Male Restroom Etiquette - ghettofob.com A Sims-ish short film that takes the basics ... don't use a urinal adjacent to a urinal in use, don't talk, etc... and takes it to a a whole new level.
What I Like Most About This Review ... of Yo La Tengo's "I Am Not Afraid of You And I Will Beat Your Ass" isn't that it praises the album, which is praiseworthy if not one that I think would make new listeners love the band, rather it's how huge the picture of the reviewer is in the article.
I imagine this will be fixed, so if you follow the link and it's a normal sized picture, well ... I don't know what to tell you.
Think Progress » VIDEO: Clinton Sets The Record Straight On Terrorism, Smacks Down Fox News It really is time the Democrats stopped playing lapdogs and fought back. Trying to be civil obviously gets you nowhere with the right wing attack dogs. The Republicans, for all their bluster, are making the world less safe and that needs to be pointed out until it sinks in.
Is It Just Me or Does This Boyle Character Sound a Bit Like Bill Frist?
We're paticularly fond of the work of Robert Boyle, whose ethics board-baiting 17th century research includes "Observables upon a monstrous head" and "Whether a fierce dog stocked with the blood of a cowardly dog may not become more tame?"
A Message to You, Ska Fan If you're jonesing for some fresh ska-dub-rockin' then you could do far worse than picking up a copy of The Stolen Records "Basement Songs" at CDFreedom.com. If CDFreedom sells out, try CDbaby.com. I don't know if you'll find it anywhere else, it's one of those little indie things not on iTunes ... nor even at Newbury Comics.
RIYL: Hepcat, The Slackers, Weaker Youth Ensemble, Steady Earnest.
... Or Are You Just Happy to See Me? This was not me. Excerpt:
Mulloy made it through customs, but his friend Robert Cusack was stopped by customs agents after an exotic bird flew out of his suitcase. He then admitted he had two pygmy monkeys in his pants ...
"Mulloy got through the screening process," Thom Mrozek of the U.S. Attorney's Office said. "Perhaps because of the excitement at the discovery of the monkeys."
It just sounds like a scene from a Marx Brothers movie. Shake Harpo's hand and see what else comes out of his pants.
Top Ten Dumbest Secret Identities. Tony Stark/Iron Man is on the list but not for wearing an entire suit of armor under his clothes, a trick that didn't even work for Gopher on Love Boat.
Mess With the Bull Well, the much anticipated (on my part) debut of the remodelled Trek got the horns. Fox's coverage of Bull Riding, I kid you not, ran long. They joined Trek in progress about 35 minutes or so in. What I saw looked OK, the changes weren't jarring, the stars, starships, and phaser fire just looked better. I didn't see any enhancements to the viewscreens around the bridge, or anything added to crumbling of the Romulan bridge scene. Maybe I'll catch it from the beginning next week. Of course, if they keep the same timeslot, it'll be right after football, so it's likely to be joined in progress again. Raw deal.
I really need Bledsoe to have a better week than last or my fantasy team is in trouble. Not too metion another bad week could mean Romo starts seeing time. (Update: Bledsoe did just fine, but nobody else on my team came through. Bunch of sad sacks.)
The Pluckiest Companion Sarah Jane Smith to get her own Who spin-off. Too much of a good thing, what with Torchwood and the K-9 shows also coming soon? Nah. I guess it's to Sladen's benefit the Rose spin-off didn't come together.
Ouch. Personally, I liked Garden State. No one should be touting it as "movie of a generation" or anything, but it wasn't a bad movie. Also, Scrubs? Not a bad show at all. Zach Braff has talent. I wouldn't question that. Still, Ten Easy Steps to Making a Zach Braff Movie is pretty damn funny. Maybe you shouldn't visit if you want to see his upcoming movie.
The Impolite Phrase is "Impeachable Offense" Olbermann skewers W's shameful use of the 5th anniversary of 9/11 to continue spinning his indefensible war.
Worth keeping in mind: the 9/11 attacks happened on W's watch, not Clinton's; five years later Osama is still free; Ground Zero is still a hole in the ground; terrorism is not the biggest problem we face -- I'd feel much more secure if my tax dollars were being funneled into cancer research, fighting poverty, and improving our public schools than wasted on invasions and occupations; and yet W wants to stay the course, continue centralizing power, continue enlarging the federal government, continue shredding the Constitution, and maybe destroy Social Security if he can find the time.
This morning, Olbermann joined Dennis & Callahan's Axis of Terrorist Appeasing Evil. I want my apolitical sports radio back!!
There Goes Any Interest I Had in seeing The Black Dahlia or Hollywoodland. Some very lackluster reviews for what I was optimistically hoping would be a nice little neo-noir double dip.
Coalition of the ... How'd that go again? Are we all aware that our "ally" Pakistan has signed a treaty with the resurgent Taliban stating that Osama is a free man if any of the signees know where he is? (Do you think they used little "wink, wink" emoticons?)
Anyway, support the war, no appeasement, grand coalition, etc., etc. ...
Page to Screen After seeing the eerie trailer for Little Children, I'm looking forward to it much more than I was just based on the book. The book's by Tom Perrotta, who wrote the brilliant Election - basis for the equally brilliant movie. But Little Children, the book, is only partially as good. The adulterous relationship that clicks the plot in motion just sort of happens. No reason or chemistry. Also the creepy elements of the book never seem to really jell with the satirical elements. Election was pitch perfect on this, but Little Children has the elements kind of side by side. From what I can tell, Director Todd Field - who did the terrific adaptation of In the Bedroom - solves these problems two ways. First, Jennifer Connelly looks kind of like Demi Moore during the bangs phase, easily explaining the husband's desire to run away with Kate Winslet. Also, based on the trailer, there's no overt comedy here, which is probably for the best. Can't wait.
The trailer is also a study in marketing. Watch it and you have no idea that a pedophile on the loose is a major part of the plot. (They've kept it in, I can tell by the pool scene.) Adulterous sex with Kate Winslet sells. Creepy pedophile neighbors, not so much.
The Black Dahlia, I'll watch, but I'm not looking forward to. Brian DePalma should maybe stay away from femme fatale type things for a while. Maybe forever. Also, just think of the tough cops in L.A. Confidential, also based on a James Ellroy book. Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, Kevin Spacey. Would the name Josh Hartnett follow? Except maybe if they did some kind of "L.A. Confidential, coming soon to the W.B.!"
Fast Food Nation. I picked up this book thinking I'd skim a few pages and I wound up devouring the whole thing in a way I used to devour chicken nuggets circa 1986. It would be a slam dunk as a documentary, but they've decided to fictionalize it. The trailer, however, features a pretty funny Greg Kinnear. Make me laugh, tell me how gross the burgers I don't eat are, and I'll like your movie.
I caught the trailer for Fast Food Nation in front of Little Miss Sunshine, which was not based on a book but on a surprisingly clunky screenplay. Dysfunctional family parade, dysfunctions made funny, dysfunctions explained with a few tears. Welcome to indie movie 101. Yet ... I laughed a whole lot. The cast makes this movie much better than it might otherwise be. Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carrell and Alan Arkin are just masterful. The two kids deserve even more credit, being kids and all. There are enough really funny scenes that you can overlook some of the problematic bits. You may be laughing so hard at the final scene you don't really notice that the idea behind it is kind of schizo and a pedophile gets the big laugh (that he probably won't get in Little Children). Few movies deliver more than you expect, and Little Miss Sunshine does.
I can recommend all these books and, so far, one movie.
