According to Reuter’s Kevin Murphy and an opinion poll conducted to check this out, the word “Whatever” is considered by Americans to be the most annoying word out there:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/19/usa-annoying-idUSL2N0JY1BX20131219
Just thought you’d like to know.
(And I was so temped to end this with “Whatever“)
My family really likes the show…they consider it quite hilarious. Apparently, so do other members of my extended family.
Myself? Never watched it…until -coincidentally enough- over the past weekend when I was “treated” to two Christmas themed episodes (I was a captive audience).
The fact that I put the word treated in quotes -and noted I was a captive audience- should clue you in to my ultimate feelings about what I saw. I won’t deny there was some humor to be had in a couple of scenes, but for two hours of watching, I found the whole thing to be a chore. Later, I was told these episodes were pretty mediocre compared to some of the better episodes of the show, but when -really if– I ever find the time to see them, I’ll judge for myself. Just don’t count on it.
Anyway, a couple of days after seeing the show for the first (and very likely the last) time, came the controversial (to say the least) statements of the show’s patriarch, Phil Robertson regarding homosexuality and, we’re now learning, race. His comments have earned him a suspension from his own show, and naturally his family have come to his defense as have, apparently, the show’s very many fans…
http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/20/showbiz/duck-dynasty-suspension/index.html
What struck me about the article was the following quote which was part of a statement released by the Robertson family on Phil’s behalf:
We are disappointed that Phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right.
I’m a VERY big proponent of the First Amendment. I very much believe in the Freedom of Speech. But what many people who find themselves in trouble for the stupid things they say don’t realize is that Freedom of Speech goes both ways. You certainly are free to state whatever opinions or ideas you have, even if these ideas are arguably hateful and/or downright stupid.
HOWEVER, others have the same Freedom of Speech to express their opinions regarding your speech: That they feel what you have said amounts to hateful or ignorant comments.
In this case A&E, the television company airing Duck Dynasty, has every right to be bothered (the kindest word I could think of) by Mr. Robertson’s statements, even if the family feels the statements he made are “his beliefs…grounded in the teachings of the Bible“.
I can’t help but wonder where this will go. Despite my lack of enthusiasm for it, Duck Dynasty is a very popular show. Will A&E drop it? Will the Robertson family force it to do just that? If so, will there be another network out there that will take it (Spoiler: I suspect so).
Stay tuned…
Back in 2010 the movie Red was released. The term, which stands for “retired, extremely dangerous”, involved the goings on of a retired CIA agent named Frank Moses (Bruce Willis), his looney tune friend Marvin (John Malkovich) and Sarah (Mary-Louse Parker) a “civilian” Moses pines for. Into that mix appeared ancillary characters such as the deadly British assassin Victoria (Helen Mirren) and ex-Russian KGB superagent Ivan (Brian Cox).
The movie was an action adventure with the (mostly) over the hill ex-agents kicking some serious ass while Moses romances the somewhat flighty Sarah. While I admittedly don’t recall too many of the movie’s details, I recall the film was a pleasant diversion, made especially so because of the presence and interactions of all those veteran actors.
Three years later, Red 2 hit theaters and I’ll be damned it it didn’t have a really great theatrical trailer:
Would the film live up to its advertising?
Well…yes and no.
On the one hand, there were plenty of great gags in the film, including several instances where deadly assassins in the middle of planning or executing some kind of skullduggery take a moment to talk about how Moses can maintain a vibrant and positive relationship with Sarah.
On the other hand, as the film played out, I got the feeling what I was seeing was either a “rush job” or was whittled down from a too long run time…or both. After a terrific opening act (the best part of the film) scenes kind of whizzed by and slammed into each other without much grace. It simply didn’t flow very well.
Part of the problem may well lie with the film’s very, very large cast, which this time around includes many new ancillary characters. We have Anthony Hopkins’ potentially looney Bailey. There’s Byung-hun Lee’s deadly assassin Han. There’s also Katherine Zeta-Jones’ Russian agent Katja (sadly, the most wasted of the big name stars).
And that’s not getting into the smaller roles!
Red 2 winds up being a globe trotting affair, with the team trying to figure out why they have been marked for assassination. The peculiars of the plot are quite interesting, involving the possibility of a weapon of mass destruction hidden away in Moscow, but it is the characters and their interactions which are still the main draw.
Perhaps one day a “director’s cut” of the film might show up and smooth over the film’s rushed feeling, but I doubt it. While not an outright bust, Red 2 is a decent film that flirts with being a damn good one…all while just missing the mark.
