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Moriarty's DVD Shelf! New Release Tuesday for July 11th!!
Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
Last week, I skipped the column for two reasons. First, it was the fourth of July, and with a family to take care of here in the house, there were other things that seemed more important. And second, it looks like Hollywood felt the same way, because it was the slimmest week of releases I can remember. There were a few titles of note, but very few. I decided to just roll those over to this week. I’ll also be back on the review beat this week, with at least 15 new DVD reviews for you before next week’s new release column hits.
I’d like to also address the issue of my LASERDISC 2K6 segment of the column, which I’ve dropped recently. I’m planning to install some HD equipment here at the house. This in no way means I think the HD revolution has arrived, but if I’m going to speak about the subject, then I need to be able to look at what I’m talking about. Until I do that, I’m going to let Herc handle the HD and Blu-Ray duties here on the site. I’ll get back to telling him how wrong he is about everything soon, I assure you.
For now, let’s kick this off with this week’s...
FEATURED TITLE OF THE WEEK
TRISTRAM SHANDY: A COCK & BULL STORY
I’ve written about this film a few times on the site so far. When I saw it at the AFI Fest here in Hollywood, here’s what I wrote at that point:
When I walked out of the theater earlier tonight, I knew that I really liked this film. But now that I’ve had several hours to digest it, I think I sort of loved this film. It certainly reaffirms my belief that Michael Winterbottom is one of the most consistently interesting filmmakers working anywhere in the world today. Basically, he’s made his ADAPTATION here, a movie about the making of a movie based on an unadaptable novel. Anyone who knows me knows that one of my biggest pet peeves are movies about the making of movies or set against the backdrop of movie making. I can’t even explain why it bugs me so much... but it does. When LIVING IN OBLIVION came out, for example, I heard that it was hilarious and “really gets it,” and I went into it hoping for the best. Instead, it just irritated me pretty much start to finish. When I showed up at the Arclight tonight, I didn’t realize this was a comedy about filmmaking. All I knew was that Steve Coogan was in it, and Winterbottom directed.
Tristram Shandy is a bizarre nine-volume English novel that is basically one giant digression, the titular character setting off to make a point and following his own bumblebee-busy train of thought wherever it takes him, through family stories and philosophical flights of fancy. It’s absolutely unadaptable because it’s not about anything in particular. You could make a film of parts of it, certainly, but in a very strange way, you could only approach the essence of the novel by doing what Winterbottom and screenwriter Martin Hardy have done here: throwing it out almost completely.
This film is about Steve Coogan (played by, appropriately enough, Steve Coogan) and Rob Brydon (played equally appropriately by Rob Brydon), as well as the rest of the cast and crew who are attempting to make a film version of TRISTRAM SHANDY, and for the first 15 minutes or so, the film is simply a telling of the story. By the time Winterbottom finally breaks reality by including a camera crew in the shot, you’ve already bought into the fact that this is a credible movie they’re making. I would have watched the adaptation. What we see happening to Coogan as we follow him through a few days of production parallels the structure of the novel, one digression after another taking him further and further away from the things that are important. In this case, his girlfriend Jenny (an extra adorable Kelly McDonald) and his newborn baby are the things he can’t quite seem to find time for, and what makes this film so affecting is the way that relationship is never treated as a joke. At times, the film is fall-down funny, but there’s a reality to it as well, and Winterbottom seems determined to make this count. Coogan’s come a long way from his Alan Partridge days, and he manages to find real depth in what could easily have been another send-up of vacuous celebrity. Overall, this is a tremendous ensemble piece, and I loved moments like the introduction of Gillian Anderson, the late-night walk across the battlefield, and Coogan trying to soothe his baby to sleep with a song. It’s a wonderful, surprising film at every turn, and I have a feeling I’ll have to see it again to fully absorb why it hit me as hard as it did.
