me howling, especially for the Daily Show. Clunker. Clunker. Clunker.
General Winfield Stuck
@SGEW:
It’s been quite a while since I’ve watched the original Solaris./ But remember thinking I’d never seen anything quite like it and somehow ended up liking it in a puzzled way. I need to watch it again, though I loved the remake, probably would feel the same about heresy after seeing the original again.
Tom
I posted to my facebook the comment “With a Steelers loss today, maybe a Cowboys loss can still save the football day.”
Then I see the topic on this post and see the same idea posted. It must be something with the Steeler fans that we enjoy rooting against the Cowboys.
Pitt won yesterday, unfortunately so did Penn State…..
smiley
I’m in moderation. Once I’m out, you’ll probaly see a new word to avoid.
Laura W
Ricky Gervaise makes my heart stop. I don’t plan it. I don’t want it to be that way. It just happens.
It’s an inexplicable, involuntary reaction.
He’s just yummy.
Dave C
Dr. Horrible hijacks the Emmys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4ys5sM3TLM
Mark S.
@General Winfield Stuck:
I imagine this is how sessions of Schwartz and his therapy go something like this.
Mousebumples
@debit: Absolutely! But so many of those were at least somewhat entertaining. (and John Hodgman’s commentary for when TDS just won the best variety show was great too … )
Mark S.
@Mark S.:
I guess there’s still no edit for us Mozilla users.
Brachiator
@smiley:
RE: 2001: A Space Odyssey
Plenty of people found the film to be boring or perplexing. Of course, most of these people have no taste. The critical reaction to this film, like that to Bonnie and Clyde, indicated that a cultural shift was taking place, and a generation of critics no longer had a clue.
I found the film to be tremendously entertaining. And the scene where the early human throws a bone into the sky and it gently descends as a space craft is one of the most exciting edits in the history of the cinema.
Third Eye Open
@Bad Horse’s Filly: Yeah, I’m in too. Sounds fun
General Winfield Stuck
@Mark S.:
LOL.
arguingwithsignposts
already up on youtube, NPH doing dr. Horrible.
General Winfield Stuck
@Mark S.:
nope, unfortunately. I check every few hours in hopes.
Third Eye Open
@Brachiator: No way you egg-headed intellecshual. The best part of that whole damn movie were the zero-G flight-attendants.
JK
Boy meets monolith, boy loses computer, monolith gets boy
h/t Roger Wilmot’s plot summary of 2001: A Space Oddysey
http://dml.cmnh.org/2009May/msg00200.html
Mousebumples
@Mark S.: I’m on Firefox with (I think?) the latest update. I run Windows XP Media Center. No idea why you don’t have an edit/request deletion button, though …
@arguingwithsignposts: Fabulous … I fully plan to watch on repeat once this is all over with.
General Winfield Stuck
@Mousebumples:
I’ve got Vista, which is likely why no function for FF. Like usual, when Vista gets good and goddamn ready to cooperate, it will. Like having a cat for an Operating System.
SGEW
@General Winfield Stuck: I have to admit that I didn’t see the remake, so I suppose I shouldn’t talk . . . but still! Why would anyone even want to remake a Tarkovsky film? Absurd. Go watch the original again – in fact, watch anything/everything made by Tarkovsky. Seriously.
/film nerd
[ETA: @JK: O lordy, that’s hilarious. Monolith gets boy!]
smiley
@Brachiator:
Fuck you. And I mean that in a bad way.
SGEW
Whoa nellie. De gustibus non est disputandum, everyone! Non est disputandum!
freelancer
@arguingwithsignposts:
That is awesome.
And I will like Soderbergh’s remake of Solaris if I damn well please. It is his least pretentious film.
EDIT: FF users, install IE tab and view the site through the IE engine, you will have edit!.
JK
@Brachiator:
I agree 1,000% with your assessment.
I’ve read that Kubrick had originally planned to open 2001 with clips of scientists speculating on the probability of finding intelligent life in the universe. I wish that footage could be included on a deluxe edition of the dvd release.
Bad Horse's Filly
Dr. Horrible, yeah!
JK
@SGEW:
That is, hands down, the best plot summary of 2001: A Space Odyssey that I have ever seen.
SGEW
@freelancer:
Soderbergh’s remake of Solaris was his least pretentious film? Less pretentious than, say, Out of Sight? Wow. Hell, I feel pretentious just talking about Tarkovsky, let alone trying to remake his most well known film.
But! Like I said – less dispute, more gusto, right? Who knows, maybe I should watch it sometime, never mind my particular attachment to the original version.
freelancer
Full Disclosure:
I own both version of Solaris, and think Tarkovsky was closer to the book, but Soderbergh’s was more entertaining, emotionally involving, and accessible.
