Patton (1970)

This film depicts the life of American General George S. Patton during World War II. It is not a typical WWII movie in that Patton is not a typical hero. He is selfish, agressive, inconsiderate, and very raw, but he is still honorable. While it is supported by an incredible depictioon of the war as well as great supporting actors, it is the character of Patton that makes this film incredible. George C. Scott delivers an incredible performance as one of the most interesting characters I have ever seen on film. It's incredible that this man who slapped a soldier suffering from battle fatigue, who designed his own uniforms and carried ivory handled pistols, who urged that we fight the Russians immediately following our defeat of the Germans, and who believed that he was great warriors in past lives, was a real human being. It is said that George C. Scott's portrayal is very accurate. It is a testiment to Scott's ability to see such a character to be portrayed so accurately, believably, and sympathetically.

One of the best war movies I've ever seen as well as one of the best biographical movies I've ever seen. A near perfect movie, worthy of all its awards.

Rating: 10 stars out of 10.

Television History: Jack Paar's Bathroom Humor

Jack Paar was the host of The Tonight Show from 1957-1961. He was known and loved for his great conversation skills and tendency to let his emotions show, even on camera. On February 10, 1960, he told a joke that had come from a friend's daughter's junior high teacher. The joke went like this:

"An English lady, while visiting Switzerland, was looking for a room, and she asked the schoolmaster if he could recommend any to her. He took her to see several rooms, and when everything was settled, the lady returned to her home to make the final preparations to move.

"When she arrived home, the thought suddenl occured to her that she had not seen a W.C. That's a water closet to the British. We would call it a bathrrom or a ladies' room, men's room. I guess a bathroom.

"So she immediately wrote a note to the schoolmaster asking him if there was a W.C. around. The schoolmaster was a very poor student of English, so he asked the parish priest if he could help in the matter. Together they tried to discover the meaning of the letters W.C. and the only solution they could find for the letters was 'Wayside Chapel.' The schoolmaster then wrote to the English lady the following note:

Dear Madam:

I take great pleasure in informing you that the W.C. is situated nine miles from the house you occupy, in the center of a beautiful grove of pine trees surrounded by lovely grounds. It is capable of holding 229 people and it is open on Sunday and Thursday only. As there are a great number of people and they are expected during the summer months, I would suggest that you come early: although there is plenty of standing room as a rule.

You will no doubt be glad to hear that a good number of people bring their lunch and make a day of it. While others who can afford to go by car arrive just in time. I would especially recommend that your ladyship go on Thursday when there is a musical accompaniment.

It may interest you to know that my daughter was married in the W.C. and it was there that she met her husband. I can remember the rush there was for seats. There were ten people to a seat ordinarily occupied by one. It was wonderful to see the expression on their faces.

The newest attraction is a bell donated by a wealthy resident of the district. It rings every time a person enters. A bazaar is to be held to provide plush seats for all the people, since they feel it is a long felt need. My wife is rather delicate, so she can't attend regularly.

I shall be delighted to reserve the best seat for you if you wish, where you will be seen by all. For the children, there is a special time and place so that they will not disturb the elders. Hoping to have been of service to you, I remain,

Sincerely,
The Schoolmaster. "

According to the people at NBC, this joke, while fit for a junior high class, was not decent enough to air on television, so they cut it out of the show. This offended Jack Paar deeply and he walked off of the show the next day saying "There must be a better way to make a living than this."

After a public apology by the chairman of NBC, Jack returned to the show.

My Back Pages

Bob Dylan, Roger McGuinn, Neil Young, George Harrison, Tom Petty

The Call

I'm watching the video that I'm about to post, courtesy of youtube fiend and music historian Gary Engle when the phone rings.

ME: Hello.

GUY: Is Coy there?

ME: No, he's not.

GUY: Is Mrs. May there?

ME: She is not.

GUY: Oh . . . Well, how's the weather in Baltimore?

ME (unenthusiastically): It's okay.

GUY: It's okay? . . . Well, I'm in Colorado and it's just a few degrees here.

ME: Okay.

GUY: But I'm originally from Baltimore.

ME (unenthusiastically): Cool.

GUY: Well, have a super duper day.

ME: Okay...

GUY: Bye.

click.