And then when I named this as number eight on my “Ten Favorite Films of 2005” list, here’s what I wrote:
Michael Winterbottom can do anything. It’s just that simple. He can make any sort of film he wants to make, and he seems to be able to slip from genre to genre without missing a beat. So often, we pigeonhole our best filmmakers and try to force them to work in niches. Winterbottom’s filmography flies in the face of that idea, though. CODE 46, 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE, 9 SONGS, IN THIS WORLD, THE CLAIM, BUTTERFLY KISS... he doesn’t repeat himself. He has embraced the ease of video without hesitation, and it seems to make him one of the most limber guys working, turning films out as fast as he seems to think of them. With TRISTRAM SHANDY: A COCK & BULL STORY, he’s made a great comedy, full of genuine wisdom about human behavior and insight into the creative life. Like KISS KISS BANG BANG, this film takes a liberal attitude towards the adaptation process, and it’s essentially a film version of an unadaptable book which solved the problem by making the film about the way the book is unadaptable, in which actually manages to make the same thematic points that the book does. It’s a magnificent piece of writing, but Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Shirley Henderson, Dylan Moran, Kelly Macdonald, Gillian Anderson, and the rest of the exceptional cast all bring their own sense of play to the table, free to ad lib and make the film even more honest and revealing. It sounds like it’s going to be a Christopher Guest-style comedy about filmmaking, but it’s not. It reaches deeper.
The thing that really gets me is the material about fatherhood and the way the entertainment industry pulls you away from your family, almost as a matter of routine. Ten days after my son was born this year, I was in Vancouver on a film set. And as much as I was dying to be on that set the entire time I was in Los Angeles, when I actually got to Vancouver, I wanted nothing more than to get back to my family. That push and pull is no doubt going to be part of my life for many years to come, and learning to balance those things is one of the most important things I have to do. Coogan’s made a career out of playing puffed-up jackasses, variations on his Alan Partridge character, and there’s stuff in this film that could easily be seen as a knowing wink at that image. But he strips all of that away in a few moments, and it’s those moments that elevated this from a great comedy to something else for me. I’m sorry that Frank Cottrell Boyce, Winterbottom’s longtime screenplay collaborator, had a falling-out with the filmmaker and took his name off the film, because I think this represents a sort of summation of all the wonderful work they’ve done together up till now. The film’s getting a release on the 27th of this month, and it’s well worth seeking out if it plays anywhere near you.
And by the way, you haven’t properly lived until you’ve seen Coogan’s impression of a man with a hot chestnut in his pants. Worth the ticket all by itself.
The disc is actually quite nice, with a great commentary by Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon that I’m listening to as I work on the column right now. There are several deleted scenes, several of which nicely fill things out, and there’s a great interview with Coogan conducted by Tony Wilson, who Coogan actually played in Winterbottom’s earlier 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE. This is a film that very few people saw in the theater, so do yourself a favor... I almost never recommend films about filmmaking, but this one’s special and well worth tracking down.
30 DAYS: SEASON ONE
Morgan Spurlock is an interesting variety of documentarian. I don’t think he’s the same kind of shameless self-promoter that Michael Moore has become, but I also don’t think he’s able to remove himself completely from the process. He seems to be interested in experiential filmmaking, movies that are built off of gimmicks, but that ultimately hope to illuminate something about the human condition.
In this six-episode series, Spurlock uses the gimmick of having someone spend 30 days in the shoes of someone else, hoping to force them to broaden their own perspectives on some of the more potent topics of the day. Spurlock and his fiancée Alex are the stars of “Minimum Wage,” as they attempt to survive a month living on $5.15 an hour, and it may be my favorite episode of the series. The other episodes here include “Anti-Aging,” “Muslims In America,” “Straight Man In A Gay World,” “Off The Grid,” and “Binge Drinking Mom.” There are commentaries on four of the episodes, featuring Spurlock and the subjects of the episodes, and there are also extra scenes that never made it to air. Even though I watched the series when it aired on FX, I’m looking forward to revisiting it and seeing the extra features.
BEYOND THE ROCKS
New Yorker Films is releasing this long-lost silent picture starring two of the biggest stars of the era, Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson. There’s an introduction by Martin Scorsese, as well as a short film of Valentino’s, an audio interview with Swanson, and special features detailing the rediscovery and restoration of the picture. If you’re a fan of silent cinema, this is a pretty major find, and I’m excited to see it for myself.