Brachiator
@smiley:
RE: Plenty of people found the film to be boring or perplexing. Of course, most of these people have no taste.
Back at ya. More seriously, I have no big gripe with people’s preferences, and I thought from my full post, which talked about the general critical reaction to the film, that I wasn’t directing my remarks particularly to you.
Third Eye Open — No way you egg-headed intellecshual. The best part of that whole damn movie were the zero-G flight-attendants.
Hah! Them too.
Third Eye Open
@Brachiator: When it comes to Kubrick movies, my money is always on Full Metal Jacket. I seem to always come away from that movie with a little bit of calm. Its like spending all day riding the same roller-coaster. Sure, there are other rides, but you know this one is fun, and you know the perfect moment to spit so the guy in the last car gets a loogie in the face.
Mousebumples
30 Rock, it’s official. You suck.
(Seriously, tonight’s Emmy’s should be subtitled: 30 Rock Wins In Every Category For Which They Were Nominated … )
Santiago
Ryan Grim at HuffPo dishes out some stuff from Latimer’s new book:
Can’t look away.
JK
@Third Eye Open:
“Steers and Queers” – Lee Ermey’s tirade at the beginning of Full Metal Jacket is one of my favorite film scenes.
Santiago
blockquote fail waaaa
SGEW
@freelancer:
But I like slow-paced, emotionally distant, inaccessible cinema! Didn’t I mention my love of 2001? Or Ozu? Or, um, Tarkovsky?
My tastes are not for everyone, and I cheerfully admit it. And I have a lot of friends who won’t listen to my film recommendations anymore to prove it (I made someone watch Dr. Strangelove for the first time a few weeks ago – he was literally bored to tears).
JK
@Santiago:
Great revelations. Susan Collins can go straight to Hell.
Anne Laurie
@gnomedad: Frig you. From the person who posted that entry, of course.
SGEW
@gnomedad; @Anne Laurie:
So who’s going to post the entry on “Skull Fucking Kittens”?
(B-J is still #1 on google for that phrase, btw)
freelancer
@SGEW:
You have a moral obligation to slap this person.
That said, I’m right there with you. There are good things about both movies IMHO.
BTW has anyone seen Extract? I saw it today and laughed my fucking ass off. This movie will be quoted here as much as idiocracy in the future.
MikeJ
Thank you. My girlfriend still thinks “stately pacing” is a laugh line about movies I like.
Corner Stone
@JK: 4 or 5? Seriously?
We’re just not going to agree on this, and that’s cool.
I like pretty much everything but the bands you hold most dear, blues, jazz, and polka.
I like everything else that doesn’t suck.
Comrade Kevin
Is there some particular reason why this show is tape-delayed by 3 hours? I don’t care enough to be truly irritated, but it’s kinda weird.
Third Eye Open
@JK: I love the story about Ermey. He was originally meant to be the technical advisor and mentor for the actor who would play that role. As soon as Kubrick heard him read through the lines, on a video that Ermey made for him, he hired him on the spot. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Corner Stone
@Corner Stone:
For those who were somewhat semi-interested – this was the balls.
Pan sear the breasts 2 minutes per side then put in the oven for 6 – 8 minutes @ 400 degrees (depending on how hot your oven kicks it), then drizzle a little bit of Mongolian Fire Oil, or good EVOO as they cool.
Balls.
Corner Stone
@Third Eye Open: Never heard that but I love me some Ermey. Guess Fate stepped in as needed once again.
Dude’s just perfect as needed.
tess
Hey, hey, HEY–let’s not get too nasty about Georgia. Yes, they won, but did it w/o any semblance of pass defense, so it was incredibly ugly. Not sure what to make of ASU coming to town next week–I was really hoping for a season unlike last year where a gal could enjoy a lead for a change. SIGH.
And the Dawgs can be fun to watch. The second half of 2007 was amazing. What’s happened since, well…I dunno. Never was a fan of Stafford. He obviously was using Athens as a stopover to the NFL.
We have season tickets; our house is close enough to walk to the stadium, and there are few things as electric as when Clemson comes to town, or the 2002 Tech game, or the 2007 Auburn game. You really can feel whether the Dawgs are ready or not for the game–it’s in the air. Come to Athens one football Saturday, and you’ll see. :-)
(Yes, I’m biased; was taught to spell with the G-E-O-R-G-I-A cheer at age 2, so even if it’s irrational, it’s still there.)
So let’s be a little kinder about the Dawgs, okay?
Steeplejack
@SGEW:
Jeez, I cannot imagine anyone being bored to tears by Dr. Strangelove, unless they have the attention span of a gnat.
