Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Bark louder, little dog.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

A Senator Walker would be an insult to the state and the nation.

Second rate reporter says what?

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

You cannot shame the shameless.

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

The words do not have to be perfect.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

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Late Night Open Thread

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Doing the usual Saturday night routine- scrolling through Netflix looking for something to watch. I know I ask you all the time for movies, and many times you let me down. Oldboy the other night from commenter Gussie was a rare exception.

Last night, my brother recommended District 13, and man did that hit a sweet spot. That, folks, is EXACTLY what I want from a movie at midnight.

Although I am now watching Raising Arizona for the 87th time.

Reader Interactions

78Comments

  1. 1.

    PsiFighter37

    If you have a Netflix itch tomorrow, watch Arrested Development. Don’t ask us for advice.

    Also, too, did any Emerald City peeps come back, or am I punting until July?

  3. 3.

    Keith

    I’m telling you, “Dark City” on a late Saturday night will blow your mind.

    Or if you want comedy, I think “MacGruber” is highly underrated (hint: it is FILTHY). “Black Dynamite” is pretty awesome as well, and I think “21 Jump Street” is one of the best mainstream comedies to come out in a while.

  4. 4.

    Helen

    Have you seen “This boy’s life?” Dunno why I thought of it but it’s Leo DeCaprio as a very young man and Ellen Barkin as his mom. Also? Robert DeNiro. The last scene is the best last scene ever in a movie.

  6. 6.

    Punchy

    Watched my Blackhawks smoke the Red Wangs. And tomorrow is the zoo with wife and spawn. Life is gouda.

  11. 11.

    Atrios

    If you like Oldboy you might like Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. Same director. Also, too, Mrs. A’s cousin is in it.

  14. 14.

    Omnes Omnibus

    I know I ask you all the time for movies, and many times you let me down.

    We are hoping that you eventually learn your lesson and stop asking.

  15. 15.

    zmullls

    My Dad is in A SERIOUS MAN….he’s the Hebrew School Teacher in the first scene of the film (post-credit sequence).

  17. 17.

    Mike E

    I just finished Searching For Sugar Man. Slow at first, a bit clichéd with the source material until…the pay off. Not gonna spoil it for those who are thinking of seeing it. Terrific.

    “I love to drive.”

  19. 19.

    Yatsuno

    @PsiFighter37: I’m thinking July is gonna be a better time. But at least that way we can plan things better like times and locations and rides and stuff. It might still be worth your while to go to Pike Brewery tomorrow anyway, that place is fantastic.

    And since you’re in the Four Seasons, you MUST get Fran’s before you leave. The raspberry truffles are to die for.

  20. 20.

    goblue72

    Jar City – its an Icelandic crime thriller. Transsiberian, a European thriller set on a train with Ben Kingsley and Woody Harrelson is also a great midnight movie. Also enthusiastically recommend a History of Violence with Viggo “Don’t Call Me Aragorn” Mortensen.

  22. 22.

    Steeplejack

    @Mike E:

    Great movie. Wasn’t that one producer the worst? “Money? I’m not sure they even used money as we know it back then.” Talk about a face crying out for a fist in it.

  23. 23.

    Mike E

    @Steeplejack: His daughters are beautiful. The S African angle is truly revelatory. It’s docus like this that really make me happy. The shitty producer had no chance at ruining the joy of it.

  25. 25.

    Brother Machine Gun of Desirable Mindfulness (fka AWS)

    Weird I am watching Oldboy at the moment.

  26. 26.

    Porco Rosso

    Have you watched Todd and the Book of Pure Evil? It’s Satanic and Canadian, or is that redundant.

  27. 27.

    eemom

    eedad and eedaughter and I just watched Warm Bodies. It’s a new subgenre, the romzomcom.

  28. 28.

    Keith

    @Mike E: I bought both of Rodriguez’ albums after just seeing the 60 Minutes segment on the movie. Well, I bought “Cold Fact” because of it and then bought the other one after loving CF. Terrific albums, although Cold Fact is a bit overproduced, IMO.

  29. 29.

    Frank

    Just popping in to say that Gene Burns passed away today. Long time talk show host at KGO in San Francisco, and previously in Boston. He had an amazing voice and command of the English language. I didn’t always agree with him, in fact he would get me screaming at my radio, but he was always fun and enlightening. He really was what talk radio should be.

  30. 30.

    piratedan

    I can offer a second kudos to Jar City

    If you’re into Indi films these might do

    Assassination of a High School President
    Brick

    If you’re into crime capers

    snatch, heist, or the bank job

    TV shows

    Torchwood, MI-5 and Combat! or even The Lone Gunmen

    Science Fiction

    another vote for Dark City or Galaxy Quest

    old stuff

    The Outer Limits and surprisingly the old shows of Kojak still work. and yes Charley Varrick is still great.

  32. 32.

    Doug Woodard

    “Top of the Lake”. Seven part movie, really, called a series, but it is all over after the seventh “episode.” It’s a great mystery, well-acted, head-scratcher.

