Trailers I really wanted to be optimistic before seeing the trailer for "The Darjeeling Limited," but having seen it, I'm just not feeling it. Much as I loved "Bottle Rocket" and "Rushmore," "Tenenbaums" felt like a bit of a step back and "Life Aquatic," while not full on disappointing, misfired. Not looking forward to the next Wes Anderson flick is a dispiriting experience.
Also looking less appealing than I'd hoped, the Coen's new one, "No Country For Old Men." Tangentially, "American master, Cormac McCarthy" ... really? I've only read "The Road," and if that's representative, I guess I can't imagine why anyone would want to read more? Am I way off base here?
Malkovich, Hopkins, and Jolie in "Beowulf" immediately suggested an alternate title: "Clash of the Hambones."
Oh, Jackie. ~shakes head wearily~ The next time you see Brett Ratner or Chris Tucker's name on your caller ID, chuck the phone in the nearest body of water and get a new number. I could link to the "Rush Hour 3" trailer, but what would be the point? On the other hand, "Dynamite Warrior" might satisfy the martial arts/actioner jones.
Anybody see "The Simpsons" yet? I gave up on the show a few seasons ago, but find myself singing Spider Pig, Spider Pig, does whatever a Spider Pig does quite a bit.
I get a double shot of depression from the Michael Vick story>. The first shot is obvious - the stupid brutality of dog fighting. The debate around this story also depresses me. The question should not be "Should the NFL suspend him?" The question should be "Should the NFL suspend him after he gets out of jail?" (And the answer is yes.)
Deadly Arts Redux When I first saw Deadly Arts, I wished for a different host, and the History Channel has delivered -- Human Weapon puts a couple of guys (an MMA fighter and an ex-football player) in some of the same environs as Josette, but they're more able to compete against the fighters. The first episode is about Muay Thai.
I Feel Like I Ought to be Appalled ... But I really like the amped up version of Squeeze's "Goodbye Girl" in the Under Armour commercial. According to the website, Squeeze actually rerecorded the song. I'd like to hear the full version, not just the 30 second snippet.
The Princess Bride 20 Years Later ABC News has then and now photos. Another one of those tedious reminder milestones that I am as old now as when my parents (hopelessly out of touch dinosaurs, yeah?) were when I was teenager. The other movies that leap to mind as my favorites from that year are: The Untouchables, The Living Daylights, Robocop, and Planes, Trains & Automobiles ("Those aren't pillows!"). (I thought Die Hard was 1987, but a quick check of IMDB reminds me that was 1988.)
In 1987, movies turning 20 were Bonnie & Clyde, You Only Live Twice, The Graduate, The Dirty Dozen, and Cool Hand Luke. It's mildly interesting to compare what made the 1967 movies seem dated (aside from the obvious music, hair and clothing styles) in 1987 to what makes the 1987 movies seem dated now and identify what will make 2007 movies look laughable in 2027 ... wildly unconvincing, jarringly incongruent CGI leaps to mind first. The persistence of James Bond is notable as well. Already 5 or so films deep in 1967, one of my favorite movies of last year was Daniel Craig's first outing as Bond. 45 years of a feature film franchise built around a single character is stunning.
We're already hearing - for those who couldn't figure it out - that we will fall far short of the goals Bush laid out for the surge/escalation, meeting "not a single goal." First Bush rejects anyone else's (already low) standards or expectations and, in fact, sneers at them. Then he proposes his own (corrupt and artificial and lower) goals as superior. Then he fails to meet them and will probably retroactively creat a third set of goals that he will have to lie to pretend to have met better than expected. I couldn't come up with a better motif of the W years.
Bands inspired by the Harry Potter books are probably busy right now. I actually have a couple of songs in iTunes by Harry and the Potters, but nothing by Draco and the Malfoys. Any girl group looking to form should grab the name The Weird Sisters before it's taken.
Who wipes away Libby's prison time? The accountability president. The "restore integrity to the White House" president. The Fitzgerald prosecution, already sort of empty in my book because it did not charge as criminals Rove and Cheney, just got a little emptier.
W and Libby partisans will moan about how he still has the guilty verdict and the fine and lost his job, etc. Still, it occurs to me that Valerie Plame lost her job through the actions of Libby, Cheney and Rove and her job - helping to keep the country safe from WMDs - was a hell of a lot more important than Libby's job of propping up the worst administration ever.
Anyway, only complete scandal fatigue and the absolute fanatical devotion of the right-wing base can keep W above 25% now.