One thing I have noticed about some (usually younger) viewers: if they see B&W photography they shut down. It’s almost like an autonomic-system reaction. Just can’t deal with it. I asked one guy what the problem was, and he said, “It looks old-timey.” Like that’s a bad thing, I guess.
But I like slow-paced, emotionally distant, inaccessible cinema!
With you on that. And, gosh, could it possibly be that Tarkovsky was saying something between the lines about life in the Soviet Union? Nah, that’s crazy talk.
I thought Soderbergh’s remake of Solaris was okay, although I did wonder why he would choose to remake it.
(Will the edit button show up? Fingers crossed.)
Steeplejack
@Steeplejack:
No edit button. Flush the cache, Mr. Christian! (Opera 10.0 on Windows XP.)
parksideq
@JK: I completely understand how you feel. An ex-girlfriend of mine is a real film/tv buff, and amateur actor. And she *hated* The Shield. Possibly one of the most underrated shows of all time, though I’m sure history will vindicate it.
JK
@Corner Stone:
I think anyone with a pulse feels the same way.
Like a talented musician once observed, “Whatever Gets You Through The Night”.
Comrade Mary
Ah, well, Dr. Horrible rescued the Emmys for me. My hero!
Betsy
@arguingwithsignposts: @General Winfield Stuck:
Holy shit. Yes. Yes, it was. I probably shouldn’t have watched it on a weeknight, given that I will be seeing images from it in my head for many hours now. That was an amazingly well-done, blood-curdling movie.
parksideq
@JK: As for them not getting respect, I think that just comes from having to share the same network as Nip/Tuck (which I think is excellent but ended up overshadowing the greatness of Rescue Me and The Shield).
In football news, the score in Dallas is 30-24 Giants. Hopefully the G-Unit’s defense will kick in at this critical juncture.
Brachiator
@Third Eye Open:
But that’s just it about Kubrick and other good film makers. You don’t have to limit yourself to just one of their films. Full Metal Jacket is easily matched by the cold fury that infuses Paths of Glory.
And you know a director is doing something right when a film like Paths can provoke this kind of reaction (h/t Wiki):
I worship at the altar of Hitchcock, Kubrick, Truffaut.
Except for Eyes Wide Shut. Except for the Nicole Kidman nudity.
freelancer
Wow,
I love it when Bill Moyers editorializes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=347-uU8lzeQ
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO_7T2Vcnuk
Third Eye Open
No, no, I understand, I celebrate the man’s entire catalog. Eye’s Wide Shut, though, yeah, uhm…there were boobies, thats all I have to say about that.
I still chuckle at the scene where Joker and Rafter-man get their camera stolen by the guy on the back of the moped. That scene will live on in infamy.
no ten dollar, me love you too much!
Corner Stone
@tess:
Ok, I’ll be there 10-3 for LSU. Where should I tell the cabbie to drop me off?
Comrade Kevin
Ha, that was a good ad-lib by Justin Timberlake.
Third Eye Open
@Brachiator: PS. You totally made me put Paths of Glory on my netflix queue. Thanks for the pro tip
General Winfield Stuck
@Steeplejack:
Steeplejack
@Betsy:
Downfall is great. Bruno Ganz really makes it. For a lighter side of him, check out Gillian Armstrong’s The Last Days of Chez Nous (1992). An Australian domestic comedy-drama that shows up on IFC or Sundance every now and then.
Mike in NC
Best thing about the really crappy Emmy Awards: no tribute to dead Bob Novak or Irving Kristol. But good to see Brendan Gleeson was recognized for “Into the Storm”.
Brachiator
@Steeplejack:
This kind of attitude pops up time and again. I remember people saying that they couldn’t watch silent movies for much the same reason.
And there was a time when I knew people who had never seen a movie made before 1977, the year Star Wars was released.
On the other hand, I wanted to slap people, including movie buffs, who kept insisting that people shouldn’t watch Pirates of the Caribbean, but should have instead hunted down the 1928 Douglas Fairbanks movie, The Black Pirate.
JK
@Brachiator:
What about Orson Welles, Robert Altman, David Lean, Martin Scorcese, Woody Allen, John Cassavetes, John Sayles, Frank Capra, and Preston Sturgess?
SGEW
I admit that I haven’t seen Eyes Wide Shut. Couldn’t bring myself to do it.
As far as I’m concerned, that film killed him. Literally. He was trying to get a final cut, couldn’t make the film work, and just dropped dead from exhaustion and despair. (Purely apocryphal, of course. And with that, I’m full circle on B-J today, so g’night all.)
[ETA: Helpless! Must respond! Yes, Paths of Glory! Yes Lean, Cassavetes, and Sayles! You people are my kind of people . . . film wise, of course.]
gnomedad
@General Winfield Stuck:
It’s a movie, too?