THE BEST OF THE DAVID STEINBERG SHOW
If you love THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW or SCTV, then you should check out this early satire of talk shows that splits its attention between what happens on and off stage. David Steinberg may be the star, but the show features early work by John Candy, Dave Thomas, Martin Short, Andrea Martin, and Joe Flaherty, among others. I’ve only ever seen a few episodes, so it’ll be nice to check out more of this very influential comedy series.
THE BLACK SWAN
You know what would be great? Someone should do a new film about pirates.
At any rate, until Hollywood decides to resurrect the genre, we can look back at classics like this 1942 Tyrone Power vehicle, co-starring the overripe Maureen O’Hara. Harry screened this at BNAT a few years ago, and it absolutely killed the audience. This is a blast from start to finish, about a pirate who is made governor of Jamaica, leading to him having to face off against his former partners in crime. One of them, played by Powers, abducts the previous governor’s daughter, and things kick into overdrive. It’s romantic, it’s exciting, and it looks like Fox has done a nice job with the disc, which I’ll put at the top of my list of titles to pick up this week.
DENNIS MILLER: ALL IN
BILL MAHER: NEW RULES
So... HBO’s got you covered this week whether you like your comedy set at “Bleeding-Heart Liberal” or “Scumbag Conservative,” thanks to these two discs.
As much as I’m amazed by Dennis Miller’s late-career shift from all-purpose-smart ass to right-wing-mouthpiece, he still manages to get off a few good one liners in his latest HBO special.
Bill Maher’s just as biased, although he leans in the exact opposite direction, and thanks to the fact that Maher employs a staff of writers for his HBO series, he actually gets off a fair number of winners over the course of this compilation of material from his show. I’d say this is slightly better, but unless you’re completely opposed to laughing at a political joke unless it exactly mirrors your own point of view, both of these discs offer a fair number of laughs.
DOCTOR WHO: THE COMPLETE FIRST SERIES
Russell T. Davies deserves enormous credit for kickstarting a whole new chapter in the DR. WHO saga, and this first series of thirteen episodes, along with five hours of extra features, is enormously enjoyable. Chris Eccleston and Billie Piper have undeniable chemistry as The Doctor and Rose, his new companion. The show mixes modern high-tech effects work and the same sort of low-rent fun that the show has always been known for, and this should delight old fans while also creating new fans, an impressive trick.
THE DUDESONS MOVIE
Because sometimes it’s just plain fun to watch idiots maim themselves.
THE FUCCONS, VOL. 3: FUCCON! FUCCON! FUCCON!
I don’t know how to describe this bizarre comedy series from Japan. It’s a savage satire on consumer culture and the modern family, and it’s an absurdist comedy starring mannequins. It’s hilariously funny at times, but it’s also profoundly disturbing. You’ll either love it or hate it, but you’ll certainly never forget it.
THE GARDEN
Lance Henriksen. The Apocalypse. Sean Young. Claudia Christian. Anchor Bay. Sounds like B-movie heaven to me.
GRAND PRIX (2-Disc Edition)
This film may not have a great script, but it’s still one hell of a ride. Shot in 70MM by John Frankenheimer and starring James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Toshiro Mifune, and Yves Montand, this is all about speed, the sensation of racing. Even now, this stuff holds up, and this is one of the big Warner restorations of the year. Can’t wait to see the new print and the fistful of extras.
GRILLED
How is it that a comedy with Kevin James and Ray Romano goes directly to DVD when both guys have giant hit TV series? My favorite thing I’ve seen either of them do was a documentary special they made last year about playing against each other in a golf tournament, and it’s that easy chemistry between the two of them, the obvious result of a real-life friendship, that’s going to get me to check this one out, even if it did get shelved for whatever reason.
KOKO: A TALKING GORILLA (Criterion)
YI YI (Criterion)
Yay! Here are a couple of Criterion titles that once more illustrates the range of what they release, and just how special they are as a company.