  34. 34.

    srv

    We don’t let you down, you don’t listen. Oldboy was rec’d on every previous netlix thread, and you didn’t go.

  35. 35.

    ? Martin

    Say that reminds me, how’d you get that kid so darn fast? Me and Dot went in to adopt on account a’ somethin’ went wrong with my semen, and they said we had to wait five years for a healthy white baby. I said, “Healthy white baby? Five years? What else you got?” Said they got two Koreans and a negra born with his heart on the outside. It’s a crazy world.

  36. 36.

    FlyingToaster

    The first two seasons of The Glades. If we ever get out of this town, I’m going to get a Netflix streaming sub myself just to catch series that I never have time to watch on Tivo.

    (Load dishes, go to sleep now.)

  37. 37.

    Mike G

    Take This Waltz
    The Widow of St Pierre
    Ruby Sparks
    Age of Consent
    Safety Not Guaranteed
    Stander
    Departures

  38. 38.

    Steeplejack

    @Mike E:

    I saw it in the theater and went in knowing nothing about it. (Went with a friend who was psyched to see it.) It was a revelation. I bought both of Rodriguez’s albums and like them a lot.

  40. 40.

    Magical Thing

    If you dig horror, I would suggest “The Woman” If you’ve never seen ” Dead Man” now’s the time. Both are available for streaming on Netflix.

  41. 41.

    Steeplejack

    @piratedan:

    [. . .] surprisingly the old shows of Kojak still work [. . .].

    Thank you for this. I have been accidentally watching Kojak lately, because it’s on a third-tier retro-TV channel (MeTV) after Perry Mason goes off, and I have been surprised at how not dated it is, compared with other shows from the early ’70s, even the sainted Rockford Files.

    There is still a lot of cheese, and of course it’s cool to see the guest stars on their way up (or down, or sideways). James Woods was on an episode last week, looking about 14 years old—but still pure evil, because even then he was James Woods.

    I wish this channel would get hold of Harry-O, the David Janssen series from around the same time. I’d love to see if that holds up.

    I have been religiously watching Perry Mason because MeTV is running ( in chronological order) the weird episodes from the last season, which for some reason rarely get shown.

  42. 42.

    cbear

    Just watched Art of the Steal today. Fascinating documentary:

    A gripping tale of intrigue and mystery in the art world, this film traces the history of the Barnes collection of Post-Impressionist paintings, which was worth billions and became the subject of a power struggle after the 1951 death of the owner. Dr. Albert Barnes collected 181 Renoirs, 69 Cézannes, 59 Matisses, 46 Picassos and many other valuable paintings. But the political wrangling over the collection eventually led to its division.

  43. 43.

    Anton Sirius

    OK, if you like Oldboy and District 9, I would recommend all of the following:

    As previously mentioned above, Rare Exports is batshit crazy in the best way. The other two movies in Park’s Vengeance Trilogy, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance (the first one) and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (third one) aren’t quite as good but are still solid.

    There’s actually a lot of awesome stuff coming out of South Korea these days. I Saw the Devil is excellent as well, and a lot of Kim Ki-duk’s earlier films, while maybe a little artier, are just jaw-droppingly fantastic. 3-Iron is my personal fave and is heart-breaking, but Bad Guy is one of the darkest films I’m ever seen, Address Unknown made me want to burn my passport in shame, and The Isle is just all kinds of messed up.

    Beyond those, Nic Refn’s Pusher trilogy is also amazing, like a Danish Tarantino or Scorsese spreading his wings for the first time. The first one is the grittiest and the best. Don’t bother with the recent English remake though.

    I will also mention one more movie, although I can’t call it a recommendation exactly. The French film Martyrs is the single most harrowing thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. It starts out seeming like a fairly conventional modern horror film and then veers off and teaches you what true horror actually is. It’s one of the few films I’ve seen that I actively tell certain people NOT to watch it if I don’t think they can handle it.

  44. 44.

    Studly Pantload, the emotionally unavailable unicorn

    Speaking of stylized action thrillers, I recently saw Skyfall, my first Bond pic since when Moonraker came out, making it only the second of the franchise I’ve seen. My curiosity was piqued when I found myself really getting into Thomas Newman’s kick-ass soundtrack. It was actually a quite well-done popcorn muncher. Javier Bardem’s entrance, walking toward the camera while talking about his grandmother’s island’s rat infestation, is an instant classic in the annals of silver screen bad guys. I may gave to check out Casino Royale.

    The only other spy stuff (non-satire) I’ve ever liked is the series Burn Notice. Yeah, the formula for its episodes is writ so large you can see it from space, but it’s still a fun romp. (Haven’t seen the most recent season, though, because busy, that’s why.)

    Also, add me to the list of people who’ll be testing Netflix’s servers to the max when new Arrested Development eps are out at midnight. Did not have the pleasure of supporting the show while it was being aired, my Mrs. Pantload and I have seen all 53 eps twice on NF. Goddam funniest show ever.

    (Reposting this as my first attempt went to moderation purgatory, and damned if I can see why.)

  46. 46.

    hitchhiker

    Just watched Brokeback Mountain again.