Fulcanelli
@freelancer: “Man,
This site’s redesign is buggy.”
You have wayyyyyy too much time on your hands, amigo. Did you sell that vintage Rick yet?
Just Some Fuckhead
@Bad Horse’s Filly: I cook because I like to eat good food.
Ash Can
@gbear: Polka bands? Dang, I’m sorry I missed that. That’s some good party music. Ronnie Setniker, Don Peachey, the Hoolerie Dutchmen, Cousin Fuzzy, and the one and only Dr. John Check FTW!
@Santiago:
If he’s ever 82 years old and acting like that, people might actually start to like and respect him.
JK
@Steeplejack: @Brachiator:
I recently watched Grand Hotel (1932) and You Can’t Take It With You (1938) on Turner Classic Movies. They easily stand the test of time for me.
Mike in NC
It was vomit. Kubrick went out on a really bad note. “Paths of Glory” was his best work.
ChrisB
Can’t think of anything better right now than the Cowboys losing in front of Jerry Jones, whoever showed up from their Ring of Honor and George and Laura Bush.
Very satisfying.
gnomedad
Quelle surprise.
Fox News Producer Caught Rallying 9/12 Protest Crowd
Third Eye Open
My final thought for the evening: Would Kubrick have made A.I. better, or was there no redemption for that flick?
SenyorDave
On the other hand, I wanted to slap people, including movie buffs, who kept insisting that people shouldn’t watch Pirates of the Caribbean, but should have instead hunted down the 1928 Douglas Fairbanks movie, The Black Pirate.
Put me down for Captain Blood as the greatest pirate movie ever.
Seth 4:10
TUCK FEXAS!!!!!!
Comrade Kevin
And the award for the least-terrible Reality competition show goes to…
Anne Laurie
Naw, it’s pretty godsdamned boring (and I say that as someone who finds Rules of the Game enthralling). On the other hand, 2001 did give us the deathless line, “I’ve had a little trouble lately, but I’m all right now.” Using that as a mantra has, over the past 40 years, saved the lives of any number of computing-objects and half a dozen fellow committee members on various volunteer projects.
Also, while the original Solaris did not inspire me, and I never bothered watching the remake, the English translation of the novel and Lem’s Cyberiad actually made me wish I could learn Polish, just so I could enjoy them as they were made to be enjoyed.
Comrade Kevin
I think I’m in a time warp on this site.
General Winfield Stuck
Testing seamonkey edit
General Winfield Stuck
testing safari edit function
test a success. safari it is until FF edit function returns
Comrade Kevin
@General Winfield Stuck: @General Winfield Stuck: Edit? How, I have looked in both Firefox and Safari, and see nothing.
Okay, there’s the edit button in Safari.
Anne Laurie
@Third Eye Open:
There was, and is, no possibility of ‘redemption’ for that film in a universe that includes human beings as they actually function. Starting with the premise that a society run by primates of our species could successfully ban cheap, low-tech human reproduction as “uneconomic” while producing expensive, high-tech robots to occupy energy-intensive pleasure cities frequented by suburbanites living three to a 5,000-square-foot mansion requiring long commutes. And ending with the idea that the people selling humanoid robots would give them less “individuality” than the people currently selling collectible dolls, which are exhaustively target-marketed by ethnicity, hair color, eye color, and ‘name’.
Fulcanelli
@JK: I’ve got the audio of that righteous ass chewing from the opening of Full Metal Jacket on mp3. I had it on my PC at my last job and used to play it over the intercom whenever a bunch of my whiny ass subordinate co-workers would stumble in late to work in a group all hungover and fuzzy eyed…
Speaking of Kubrick, the protesting tea bagger knuckleheads remind me of the scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey where the proto-humans are flailing their arms, grunting and screaming at the mysterious black monolith. Both the monolith and Obama are black and emit a sound which drives both groups crazy. Is the eerily similar reaction from both groups a coincidence? I think not.
burnspbesq
I have to say that I have been pleasantly surprised at how good the Beatles remasters sound.
Oh, and yay “Mad Men.”
Double-yay for the edit button. Now if it would just show up in Firefox. Safari is … well, Safari is the girl you ask to the prom after the captain of the cheerleaders laughs in your face.
General Winfield Stuck
does anyone know of a good toolbar for windows safari, I hate the one it has?
JK
@Fulcanelli:
Love that story. That’s a great use of Lee Ermey’s tirade. I also love Alec Baldwin’s scene at the beginning of Glenngarry Glen Ros. These are my favorite scenes of people getting verbally humiliated.