Barbet Schroeder and Nestor Almendros worked together to show the world just how remarkable Koko is, and this 1977 film (which I saw once many years ago) really is jaw-dropping. Dr. Penny Patterson’s experiment in teaching sign language to a mountain gorilla was controversial when it occurred, but the questions it raised are still provocative and difficult, and watching this film, you’ll find your own beliefs about what it is that separates us from animals challenged. I know that my first exposure to Koko changed my opinion of our place in the world, and I’m dying to see this one again, especially loaded with as many extras as Criterion’s known for.
What a great cover for a great film. Taiwanese filmmaker Edward Yang’s story of one year in the life of a Taiwanese family is a masterpiece of minimalism, a story about the little details and the big moments that make up a normal life. At close to three hours, the film never once bores, even though it’s hardly what I would call “exciting.” The exhilaration here comes from recognizing yourself in these characters, no matter what cultural differences there are between us.
THE LIBERTINE
That Johnny Depp... someone should put him in a big-budget film someday and see what happens. In the meantime, even the worst of Depp’s films are interesting to see what he comes up with as a performer. This is a bit toothless for a film about the Earl of Rochester, a De Sade-sized perv, but it’s got its moments, and it features an impressive cast all the way around, with Samantha Morton and John Malkovich as the other stand-outs.
MARILYN HOTCHKISS’ BALLROOM DANCING & CHARM SCHOOL
Great character actor cast (Marisa Tomei, John Goodman, Sean Astin, Robert Carlyle), but an ungodly title. The cover makes it look like another riff on DANCE WITH ME, but the reviews I’ve read suggest it’s something more, and I’ll give it a chance with my fingers crossed.
MASTERS OF HORROR: HOMECOMING
Not really sure why they’ve dumped the cover style that the rest of the series has used so far, but this is the latest of the MASTERS OF HORROR episodes to reach DVD. Joe Dante took advantage of the creative freedom this series offers to make a wicked political satire. Be warned, though... it’s preposterously one-sided, and it’s got no interest in giving voice to the right. If you’re a fan of Dante’s work, this is a must-see.
THE MATADOR
I haven’t seen this film yet, but it sounds like wicked fun to me. I like Pierce Brosnan away from the Bond franchise, and now that he doesn’t have to protect his image at all, I’m looking forward to his work even more. So far, I’m digging all the DVDs that the Weinstein Company has been putting out through Genius Products, a genuine improvement from the releases they were putting out through Miramax, and I’m going to get this one immediately.
NEGADON – THE MONSTER FROM MARS
Out of all the titles on this list that I haven’t seen yet, this is the one I’m most excited to get my hands on. Ever since that first story I ran about the film, I’ve been itching to see the whole thing. Follow that link. Check out those trailers. Then tell me you’re not going to grab that as soon as possible. I double dog dare you.
PATRIOT ACT: A JEFFREY ROSS HOME FILM
If you’ve ever seen Jeffrey Ross appear on one of those celebrity roasts or perform live, you know he’s a blisteringly caustic comedian with a healthy sense of cynicism. So color me shocked at this one-hour film that actually manages to be inspirational and even touching at times. Ross was invited by Drew Carey to be part of a USO tour in Iraq, and he took along his video camera. The result is something pretty special. It’s very funny at times, but it also underlines the genuine importance of the USO, and a portion of the proceeds from this DVD will actually go to help fund the organization. Can’t beat that.
PROTOCOLS OF ZION
Ever since 9/11, I’ve heard many people discuss various conspiracy theories, the most loathsome of which suggest that the international Jewish community knew the attacks were coming and warned only other Jews, making sure that no one of Jewish descent died that day. This is, of course, patently absurd, but it’s also rabidly anti-Semetic. Marc Levin’s film examines these rumors and the recent resurgence of interest in “The Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion,” a forged book that supposedly exposes the inner workings of the Jewish conspiracy to rule the world. It’s great explosive subject matter, and I’m hoping the film lives up to its promise.