    Fucking sad flick — probably changed the trajectory of acceptance, but man, the waste & wreckage it exposes is so painful.

    Plus, Heath Ledger. Damn.

  47. 47.

    piratedan

    @goblue72: great suggestion! I’d completely forgotten how good Farscape was when Firefly came out. That’s one thing the Syfy channel is great at, killing good science fiction shows just prior to awesome syndication deals.. Yeah, that means Warehouse 13 has been axed, just like Eureka and Farscape before it.

  48. 48.

    goblue72

    @piratedan: Buck Rogers re-imagined as John Chrichton. Space Amazon Aeryn Sun. Yoda as a Pimp Played by Snoop Lion (Rygel). World’s Best Sidekick – Chewbacca who speaks English (D’Argo).

    Makes for one goofy & entertaining midnight bubblegum. Preferrably slighty buzzed.

  50. 50.

    Specialed5000

    I’m not quite sure what genre to put it in, but if you haven’t already seen Drive with Ryan gosling then but it on your list :)

  54. 54.

    Eric k

    Another good French action flick, Point Blank

    Some good foreign TV shows: Wallander, Swedish and British versions. Spiral is a French cop series. The Eagle is a Danish cop show. Anna Bengsten crime reporter is a Swedish mystery series.

    And if you haven’t seen Luther with Idris Elba drop everything for the next 10 hours.

  55. 55.

    RobertDSC-iMac G5

    @hitchhiker:

    Some of my co-workers loathe that movie.I could have done without the sex scene. Otherwise, I liked it.

    In that vein (gay and sad), Colin Firth did rather well in A Single Man. I originally got it for my beloved Julianne Moore, but he surprised me with how good his performance is.

  56. 56.

    RobertDSC-iMac G5

    As for my evening, I’m listening to game soundtracks on this Mac while doing Photoshop work on the Power Mac. I can’t put into words how exciting it is for me to be able to do so with two G5 machines. So happy. /Mac nerd

  58. 58.

    Older_Wiser

    Well, I’m an old lady who loves quirky British comedy (like Doc Martin, have seen the series twice) and bloody English mysteries, so I’m probably no help.

  59. 59.

    Studly Pantload, the emotionally unavailable unicorn

    Just saw the first two eps of the resurrected Arrested Development. If anything, the series is now crueler to the characters than ever. But it’s still damn hilarious.

    Funniest. Comedy series. Evah.

  60. 60.

    Elias

    Amelie is good but light. Or Pan’s Labyrinth if you haven’t seen that.

    Really, really looking forward to GoT tomorrow.

  61. 61.

    Bob h

    “Hoosiers”, about a small town Indiana basketball that won their State championship, was on THIRTEEN last nite, and it was awfully good. Gene Hackman at his usual best.

  62. 62.

    Another Halocene Human

    @goblue72: Farscape put the danger and derring-do back into space opera. Voyager was so … anti-septic. And Earthling dominated, if you know what I mean.

  63. 63.

    RSA

    I know I ask you all the time for movies, and many times you let me down.

    Ahem. I’ll quote myself, from 2006:

    My life is fulfilled by watching crappy movies. (Though I do like the good movies mentioned, at least the ones I’ve seen. John Woo fans should like the Infernal Affairs movies.) Crappy horror and sci-fi movies I have recently seen and liked: Altered, The Descent, Slither, District B13, Equlibrium, and The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. (None of these are worthless, and the last is actually a nice parody.)

  64. 64.

    gene108

    The Raid: Redemption is an Indonesian action movie. Good suspense as the hero tries to get out alive and awesome martial arts scenes, without the stylized high-wire stuff that’s become popular since The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Just straight up great fight scenes.

  68. 68.

    rikyrah

    oh my….

    I didn’t know…

    THE BOONDOCKS IS ON NETFLIX!!!!

    YES YES YES YES YES YES

    Going off to have some laughs today

  69. 69.

    Eric U.

    there is another district 13 movie. I have a fondness for really bad movies, so I liked it. Typical French plot twists that only make sense if you recognize that the film had to end at some point.

  70. 70.

    Blake Himsl Hunter

    Rare Exports was mentioned and is good. I would recommend “Dead Snow” or “Troll Hunter”. “Troll Hunter” is one of my favorite movies of the last ten years.

  73. 73.

    Wayne t

    @lojasmo:

    2nd The Intouchables. Went to a Q&A with lead guy- funny funny guy. Supposedly doing an English remake with Colin Firth and I think him. He moved to WeHo in order to learn English.

  75. 75.

    Susan S

    One more..Have you ever seen Tales of Manhattan? Done in 1942, do watch without reading who is in it..I watched it one day on TV..it was described as having Henry Fonda in it..well, that’s not all. Truly a fun movie to watch.

  76. 76.

    NJSteven

    Want funny? Try British flick from a few years back called In The Loop…Oscar nom for screenplay as i recall…maybe the funniest most profane thing ive ever seen…political comedy from people behind Veep on HBO

  78. 78.

    Matt

    Loved District 13. Another good midnight movie I enjoyed was “Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.” Bet you’d like it.

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