I agree with you about the teabaggers and the apes in 2001: A Space Odyssey
asiangrrlMN
Good grief. More movies I haven’t seen and must see.
And, I actually took a nap. I wasn’t being figurative. I am fucking tired. I don’t watch any television (well, almost none), so no point in me watching the Emmys, and I didn’t want to watch a football game in which I wanted both teams to lose. My sleep has been super-shitty for a couple of months (instead of merely really bad), and it’s hit me all of a sudden.
As for A.I., if it had ended where I’m sure Kubrick had intended for it to end, it would have been much better.
I like “slow-paced” films as well. One of my favorite movies is so slow-paced, it’s glacial.
P.S. I have the edit function, and I use Google Chrome.
Dayv
Who is this Emmy, and why does she get her own open thread?
General Winfield Stuck
testing chrome edit
thanks asiangrrl, I had safari for 10 minutes and already hated it with a passion.
asiangrrlMN
@General Winfield Stuck: No prob. I love Chrome with a passion that borders on vaguely-creepy. It has one or two bugs, but otherwise, it’s great.
By the way, who won tonight’s game?
JK
@asiangrrlMN:
I think Humphrey Bogart had the best observation about the fool’s errand of selecting a best actor when the roles are so different from each other. He said that all the best actor nominees should perform the same scene from Hamlet and that voters should use that exercise to decide who would receive the Oscar.
General Winfield Stuck
By the way, who won tonight’s game?
Which game?
asiangrrlMN
@JK: Heh. Yeah, I like it.
@General Winfield Stuck: Oh, that wasn’t directed at you, specifically. The ‘boys/Giants game. I could just look it up, I guess.
Damn. I should have watched the last minute of the game. I would have loved to see the sour look on all the Dallas fans as the Giants won in the last seconds.
Common Sense
Probably too far down for anyone to see this, but this woman is hypnotic to watch for me. Something to do with the constant creation and destruction, I can’t really put my finger on it. Incredibly moving.
Why is it other countries produce the likes of Sand Painting and Susan Boyle, but we’re stuck with Carrie Underwood?
James K Polk, Esq.
@asiangrrlMN: Watching Jerry Jones lose is pure bliss.
There is no greater Kubrick film than Dr. Strangelove. I do love most of his films (haven’t been able to bear watching Eyes Wide Shut though).
asiangrrlMN
@Common Sense: Oh my god. That is amazing. Thank you for posting it. In answer to your question: We suck. Seriously, it’s because we (our society) goes for bland mediocrity over true talent.
Oh, and I love the music, too, especially the cello in the beginning.
@James K Polk, Esq.: Argh. So many people recommended Dr. Strangelove. Must see this film!
JK
@James K Polk, Esq.:
I’ve never understood all the hostility towards Eyes Wide Shut. I enjoyed the film very much. I can’t pick a favorite Kubrick film. There are too many great ones from which to choose just one.
JK
@asiangrrlMN:
Add Lolita, Paths of Glory, and The Killing to your list of Kubrick films to see.
gwangung
Been getting my actors ready for Seattle SketchFest (um, they can get confused sooooo easily, though). Then tried to bull through a writers’ block in a scene in the longer form play I’m writing. In between peeks at the Cowboys game.
Hope I was productive….
asiangrrlMN
@Common Sense: Plus, can you imagine an American audience sitting still long enough to watch that? Can you imagine an American station letting her do that for so long? I can’t.
Fucking amazing. Love the cello music. So appropriate. Thanks again.
gwangung, that is so fucking cool. I am envious.
JK, eek! More movies to watch. Le sigh.
slag
First, this thread would give the promoters of National Punctuation Day some form of apoplexy.
Second, next week also offers Banned Books Week. Intriguing map of banned books here.
Third, Dr. Horrible is…Buffering…right. Teevee? Is that the thing that plugs into the DVD player?
Fourth, Dr. Strangelove is hilarious geniosity.
Fifth, I’m with @asiangrrlMN. Nap time.
JK
@asiangrrlMN:
The late great indie bookstore Gotham Book Mart used to sell buttons that read “So Many Books So Little Time”. Unfortunately, the same holds true for music and movies.
gwangung
@asiangrrlMN: Hm, yes, but you obviously have better taste in movies than I do…(although, it’s taken me damn near forever to get to this point artistically and financially to be doing this)(though, come to think about it, mainstream stage or screen wouldn’t even dream of producing the scripts I’m doing).
Brachiator
@JK:
RE: I worship at the altar of Hitchcock, Kubrick, Truffaut.
There is an alcove for Bergman, Fellini, Kurosawa, Renoir, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Preston Sturges. These directors, along with the first three I mentioned, essentially formed the core that taught me how to watch and love movies.
And Billy Wilder. Bow down before Billy Wilder.