Trivia Alert! Is this the first film to feature the two most famous actors to play the villainous Hannibal Lector? Sadly, neither Brian Cox, the original Hannibal Lector (from the criminally -pun intended!- underrated Manhunter, which featured the first appearance of the character) nor Anthony Hopkins (the most famous actor to play the role, starting with SIlence of the Lambs) share any screen time together. Might have been fun to see them face to face!
Ah well!
In case you’re not familiar with it, here’s the trailer for Manhunter. Years later this film was remade with Anthony Hopkins in the Hannibal role as Red Dragon (the original title of the novel it was based on). You can see Brian Cox’s Hannibal Lector for the first time at the 1:20 mark…
Bonus, bonus trailer: That of Red Dragon (why the heck not?)…
The “Black List” is a list of screenplays that are considered worthy of being made into films…but haven’t been as of yet. The link below offers what is considered the best of the Black List for 2013 (told you the end of the year brings lists!):
http://www.deadline.com/2013/12/2013-black-list-best-screenplays-full-list/
Going through the list, there are some story descriptions that I find interesting and a whole lot that do not all that much for me. Two screenplays involving the making of Jaws? Really? Two screenplays involving Mr. Rogers?! Then there’s the way out there screenplay about Stanley Kubrick’s alleged late 1960’s recruitment in the creation of a “phony” Moon landing, in case the real one doesn’t pan out.
None of those intrigues me all that much.
On the other hand…
SOVEREIGN
Geoff Tock, Greg Weidman
A man goes to space to destroy the ship that, upon going sentient, killed his wife.
Sounds like it could be interesting, though the story does seem to bear resemblance to other stories (the Berzerker books, for example) and my own personal favorite original Star Trek episode, The Doomsday Machine…
Some other potentially intriguing stories…
SEED
Christina Hodson
After suffering a devastating miscarriage a young woman and her fiance travel to Italy where she meets his family for the first time, but her grief turns to shock when the local doctor declares that she’s still pregnant. And while her fiance and his family seem delighted by the news, she begins to suspect their true motives are quiet sinister.
Sounds a little like Rosemary’s Baby, but I found the idea intriguing.
CAPSULE
Ian Shorr
A young man’s life is turned upside down when he mysteriously begins to receive metallic capsules containing messages from his future self.
Again, sounds intriguing. Could see this premise going in lots of different directions.
FULLY WRECKED
Jake Morse, Scott Wolman
An R-rated talking car from the ’80s is brought back into service and teamed up with the son of his former partner, a befuddled cop looking to earn his stripes.
Perhaps one of the more original concepts in the list, the idea of having a talking car (modeled after KITT from Knight Rider, I’m guessing), be a foul mouthed character has potential. Could be a good comedy…certainly a better idea than remaking The Naked Gun films. This one has me interested.
Anyway, if you find any of the above interesting, give the full list a look.
…end of the year lists!
One of my favorites is the “Worst Films of the Year” type lists. Call me a glutton for punishment, but there’s something about seeing such lists and considering the works present within them and wondering just what went wrong.
The list presented below is a more “scientific” rather than personal list, as it features the Top 10 Worst-Reviewed films of 2013:
http://theweek.com/article/index/253827/the-10-worst-reviewed-movies-of-2013
Looking over that list I have seen a grand total of…none of the films. The only one I was mildly interested in and coming in at #2, the Liam Hemsworth/Harrison Ford/Gary Oldman/Richard Dreyfuss film Paranoia certainly intrigued me for the cast, if nothing else. But with each commercial I saw of the film, the whole thing seemed to scream “MEDIOCRE” or worse. When the film was finally released and the reviews poured in, what little interest I had in the feature was completely gone.
Time Magazine offers the following Top Ten Worst films of the past year:
http://entertainment.time.com/2013/12/04/arts-and-entertainment/slide/top-10-worst-movies/
A couple of films from the previous list show up here as well. I never saw the original The Hangover despite my wife’s assurances that it is indeed a hilarious film. When The Hangover II was released, I watched it with my wife and was completely unimpressed. My wife was too. She insisted the original was very good but was just as disappointed in the sequel. Lesson learned. Neither of us bothered with The Hangover III and based on the reviews, it appears we missed little.
Finally, a personalized Five Worst Films of the past year list, this one by Dana Stevens for Slate Magazine:
Once again, we have at least one film repeated between lists, although this list offers some interesting alternate choices as well. Yet again, I haven’t seen any of the films on this list but finally there is at least one film I am interested in seeing: Elysium. Now, I know that most critics (and fansboys) were eager to see the well received District 9’s director’s sophomore feature and I know many people were ultimately disappointed by it, but I don’t believe anyone felt it was one of the “worst” films of the past year.