RENO 911: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON
This show gets more and more absurd the longer it’s on the air, and that’s a good thing. I’m glad Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant and Kerri Kenney and Cedric Yarbrough and Niecy Nash all have this outlet for their specific brand of insanity, and that it’s not on one of the big three networks, where it would probably have been cancelled four episodes into its run. It really is just a parody of COPS, but by this point, they’ve spent so much time and energy creating these bizarre characters that the show has a life and an energy all its own.
STONED
This is being released in both rated and unrated versions, and it’s the story of Brian Jones, bad boy of the Rolling Stones back in the ‘60s, and one of the earliest casualties of the rock’n’roll lifestyle of that era. I’m not sure how they made this without being able to use the most famous music by the Stones, but I’m interested in his story, and I’ll check it out regardless.
WEEDS: SEASON ONE
I just plain love this show. I didn’t expect to, either. I thought it looked gimmicky and silly when I saw the first ads for it, but I underestimated my long-time crush on Mary-Louise Parker, and I guess I’ve been conditioned to expect that all of these shows about how things are really done in the suburbs are all the same at this point. Not true. This is both funny and poignant, and the show is less about selling pot than it is about how hard it is sometimes to keep moving forward when life conspires to slap you down. Kevin Nealon, Elizabeth Perkins, Romany Malco, and the great Justin Kirk are all excellent on the show, and when you get to the end of this season and see the way they fold THE GODFATHER into this story, you’ll be as hooked as I am, or I’ll be shocked. It’s smartly written, well observed, and funny as shit, and Lions Gate has put together a two disc set with all ten episodes from season one and a fair sampling of extras, too.
On that note, I’m off to bed for a few hours before I see a wild double-feature of MIAMI VICE and MONSTER HOUSE today. If you’re coming to the AICN 10th Anniversary celebration at the Chinese, I’ll see you there, and if you didn’t make the confirmed list, there are at least ten seats that I know of that have opened up, so it may well be worth it to hop in that stand-by line. I’ll have some new stuff for you tomorrow, but until then...
"Moriarty" out.
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I love'em.
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penis penis penis
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What's on the disc(s)? The film's a masterpiece.
I hope Brighter Summer Day isn't too far behind.
http://filmick.blogspot.com
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Is there a second season coming?
It sure was great though. -
we may even pick up a few of those suggestions, but, we all know the main reason we will head out to our favorite dvd retailers tomorrow will be securly hidden between your picks. That my friends, is most likely the greatest bad mainstream adult movie since Showgirls. Yes, so bad it will be good. (I haven't seen it, and I know nonew of you had the balls to see it in the theaters either, check the gross on it) None other than the extended cut of Basic Instinct 2. Enjoy teh boobage. I think I'll pass. ;)
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What the hell happened to him? The Matador looks interesting but it has Greg Kinnear in it and I can't abide that. And finally, the slutty, big breasted girl on Reno 911 is hawt in a 'last call, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here' kind of way.
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It comes out today. Can't wait
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Moriarty -- watch it now! Drop whatever you have planned for the day and pop the DVD in (if you already have it). It could end up as my favorite movie of the year (it was released in 2006 in my area, not sure if it came out last year in NY/LA). Pierce is fucking fantastic, but I loved the work by Greg Kinnear and Hope Davis.
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...zfisk/homewrecker pops in to decry the insidious Jewish lies in that Protocols documentary and that because Mori is 95% of all talkbackers (including me) that its mention is all part of a gay/jew conspiracy supported by AICN? 10... 9... 8... 7...
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Pink Floyd - Pulse? Comes out tomorrow and has been 12 years in the making.
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I'll check out Tristam. And the Matadore is good, for me it just needed 'something' more to make it great. Don't ask me what though...
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...The Matador is great. Furthermore, Maureen O'Hara was teh hot back in the day.
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the 15th or so time 'Pink Floyd' has
released a variation of Dark Side of the Moon live or otherwise? I'm sure this one is cleaned up though.
And cheap at $60? PASS -
http://lordoftherings.net/index_400_hv_limiteddvd.html WTF are they doing? I haven't seen a post about this anywhere, so maybe no one will notice, but I figure this is the most relevant. Why can't they just release the "super special documentary" separate so I won't feel like a homo for even thinking about buying the movies again for a...third time. WTF. At least put in some more deleted scenes for more extendedness and bloopers and some shit. Eff this. Release the documentary separate PJ, don't become another George Lucas.