Welles, Altman, Capra and Lean are up there. I get a kick out of seeing how Scorsese is getting a second wind working with Leonardo DiCaprio. Cassavetes is up there, but I never much cared for John Sayles, but understand how others admire him. Woody Allen should have retired after he made The Mighty Aphrodite.
All great stuff. But I would also add My Man Godfrey (1936), Holiday (1938), and the ineffable comedic magnificience of Lubitsch’s Trouble in Paradise (1932).
asiangrrlMN
@gwangung: I do? I highly doubt that. However, performing is my true love, and I really want to jump back into it. You’re doing that–or at least you are doing theatre. That, I envy.
Comrade Kevin
Enjoy yourselves, eastern time zone. Don’t mind us.
JK
@Brachiator:
I like your alcove and your altar. I’m concerned that so many twentysomethings and thirtysomethings seem to have any interest in films made before 1960. I have a great love for the widely celebrated period from the late 1960’s thru the mid 1970’s. But I stll love many films from the 1930’s, 1940’s , and 1950’s.
I was struck by a previous commenter who noted that many people are turned off by black and white films.
I’m in my mid 40’s and sometimes worry about what I perceive as cultural amnesia among a wide swath of the twentysomethings and thirtysomethings. I’m gratfeul for Turner Classic Movies. I wish there could be a cable channel that showed silent movies 24/7. I’d also welcome a foreign language film channel.
I hated Mighty Aphrodite, but I think overall Woody Allen has had a very impressive batting average.
Brachiator
@JK:
Video and DVDs have simultaneously made more movies available and also made them harder to find. People tend to watch what is most current and what is most popular.
When my family moved to Southern California, there were a number of classic films shown regularly on TV. There were also two great theaters that showed Japanese film, and a number of revival houses. At college, there were two competing film societies which showed classic film. Note here that there was an earlier generation of college kids who had rediscovered Bogart and Monroe, and the people who ran the film society when I went to college were continuing a tradition that had been handed to them.
After college, back in LA, there were a number of local film festivals. Later there was the mighty Z Channel on cable, which dug deep into classic film. And there was the County Museum of Art and the Directors Guild which regularly showed a range of film.
I agree that there is a sad cultural amnesia among many younger movie goers. But fortunately, the films are out there, waiting to be re-discovered.
daryljfontaine
@asiangrrlMN:
At the point in which he freezes forever in the ice? Would’ve made a nice, bleak ending, and improved my opinion of the film considerably.
I collect films that would’ve been better if they ended earlier, like Wolf with Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer, or Schwarzenegger’s The Last Action Hero, which is a great blockbuster action movie parody til the last twenty minutes or so.
D
asiangrrlMN
@daryljfontaine: You got it. When I saw that moment, I was begging and pleading (internally, of course) for the film to end. I just KNOW that’s where Kubrick would have ended it. Stupid, schmaltzy Spielberg.
One of my fave Alan Rickman films should have been cut off without the last scene. Then again, he’s naked in the last scene (well, the penultimate scene), which is a bonus for me. The last scene is my fave, but it really should not be in the movie, Dark Harbor.
Luthe
As a member of the 20-something delegation, I’ll have you know not all of us fall asleep at the thought of black-and-white movies. *loves The Seventh Seal*
Luthe
Also, I’m running Windows XP with Firefox 3.0 and I see no edit button nor preview button. Alas.
freelancer
@JK:
I’m 27, and given the discussions we’ve had regarding pop-culture taste I would say there is not much to worry about on that score. Trouble is, I see myself kind of as an outlier. My friends, intelligent and appreciative of humor, to a person, tend to be turned off by B&W as well as fast talking high trousers dialogue (movies from the 40s and 30s as a general rule).
However, there is a wide appreciation, even within my generation for Kurosawa and movies like Fritz Lang’s M.
Don’t lose heart.
Origuy
Eid Mubarak!
asiangrrlMN
@JK: Ok. I wasn’t gonna get into it, but since I can’t sleep, I’ll throw my two-cents in. I am 38, and I’ll tell you why I don’t watch older movies in general. It’s the same reason I don’t read classic literature very much any more or listen to the Beatles, the Who, and the Stones. I’ve been blogging about it for the past few days, and I will probably do a few more posts in the next week.
When I watch a movie or read a book or watch television, I would like to see people who look like me. I want to be able to relate with the characters to a certain extent. I don’t want to have to cringe when I see Asian people speaking pidgin English or being cast as ‘the other’, if they are there at all.
It has nothing to do with medium. I dig black and white movies. It’s just that before, say, the eighties, there was a serious paucity in the portrayal of American life of anyone other than white people (in a serious way. Not just stereotypes). No matter how good the films are, they are not universal.