Mulholland Dr. (2001)

Mulholland Dr. is a surreal exploration of Hollywood, Love, and Murder. With a plot so weird that it's not really possible to succinctly explain it, this movie is certainly open to interpretation. It's important to maintain an open mind and to not be totally thrown off by what director David Lynch throws at you. It's easy to let yourself get confused, or you can just accept what you are seeing and use your mind to try to interpret it. If you do, you will find a surreal depiction of a desperate actress's fantasy life. That's all it is. That and a bunch of trippy things like dirty mystics, crazy old people, and magic blue boxes. Fantasy=dream=trippy=David Lynch.

Interesting, different, and original, but maybe a little hard to take in. The film analogy of modern art.

Rating: 8 stars out of 10.

Johnny Cash Impersonates Elvis

Best Dilbert of All Time

Recommended Reads- War

Joseph Heller

• Catch-22

Tim Obrien

• The Things They Carried
• Going After Cacciato

Erich Maria Remarque

• All Quiet on the Western Front

Ernest Hemingway

• A Farewell To Arms

• For Whom the Bell Tolls

Kurt Vonnegut

• Slaughterhouse-Five

Dirty Jobs Music Video

Personal Update

I have cut my hair.

I apologize to all who, like Mary Wynne Eisenberg, "liked it better the other way."

The Byrds Turn! Turn! Turn! (1965)

Written by Pete Seeger in the 1950's, the Byrds' version of "Turn! Turn! Turn!" was a number one hit in 1965. While the song is a plea for world peace rather than a worship of God, it's interesting to note that the lyrics mainly come from the bible, specifically Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

Get Fuzzy

The King of Comedy (1983)

Scorsese and Deniro . . . it has to be good. That's what I figured when i rented this movie, having seen 9 other Scorsese movies, 5 of which starred Deniro.

I was right.

Now, people that know me are going to say that I'm saying that because I am obsessed with both Deniro and Scorsese, but really, The King of Comedy is quite good. Anna watched it with me and she liked it. Hasothere. Justification.

Now let me tell you why. The King of Comedy is unlike any movie I've ever seen. It certainly contains aspects of a Scorsese film- struggles with self esteem and ego by a masculine figure, crime, and dark humor- but its subject matter and plot development are very different.

The King of Comedy deals with "celebrity." Jerry Lewis plays legendary talk show comedian Jerry Langford, the celebrity. Sandra Bullock plays crazy female kidnapper Masha, who wants to be with the celebrity. And Deniro plays Rupert Pupkin, an absurd untalented and desperate aspiring comedian, who wants to be the celebrity. These three characters basically show how absurd America's obsession with celebrities is. It's so absurd, yet completely possible, making this film pretty scary when you think about it. Scorsese wondered "is Rupert Pupkin more violent than Travis Bickel? He may be."

*****************************
Spoiler warning....seriously don't read this unless you've seen all the major scorsese movies.

Many of Scorsese's movies have a tragic ending, with a major downfall of the main character at the end. Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull goes from being a successful boxer to a fat, cheesy, family-less lounge comedian who gets arrested for serving alcohol to minors. Mean Streets ends with Charlie being violently gun downed in his car, his fate left unknown. Billy, much to my dismay, takes a bullet through the brain in The Departed. There are other examples, but i don't want to ruin too many movies for stupid people who ignored the spoiler warning.

Anyway, The King of Comedy is not personally tragic. Rupert gets arrested for kidnapping Jerry, but his actions made him a major celebrity. He gets everything he wanted. He is loved by America. Rupert's success is a further criticism of America's obsession with celebrities. The tragedy is that America would like this sicko, because he isnt even funny.

End spoilers.
*****************************


The King of Comedy is original, hilarious, and scary all at the same time. I'd say it is probably Scorsese's most overlooked work and would recommend it to anyone who likes Scorsese's style for what it really is- not just gangs and violence, but startling character studies and interesting depictions of America.

Rating: 9 stars out of 10.

The Far Side

"It's time we face reality, my friends. ... We're not exactly rocket scientists."