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Really, Amazon has it listed for $16, not $60. Maybe you should stick to your Nickelback CDs.
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Seems like half the guys I know, me included, have crushes on Mary Louise Parker. Why isn't she a bigger star? Anyway, looking forward to Weeds. And Dad gets the Grand Prix reissue for his birthday.
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Just curious -- what more did you think it needed? I liked the 'smallness' of it -- more character-driven than plot-driven. I appreciate your perspective, just honestly curious what would have elevated it for you.
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Guess I didn't get the e-mail.
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As far as I remember that's when it's being released Donnie. I can't wait - such a great series (that got better and funnier as it moved along).
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It certainly helps my drug-riddled brain comprehend what DVDs Mori is talking about... this truly marks the shift from Harry to Mori in regards to the DVD column... huzzah!
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I liked it a lot it played out quite intimately like a small play almost. I dunno. Perhaps it was slightly disjointed? Peraps when Peirce's character turns up the wife was a bit unrealistic (funny but unrealistic)? For me, all the stuff up to and in Spain was great. It just lost a little bit after that. Like I say, it's difficult for me to nail down. Perhaps I should rewatch it and see if I like it better/worse.
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bad manners by me.
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David Steinberg Show sounds good, but where is Martin Mull and Fred Willard's great series?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075505/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076976/
TV Land re-ran Fernwood a few years back. Alan Parker fans would would enjoy them on DVD. -
Up to that point, the wife seemed fairly typical. Just suddently accepting a hitman in her life could be seen as unrealistic -- I just kind of accepted that this couple had a tragic hole in their life and were willing to accept things perhaps they never would have considered before. But I'm much more forgiving than most when it comes to suspending disbelief. Anyway, thanks for the honest response.
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I thought it was a joke at first.
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In other words? I might pick up Grand Prix, as I've been wanting that, but otherwise, this week is dead. Oh, BTW, Bill Maher is a huge a-hole, who needs to realize no one likes him and we all wish he'd die a horrible, painful, death.
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When I was in Cannes in '98, it was one week before the Grand Prix, so I ended up taking the train to Monte Carlo and walked the route. Amazing piece of history there. It'll be interesting if they added in the "Making Of" that they filmed in '66. It showed how they filmed the car crash sceens. Incredble, creative stuff. Plus, it has Maurice Jarr'es great soundtrack. the acting is first rate all around. All interesting characters. Plus, the beautiful Eve Marie Saint! They could never make this movie today.
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how do you say "roger that" in taiwanese? _yi yi_, and edward yang, are both brilliant. any news on yang's next flick? and i may have to swallow all of my extremities and bite down hard to get through mr. steinberg's "variety" show, if only for some choice early bits from the sctv cast members i idolize so (no one more than m. flaherty...). i still remember the sctv production of "peter pan" with j. candy imitating divine as our eponymous hero(ine) and marty short's captain hook being an imitation of...that's right. david steinberg. "captain hook/that's MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE....!" i can still hear him say "booga booga!". that, and "ed...and jawnnny...and dawk..."
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is a better movie about a talking ape...AMY rules!
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Dennis Miller isn't a fascist, he's just a fucking idiot. That's about all the time I can waste on his ignorant ass.
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Sexiest...Woman....on the Planet.
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I know there was one that wasnt aired for some reason. Which one was it and is it available yet?
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whihc is fine by me if they can't argue on substance, just name call. Mori is right, Maher does have good writers, my fav: New Rule: The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger the asshole. If you walk into a Starbucks and order a "decaf grande half-soy, half-lowfat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n'-Low and one NutraSweet," ooh, you're a huge asshole.
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im gonna piss myself!
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In the aspect that both were fantastic movies that were just overlooked and dropped off the radar of everyone (Well, Brosnan got a Golden Globe nomination...). See both of these now, they're great, fun movies.
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a reviewer to talk about 'a cock and bull story' without making reference to the source material being "famously regarded as un-adaptable" (or similar). and you're normally one of the good ones, mori.