It’s the same reason I don’t read the classics any more. There is so much left unsaid and so much casual acceptance of things I find intolerable now. No matter how good the literature, it just doesn’t touch me.
I’m not saying that a work of art has to be exactly like me or that it has to completely reflect what I feel, think, believe, but after a lifetime of solely ingesting mainstream American culture, it’s not what I choose to do with my time. I don’t like movies in general, so if I’m going to watch one, it’s not going to be about America pre-1960s.
Am I missing out on a bunch of classics? Sure. You know what? I’m fine with that.
Zuzu's Petals
@Anne Laurie:
I found myself saying “I feel much better now, Dave” to an elevator key panel…and turning around to see the blank stares of the twentysomethings sharing the space with me.
Ah well. It was hilarious to me.
JK
@asiangrrlMN:
One reason it’s enjoyable having a dialogue with you is that you always express yourself with such passion and enthusiasm. No matter what differences I may have with you over music or film, your passion and enthusiasm is a welcome breath of fresh air.
I’m white, but I certainly understand your desire to read books or watch movies involving characters who share your ethnic background.
When I have watched old movies, where the only African American characters are servants or train porters, I have experienced varying degrees of discomfort or disgust.
The first time I saw Breakfast at Tiffany’s I was unaware of the Asian character portrayed by Mickey Rooney. When I saw that portrayal I can’t describe the level of anger I felt. It was a truly disgusting portrayal and I was outraged that the filmmakers and the studio showed such breathtaking callousness and insensitivity.
Fortunately, not every film from the 1930’s, 1940’s or 1950’s contains outrageous and demeaning portrayals such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
I think any movie or novel, even if it doesn’t have a character who looks like you, can still be satisfying if it deals with universal themes such as how to overcome an obstacle against seemingly insurmountable odds or the long term consequences of making a bad decision early in life.
My favorite novel is Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Even though the main character is African American, I feel a deep kinship towards him because I strongly identify with the alienation he experiences and I can relate to the way he is misunderstood and misled in his interactions with other characters.
After reading over your comments, I realize I was probably too emotional when I wrote my earlier statement. I should have expressed myself with greater clarity and precision. The bottom line for me is that no generation has a monopoly on great music, movies, literature, painting, etc. The notion of a “golden age” of cinema, music, etc strikes me as very silly. Every decade is a golden age. Every decade has produced masterpieces that people will be discussing, debating, and analyzing long after we’re dead. My only wish for the twentysomethings and thirtysomethings is that they try to be more open-minded when it comes to movies, music, etc. I think it’s good to be receptive to movies or music that was produced in the distant past. I don’t think it should be an either/or proposition. It’s great to enjoy the music and movies of today. I just think you can enrich your life by exploring movies, music, and literature from past generations.
Here are some movie recommendations for you from 1960’s – 2000’s – Sammy and Rosie Get Laid, The Buddha of Suburbia, The Spanish Prisoner, The Daytrippers, Safe, Primer, Henry Fool, Husbands, Mikey and Nicky, Next Stop Greenwich Village, Limbo, SlameNation, Sherman’s March, Seconds, Naked, Gosford Park, I Shot Andy Warhol, Slaughterhouse Five, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, Bob Roberts, Melvin and Howard, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Hard Eight, The Andromeda Strain, Limbo, and Mother Night.
If you’ve read this far, many thanks for your time and patience.
harlana pepper
We have a linkie button now, woohoo!
harlana pepper
Tony Blair is on Morning Ho — (mute)
harlana pepper
To JK, yay for TCM. I like to watch it when I need to “check out” which, these days, is quite often. I really enjoy the pre-code films. Also, I’ve learned a lot, like in the documentary about how women predominated movie writing, direction and production in cinema’s early days, before men took over. And also that there is a nice cache of films produced and starring African Americans during the silent era also. Had no clue. Quite illuminating.
2th&nayle
@JK: JK, as someone who is closer to 60 than 50, I fully understand your concerns regarding the ’20 & 30 somethings’, seeming apathy with regards to ‘things that went before’. I suspect that this is fairly common, and certainly not exclusive to any generation; past or present. Seems to me that an interest or curiosity with the past, in whatever context, comes at different stages for different people, and will either happen or it won’t. I wouldn’t worry over much about it.
As to the impact that reading Ralph Ellison had on you; I experienced much the same emotion at the young age of 15, when I read “Native Son” by Richard Wright. A somewhat unusual selection for a young, white kid, raised in the rural South, but highly influential nonetheless.
Jay in Oregon
@asiangrrlMN:
Morning all.
Still here, still hoping and praying.
Still hurting and confused.