Recommended Reads- Science Fiction

Arthur C. Clarke

• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Childhood's End
• Rendezvous With Rama

John Wyndham

• The Day of The Triffids

Simon Clark

• The Night of the Triffids
• Blood Crazy

Kurt Vonnegut

• Slaughterhouse-Five

Orson Scott Card

Ender Quartet:

• Ender's Game
• Speaker for the Dead
• Xenocide
• Children of the Mind

Shadow Series:

• Ender's Shadow
• Shadow of the Hegemon
• Shadow Puppets
• Shadow of the Giant

Robert Heinlein

• Tunnel in the Sky

William R. Forstchend

Lost Regiment Series:

• Rally Cry
• Union Forever
• Terrible Swift Sword

The Brothers Grimm (2005)

This movie came on at 3 am on one of the movie channels I get with DirecTV. When I jokingly asked Gary if I should watch it, he said:

"I saw that at Blockbuster tonight. I didn;t pick up the box."

My sentiments exactly. I know its wrong to make assumptions, to assume that the critics are right, and that the lack of success at the box office is indicative of a lack of quality in a movie, but seriously . . . The Brothers Grimm?

Matt Damon, I respect you. You are one of the most important actors of today. The Departed, The Good Shepherd, and The Talented Mr. Ripley are three great movies, thanks to your great performances, but seriously . . . The Brothers Grimm?

Heath Ledger, you've yet to earn my respect. Yeah, you're a hunk and yeah, the artsy people loved Brokeback, but you haven't impressed me. I haven't given up hope on you though. I am thinking you're going to do a great job as the Joker in the next batman movie. I think it's cos your mouth is kind of big. But seriously . . . A Knight's Tale?

I didn't watch this movie, so i'm not going to rate it. My guesstimation: 3-6 stars out of 10.

Platoon (1986)

A Vietnam war drama starring Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, and directed by Oliver Stone, Platoon is certainly worthy of its oscar recognition. I am constantly in search of a good war movie, and i was more than satisfied by this one. Its depiction of the Vietnam war is horrifying without disregarding realism. Its illustration of the effect that this war had on the men fighting it is profound. To the soldier, the vietnam war is not a war against the Gooks. It is a fight for survival, both mentally and physically. WWII movies seem to say: "war sucks, but sometimes it's worth it." Vietnam war movies seem to say: "war sucks, but the Vietnam war sucked even harder."

The sucess of a movie is greatly dependent on the acting. In action movies though (and this is an action movie), sometimes the acting is deemed to be less important than special effects or shocking images. In Platoon, the acting is phenomenal. Charlie Sheen (who's father starred in my other favorite Vietnam movie, Apocalypse Now) is perfect for his role as Chris Taylor, a young rich kid who volunteers for the army in an attempt to be sort of an unsung hero of America by breaking down the stereotype that only poor kids go to war. Sheen does a good job of losing his innocence and wrestling with the evils of war. The duality of man is represented by two sergeants protrayed by Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger. Willem is morally sound, and well-loved by the rest of the platoon, while Berenger is strong and fierce, willing to do anything for the "machine" that is fighting the war. Both Dafoe and Berenger perfectly represent their roles. Their foil even subtly extends to their physical stature. Their contrast though, may i emphasize, is realistic and believable.

Other notable performances include Keith David as King, the man who realizes that the only thing he can do is survive, day by day. John C. McGinley (a favorite of mine due to his role as Dr. Cox on Scrubs) plays Sergeant O'Neil, an outwardly tough man's man who ends up revealing a more fear-driven desire to go home. A single look on McGinley's face when he thinks he is going to be relieved of duty but instead is put in charge of the platoon, that look made his performance. It was also interesting to see Johnny Depp in a normal minor role.

Platoon is supposed to be based off of the real life experiences of Oliver Stone, who both wrote and directed the movie. I think this is why the movie is so real and believable. And the believability is what makes even more horrible. The Vietnam war really was an evil thing, and the effect that it had on these men is incredible. Seeing this movie makes me thankful that I myself did not have to go through such an experience.

More believable and realistic than Apocalypse Now, but not quite as good.

Rating: 9 stars out of 10.

Mission Statement

The purpose of this blog is to offer reviews and reactions to movies, music, television, books, and comics, as well as personal philosophy that no one wants to hear. But it's my blog, so I'm going to be like all other bloggers and assume that everyone wants to know what I think.