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Just to add a comment: fascists (and Nazis, who were not the same) were NOT right-wing. They were offshoots of socialism/Marxism. Read F. A. Hayek's "The Road to Serfdom." And the Protocols of Zion were a Tsarist invention to justify pogroms. Just a little history! Sorry, back to talking about movies . . . Oh, and I just got the Criterion Newsletter that said "Kicking and Screaming" is coming out in August. I know it's a faulted movie, but I first saw it my senior year of undergrad, so I guess it simply resonated with me. Love that film, and love the fact that Criterion is putting it out.
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Fascism had it roots in heretical socialism to a certain extent, but also in the dissatisfaction of WWI veterans and conservatives disillusioned with liberal democracy's ability to curb marxism. Read Robert O Paxton's The Anatomy of Fascism as well as The Appeal of Fascism by Alastair Hamilton. Fascism has elements of socialism in its rhetoric but virtually none in its practice. It's a thoroughly right-wing, populist phenomenon.
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He spent the 80's & 90's making fun of Reagan, Bush Sr., and Clinton. He ripped politicians on both sides of the aisle. Now he's just another rightwing chickenhawk that won't admit a single Bush mistake. 15 years ago he would have ripped Bush a new one and done the same to the Dem that will follow Dubya. He's nothing but a washed up sell out now that can't keep a show on the air for more than a season.
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Is this film simply a campain to discount the belief that no Jews were harmed in during the making of 9/11 or that the Jews are not happy America has been dragged into a Holy War fighting for Isreal?
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...was a bunch of horseshit.
Hey brightguy! 1) There is no good reason for adults with high school diplomas to work minimum wage jobs. Minimum wage jobs are for retirees and teenagers 2) Yeah, you're going to fuck yourself royally if you go to the emergency room every time you have a cold 3)The whole moving into an apartment thing was an added expense with deposits and all that... Well duh, that's a HUGE hassle... It's also one that people who can keep to a lease don't have to deal with every month (more like once every two or three years), so it was an unrealistic burden as well. The whole thing just smacks of being so self righteous. It's really just manipulative, cloying crap. -
Motherfucker does cell phone commercials, how can you even take him seriously? Let's go back to the master and obvious Christ figure Bill Hicks for a quote: "Once you do a commercial, you're off the artistic role call forever."
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1. Yes, to the person who called Dennis Miller on his panderrific turn to the right. He's lost his edge, lost his audience, and lost his relevance. The people who used to like him hate him, and the people who used to hate him still hate him. He tried to hitch his wagon to the rightward swing of the pendulum, and now he's stuck without his centrist street cred. And heck, his routine has just plain gotten old and tired. But Maher isn't liberal, he's libertarian, unless he's changed (and i'm not bothering to rent that DVD to find out). And Frijole, get over your bad self. No, Morgan didn't really have to live like that, but a lot of people DO. And a lot have to deal with minimum wage even though they're supposedly better than that. he's showing the trouble the underclass has to suffer through, and because that makes you uncomfortable you pretend he's full of crap and no one ever has to live like that. Pathetic deluded head-in-the-sand contrarian.
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Turning into a neo-con artist just makes me detest him even more. I remember cringing while watching him attempt to host the MTV Movie Awards...
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I rented these both one night what a shitty night at the movies it was don't waste your time. BORING
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are both mediocre stand-ups who managed to prolong their careers way past their sell by dates by adopting smug stances for the left and right. I think they're both tired jack asses.
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when they change the DVD cover art from the 1 sheet. That Matador box looks fucking stupid. Plus they're trying to make it look like something it's not. Putrid.
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Always thought the old designs looked kind of ugly, so if they are re-doing them all like they just did Homecoming (and maybe releasing them in a box set) I'd be happy. So far I only bought Cigarette Burns/Dreams in the Witch House on a single disc for 10 bucks, so I wouldn't be all that pissed off at having to replace those.