I’ll see soon enough!
To begin, yes, I have seen Smokey and the Bandit many, many times before. So much so, if fact, that while watching again for the first time all the way from beginning to end in probably twenty to thirty years (ouch!) I could recite bits of dialogue and was very familiar with scenes as they were playing out (watch out for Burt Reynolds breaking the fourth wall!).
Still, my daughters hadn’t seen the film and, after watching the two-part Gas Monkey episode dealing with the restoration of a Pontiac Trans Am nearly identical to the one used in Smokey and the Bandit and, along the way, visited Burt Reynolds (the poor guy looks really old), curiosity was raised and a desire to see the film was awoken.
So we put the film into the machine, sat back, and watched.
To begin, Smokey and the Bandit is probably not an easy film for modern audiences to enjoy as I and so many others did back when it was first released. The pacing, greased lighting in 1977, plays out slower by today’s standards. And, let’s face it, CGI has allowed filmmakers to create far more destructive and amazing stunts than those offered within this film.
Still, for those who stick around, Smokey and the Bandit remains THE quintessential action comedy, with heroes who aren’t afraid to smile and laugh and enjoy what they’re doing, compared to the modern “dark” heroes we see all too much of today, with their perpetual scowls and bad attitudes. Indeed, this was one of the more pleasant aspects of revisiting the film: to see people on the screen having what looks like genuine fun.
In fact, the only one who doesn’t appear to be having any fun at all is the “villain” of the piece, Jackie Gleason’s Sheriff Buford T. Justice, though he is more of an authoritarian spoil sport (and a very ineffective one at that) rather than someone to be genuinely feared. He’s boisterous and hilariously foul mouthed but, like the Coyote in his perpetual mission to capture the Road Runner, you know from the outset he will never get his hands on his prey.
Burt Reynolds absolutely sparkles as the “Bandit”, the man who runs interference in the smoking hot black Trans-Am for his equally gregarious “Snowman” (Jerry Reed, providing a great and memorable soundtrack as well as acting), his partner in crime. The crime they’re involved in? Transporting -with a tight time limit- a shipment of beer from Texas to Georgia, something which back then was considered bootlegging.
Yes, even the so-called “crime” the two are engaged in is hardly the type of stuff one would figure the law would -or should- care about.
Into the fray arrives Sally Field’s Carrie, a free spirit who left Sheriff Justice’s dim witted son at the altar, and whose presence in the Bandit’s car provides not only romance (the only thing missing from this action/comedy), but also the reason why the foul-tempered Sheriff continues his dogged pursuit of the Bandit well outside his territory.
Smokey and the Bandit was never meant to be anything more than a fun time at the theater, and in that respect and despite the movie’s age and slower pace it remains just that, an absolutely delightful experience. The young ‘uns may not appreciate it or the (by now) less impressive stunt work, but revisiting this film after all these years -and willfully forgetting the many sour attempts to replicate its success- hasn’t diminished the original.
“We’ve got a long way to go…and a short time to get there.”
What are you waiting for? If you haven’t seen it in a while or never seen it at all, give Smokey and the Bandit a look. You won’t regret it.
Highly, highly recommended.
The other day, while listening to some songs on my mp3 player while driving around, I decided to put on The Smashing Pumpkins’ Adore. For those unfamiliar with the album, it was the fourth album released by the band in 1998. At that time, The Smashing Pumpkins were pretty much at the peak of their popularity and this album followed their single biggest success, the 1995 double-album Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.
Despite good critical reaction, Adore was something of a sales disappointment, especially considering how successful each subsequent album they released before it was. They would follow up Adore with 2000’s Machina/The Machines of God but the damage appeared to be done. Machina sold even less copies than Adore and it appeared audiences were “over” The Smashing Pumpkins. The band seemed to sense this as well, and broke up after that album’s release, only to have singer/songwriter Billy Corgan reform the group several years later and, as of this writing, he -and his new bandmates- are still releasing new material.
Getting back to Adore, I’m in the car listening to the album and enjoying it. While the album isn’t as wildly ambitious as Melon Collie (my personal favorite of The Smashing Pumpkins albums) it is really, really good, hitting a particular sweet spot -to me- with the song For Martha:
Now, let me be the first to say this: I can totally understand people being turned off by the Billy Corgan’s voice. Personally, I don’t have any problem with it but for those who do, try to look past it. His music during the 1990’s was ambitious, interesting, and, best of all, so damn varied. And that includes the underrated Machina, which has its share of songs very much worthy of checking out, like…
Having listened to Adore and reconnected with it, I decided to give The Smashing Pumpkins’ latest album, 2012’s Oceania another listen.