SGEW
@asiangrrlMN: Maybe you should try some Japanese cinema? Kurosawa (Rashomon, Ran, Ikiru, Dreams, Seven Samurai), Ozu (Tokyo Story, Early Summer, Late Spring), and Mizoguchi (Ugetsu, The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums) are considered the “masters” of 20th century Japanese filmmaking, and their films are not to be missed.
If nothing else, see Rashomon, just because almost every filmmaker has seen it at some point, and many of them have ripped it off.
slightly_peeved
What – like in Eyes wide shut?
The best explanation I’ve heard of that film is that the entire thing’s actually an analysis of Tom and Nicole’s marriage. That would certainly explain Tom going around the orgy and not doing anything.
Chinn Romney
Jets fans, show us your TEATS! I’m not a big fan of double D’s, but I’m in the minority CPO, so go for it!
JK
@SGEW:
To your list of Japanese films, I will add The Woman in the Dunes by Hiroshi Teshigahara and After Life by Hirokazu Koreeda.
J.
Giants and Jets RULE! And how ’bout those Bears? ; P
asiangrrlMN
@JK: I’m glad you weren’t pissed off by my screed. I wanted to delete it, but I was too late in coming back to it. I am certainly not against all old movies, books, television shows, etc. It’s just to me, there is so much missing there. Of the movies you’ve listed, I’ve seen a few. I didn’t like Gosford Park, much to my intense disappointment. And, despite the appearance of Alan Rickman in Bob Roberts, I hated that movie because it was too painfully real.
@SGEW: Yes. I have to see some Kurosawa. Damn it. More movies I have to see.
In general, I really don’t like movies–which is part of the problem. I much rather read or write than watch a movie.
@Jay in Oregon: I am glad you are still here and still posting. The hurt is not going to go away in one day. Another trite-but-true: You have to feel it in order to move past it. Part of depression is stuffing down all the painful, hurtful, angry (and yes, expect anger to surface at some point) emotions that you think are either ‘bad’ or that scare you. I’m sending strong positive vibes your way. Keep posting.
bedtimeforbonzo
“There is an alcove for Bergman, Fellini, Kurosawa, Renoir, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Preston Sturges.”
Kurosawa is so great that you could understand, enjoy and be moved by his films without the subtitles.
I’d add John Ford to the list of all-time best directors.
And seeing how can watch his masterpiece, The French Connection, every time I catch it flipping channels — which has been a lot lately on Cinemax — I’d like to put a plug in for John Frankenheimer.
bedtimeforbonzo
“There is an alcove for Bergman, Fellini, Kurosawa, Renoir, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Preston Sturges.”
Kurosawa is so great that you could understand, enjoy and be moved by his films without the subtitles.
I’d add John Ford to the list of all-time best directors.
And seeing how can watch his masterpiece, The French Connection, every time I catch it flipping channels — which has been a lot lately on Cinemax — I’d like to put a plug in for John Frankenheimer.
Steeplejack
@bedtimeforbonzo:
Er, The French Connection was directed by William Friedkin. Surely you don’t mean The French Connection II, which was directed by Frankenheimer.
Jay in Oregon
@asiangrrlMN:
I’m not going anywhere. I love her too much to give up on us.
I’m pretty much at peace right now after a very good conversation with some friends. Hopefully, giving her some breathing room this weekend will help things out for the rest of the week.
And if all goes well, I should have the results of the fertility testing within a week or two.
They’re all baby steps.
Jay in Oregon
@Jay in Oregon:
I called the lab. They can have the basic answers for me today, with a followup test in a day or two (motility, I’m guessing).
Now I’m getting nervous. This has been an unanswered question for the past five years and will have an impact on where we go from here.
Brachiator
@bedtimeforbonzo:
John Ford and Howard Hawks are both great. Hawks is probably more versatile. But goddam, Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is some kind of wonderful.
Uh, that’s William Friedkin, and a great film. But Friedkin somehow got lost along the way. His 1995 Jade, with screenplay by the uber-talentless Joe Eszterhas, is about as unpleasant a time as one can have in the movies.
bedtimeforbonzo — Kurosawa is so great that you could understand, enjoy and be moved by his films without the subtitles.
There is something to this. The best directors tell stories through visuals (as opposed to just putting pretty pictures on the screen). And Hitchcock, who started in the silent cinema, often includes a wordless sequence in his films, understanding that dialog can sometimes get in the way of the story.
Nick the Australian
@asiangrrlMN: Okay, let’s get this straight: Stanley Kubrick always intended for A.I. to end with the 2000-years-later thing with the super-advanced robots finding David. It was there from the beginning. Here’s Spielberg explaining it, from the documentary “Spielberg on Spielberg”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz7sPiOoU7A