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Mori writes:
"Bill Maher -
I love how liberals throw that word around so much these days. Bush and Rumsfeld are fascists, now even Dennis Miller is a fascist. No, people, Hitler and Mussolini were fascists. Too bad you guys didn't live under their rule, you wouldn't throw that word around so easily.
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calls himself a libertarian, but has never really been one. He's a supporter of PETA, gun control, strong environmental restrictions on property rights, minimum wage legislation, affirmative action, government schools, an active foreign policy, and campaign finance reform -- all of which are anathema to most libertarians. It's possible that a libertarian might take non-libertarian stances on one or two of those issues and still maintain some semblance of libertarian cred, but not all of them. He even used to support the war in Iraq, although finally came to his senses. When Harry Browne ran as the Libertarian candidate for president in 1996 and 2000, Maher voted for Ralph Nader instead -- largely the opposite of a libertarian. Maher agrees with libertarians about legalizing drugs and prostitution, privatizing social securitiy, and ending corporate welfare, but that's about it -- and that's not much.
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It's been all over this site for the past few weeks and I don't know shit about it, aside from the fact that it's Joe Dante directing. That's enough for me to rent it, but I would really like to see a review of this thing.
And yes, WEEDS is by far the best show on TV right now next to LOST. It is absolute brilliance. Is it just me, or does Mary-Louise Parker become exponentially hotter with each decade of passing time. I remember being annoyed by her in FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, but she's a tentpole in this show. WTF! -
No, I didn't say that there aren't people that have to live like that. I simply said that the show trumped up the hardships (between frivolous emergency room visits and factoring in a monetary harship, moving into a new apartment and paying deposits, that people regardless of income don't have to deal with on a monthly basis- and treating it as par for the course and a regular expense. I also said that there is NO reason that someone with a diploma and the ability to work 40 hours a week has to/needs to work a minimum wage job to begin with. Pretty simple but you seem to have read it with some kind of tinted glasses.
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It's basically 3 movies: a hit man dealing with losing his abilities, a friendship between a hit man and an ordinary guy, and a husband and wife dealing with the loss of their son. And while each of these would make a good movie on its own, they don't really gell together here.
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You have to be a total liberal ahole to think Miller is a right wing mouthpiece. Throughout his career Miller has called it like he sees it, and he is a total individualist, not beholden to any particular party or philosphy. If more people were like Miller, who can look at any issue based upon its merits as opposed to whether Cindy Sheehan would agree, our country would not be so divided. Things have become so polarized in this country. When I was in law school I lived with someone who worked for Lee Atwater and a staffer for Nancy Pelosi, and we all hung together and could discuss political issues in a racous but civilized way. It is a shame that these times are passed. And I have to say that while most of my friends who are republicans still have no problem having a beer and arguing about politics, my democrat friends, once they determine that you don't agree with them wholeheartedly, simply refuse to discuss the issues at all.
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Glad to see another fan of this show out there. You would think that with the interest in the Christopher Guest films, this would get a DVD resurrection. Kate and Allie makes it to DVD, wake me up when Mr. Belvedere calls.
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I thought those three elements went together perfectly, but to each their own. Moriarty -- will you review the movie once you watch it? I'm curious on your take.
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IMHO this was the best of the Masters of Horror series. There is a good review in today's new DVD section on the NYtimes online. This was a provocative, funny, ultimately moving masterpiece. As the Times noted, it had more sheer goodness in it than any dozen major Hollywood films released last year.As he did with Gremlins, Dante has taken a basically tired genere (zombies) and exploded it in genuinely interesting ways. As someone on the wall about the Iraq war, I nonetheless enjoyed this insanely anti-war tract, which made me think about and reconsider my opinions. You can't ask for more than that from a one hour horror flick.
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What's weird about this book is that you can, more or less, replace its references to the "Zionists" with just about any organized group you're paranoid about and it still sounds convincing. It's been done with Masons, Communists, even Wiccans in place of the Zionists. Some sort of conspiracy-theory archetype going around I guess. It's fuccan nuts.
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Grabbed it yesterday from C City, and the box informed me I was in for 70 minutes of CGI coolness, only to find 20 freakin' minutes of cool digital bits !!!
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