I know critics liked this album and there are some songs here and there I like as well. However, there’s something about this album, and most of the “new” Smashing Pumpkins material post-Machina, that isn’t quite doing the same for me as their first incarnation did.
Regardless, Mr. Corgan remains an artist worth watching and listening to. Even if their/his latest work’s haven’t quite done it for me as their older stuff, I’ll still be there.
Here’s one of my favorite of their “newer”, post-breakup second incarnation of the band, from 2007’s Zeitgeist.
Via Salon.com, an interview with Dave Allen, former bass player for the punk band Gang of Four, who offers fascinating thoughts on the effect of the internet on music and, by extension, all art in the face of the current internet age. The article is provocatively titled “Stop Blaming the Internet, It Has Always Been Hard For Musicians”:
Mr. Allen’s comments within the interview are nuanced and not easily summarized, though the headline does offer one clue as to his ultimate view of the internet and whether it has negatively affected musicians and the potential money they make on their works. One of the points he makes is that it has always been difficult to make any sort of a living as a musician and that the ones that find public favor tend to make money while those who don’t…don’t.
Granted, the internet has created new obstacles and problems for musicians as well as artists in general (movies, books, etc.). Today, piracy is a big problem, but to Mr. Allen, one has to accept the new reality just as in ages past others have had to do the same (ie, blacksmiths vs. cars, radio vs. television, etc.)
The topic of the internet and its affects on society is a fascinating one to me. I see the effects every day, from strip malls/storefronts that are more empty than full to my own purchasing habits. As little as five years ago I would eagerly go to the local Best Buy or bookstore or Target to see what was new, from books to movies to music. I would eagerly look at the Sunday newspaper and its ads to see what interesting stuff was about to be released.
Nowadays, I look at the internet. I don’t buy music anywhere but over the internet. I’m buying fewer and fewer films in stores, leaving my viewing to either Netflix or, if I really want a movie, to Amazon (the movies that I want to own tend to be the ones not available at either Best Buy or Target). As for books, Amazon is again the way I usually go.
Five years ago I couldn’t imagine a future without a nearby bookstore. Today, I don’t really miss them.
Yet I can’t help but feel for the people most hurt by all these changes: store employees. Used to be that High School, College students, and others found temporary or permanent jobs in stores that catered to people like me. Nowadays, though, you won’t find me in those type of stores (if they exist anymore) looking for the product I can more easily find on the internet.
As for the artists themselves, one can find ways to promote and make your work available over the internet. You will surely lose money to piracy as this is a sad given. However, at least the product is out there, and perhaps more visible than ever before thanks to the internet. If you told me my humble books would sell in places as far away as Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, etc. etc., I wouldn’t have believed it, yet there it is.
We’re in a new age and one has to wake up to the realities of it. This is not the first time this has happened to society. It won’t be the last.
And so it goes.
Please read the interview. Whether you agree, disagree, or are neutral regarding Dave Allen’s comments, you should find them at the very least interesting.
…That Went On Way Too Long, at least according to Daniel D’Addario for Salon.com:
http://www.salon.com/2013/12/11/12_shows_that_went_on-way-too-long/
One of their top choices -and I don’t think this requires spoilers- is The Simpsons. Man, do I agree with that choice. I vividly recall when the show first appeared way, waaaay back in 1989 and being completely entranced by it. To me it was absolutely must see TV, a show that provided seemingly non-stop laughs.
Then, something happened.
I can’t even put my finger on what exactly what it was but all of a sudden…I had my fill of The Simpsons. More than my fill. I haven’t seen an episode of the show -new or otherwise- in more than fifteen years. Perhaps even as many as twenty years (the show is on its twenty fifth season).
Mind you, at the time I finally dropped the show I don’t think it had changed in any significant way. The humor remained roughly as before but after five or six seasons of faithful viewing I no longer felt the need to continue doing so.
There are other shows on the list, like The X-Files and The Office, which reached a point they should have ended, particularly when one of the lead actors took off and were replaced by actors audiences didn’t care about quite as much. There are other shows that have reached the proverbial point where they “jumped the shark” (a reference to a particularly stupid episode of Happy Days which sealed the fate of that show and became a point of reference when TV shows do something so silly or preposterous that a significant chunk of viewers are forever turned off from the series).
Looking beyond this list, let me indicate some shows that probably ended right on time.
My first nominee would be one of my favorite series: The Wild, Wild West. The show lasted four seasons from 1965 to 1969, the best season of which was probably the very first. The second and third seasons, however, weren’t all that bad either. If you’re a fan of the show like me, though, and you bought the four seasons on DVD (I wasn’t around to see it during its first run), you can’t help but notice that the fourth season of the show, despite some good episodes here and there, features a clear drop in quality. Some of these episodes feature a sloppiness not found in the early seasons, a sense that perhaps the cast and crew were focused on getting these episodes done as quickly and cheaply as possible.
Having said all that, The Wild, Wild West’s last season wasn’t a total disaster, but I suspect if the show had gone on to a fifth season, that may well have been the case.
Another show that ended in the proverbial “nick of time” was the original Star Trek. Lasting only three seasons between 1966-69, the show was never a ratings darling and it is a wonder it lasted as long as it did before cancellation. It wouldn’t be until after it was done and in reruns that the show achieved its cult, and then very real, hit status. In retrospect the first two seasons of the show are considered the best while there is a marked drop in quality with the series’ third season. But, like The Wild, Wild West, there are some good episodes to be found in that season along with outright clunkers such as Spock’s Brain and Turnabout Intruder. Had the show continued with a fourth season, I suspect the bad might have started to overtake the good. Again like The Wild, Wild West, I can’t help but feel that the cast and crew of Star Trek had grown tired of the series and weren’t as dedicated at making each episode as they were earlier on.
Finally, The Prisoner. Lasting a mere 17 episodes from 1967-68 (one season), this fascinating, mind-bending show was meant to have a conclusion and boy-oh-boy did it ever. Even in this short episode run, however, there were a couple of “lesser” episodes in the batch and a conclusion some have felt was way over the top. While I would love to live in an alternative universe where The Prisoner -and, for that matter, Star Trek and The Wild, Wild West– lasted a little bit longer than they did, I also recognize that sometimes you have to appreciate what you have and realize more doesn’t mean better.
Anyway, just my humble opinion…
A little while ago I reviewed the 2013 Gerard Butler starring Olympus Has Fallen (read about it here) a variation on the Die Hard formula but rather than set in the Nakatomi Plaza Building, our hero has to deal with deadly terrorists that have assaulted the White House itself. I enjoyed the film, finding it a pleasant enough time killer despite some pretty silly stuff to swallow if not much else. Lurking in the weeds, waiting to be seen, was the second Die-Hard-in-the-White-House film of this year, the higher budgeted Channing Tatum/Jamie Foxx White House Down.
A few quick questions and answers:
1) How similar are these two films?
Answer: Very. Both feature leads who are “damaged” (again, a Die Hard trademark). Both feature (duh) assaults on the White House with the people behind these assaults seeking to get their hands on the President of the United States and radically change the world as we know it today (I won’t say more to avoid spoilers). The heroes in both films also have kids (in one film a boy, in another a girl) who are caught in the middle of all this danger. Bullets are fired and the bad guys (including an “inside man”) manage to barricade themselves in the White House with the hero plays cat-and-mouse with the villains and is the only one capable of restoring any kind of order.
2) How are the films different?
Let me think here…hmmm….Well, in Olympus Has Fallen the President is played by Aaron Eckhart emulating your typical blue-eyed square-jawed all-American Anglo Saxon Commander In Chief while in White House Down the President is played by Jamie Foxx who is clearly emulating President Barack Obama, complete with wife and daughter (one, not two) and a fight against a cigarette habit.
What else? As mentioned before, Olympus Has Fallen was a far lower budgeted affair compared to White House Down. Further, there was more going on in White House Down’s script, both in terms of story and ancillary characters, than the previous film.
And that, I believe, is about it for the differences.
So let’s return once again to the films’ similarities. White House Down, like Olympus Has Fallen, is a perfectly OK action/adventure film that succeeds in killing your time without causing you too much pain or regret. Having now seen both films, however, I can sincerely state that I no longer want to see either again. The fact is that both White House Down and Olympus Has Fallen are very much disposable entertainment. Once seen, I seriously doubt that some time in the near or far future I’m ever going to want to revisit either of these films.
Having said that, one final question: Which is better? I’d probably have to give a very slight edge to White House Down. That film benefits from its larger budget as well as the slightly better script and a slightly more interesting cast of characters around the hero/President.
Still, I’ve reached my lifetime quota of White House assault films.