Yes, I watched it.
15 years ago
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Television's Worst Doctors
- Dr. Nick - The Simpsons - "Inflammable means flammable? What a country!"
- Dr. Wordsmith - Arrested Development - "It looks like he's dead ... he's covered in blue paint or something"
- Dr. Stein - Arrested Development - The best doctor in southern California, the state, and the world.
- Dr. Leo Spacemen - 30 Rock - Got his M.D. from the Ho Chi Minh City School of Medicine. I will let Wikipedia describe his best work: A) injects the GE Chairman with a placebo, B) doesn't know where Geiss' heart is "because it's different for everybody", C) can't decide whether to call 411 or 911, and D) calls 411 to get information about "diabetes repair".
- Dr. Zoidberg - Futurama - "I don't trust that doctor. I bet I lost more patients than he has ever treated!"
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The Pixar Low-Point
All Pixar films have one common scene where the protagonist hits a low-point and feels all is loss. Often following this there is the hint of hope which progresses the story to the climax and conclusion. I will call this the Obama Moment. This is true for many story arches but the similar emotional resonance of a scene in WALL-E and Finding Nemo coupled with the 90 minutes before I can leave work have motivated me to reminisce on every Pixar film.
Toy Story
Low-Point: Buzz learns he is a toy and cannot fly. Woody fears he will never see Andy again.
Obama Moment: No real Obama moment. Their hope comes a bit later when they meet the deformed toys i.e. baby head on Erector set spider legs that rotates its head Exorcist style.
A Bug's Life
Low-Point: The ant colony learns that David Foley and his army of carnies are frauds.
Obama Moment: Little girl ant shows David Foley she learned the valuable lesson of perseverance which invigorates Foley to return to his original plan of fighting the grasshoppers. Sort of lame because the scene is structured as if Foley made some new realization when all he does is return to do what he was going to do all along. However, of late I have formed a new found respect for Pixar's sophomore effort and have denounced Antz because AVClub told me to.
Toy Story II
Low-Point: I don't remember this too well. It is either Woody fearing he will never see Andy again or some mortality fear.
Monster's Inc.
Low-Point: Crystal and Goodman are banished to the Arctic.
Obama Moment: Either the comedic appearance of the Yetti voiced by universal Pixarian actor John Ratzenberg or more appropriately Goodman learning that there is a closet door in the nearby village giving him hope that he can rescue Boo from Buscemi.
Finding Nemo
Low-Point: Brooks and Degeneres are facing death in the belly of a whale and Brooks accepting his failure to rescue his son/kid from Weeds.
Obama Moment: When Brooks takes a leap of faith and lets go causing him and Degeneres to be evacuated through the whale's blow hole. Arguably Pixar's most poignant moment.
The Incredibles
Low-Point: Lee blows up The Incredibles while The Guy From Coach listens helplessly.
Obama Moment: We learn that The Incredibles survived the crash through a humorous scene where Holly Hunter becomes a parachute. I may have the chronology wrong on this.
Cars
Low-Point: Why?????? Perfect streak then you release this contrived film. But, I guess it is the moment when Owen Wilson is discovered by the media and returns to his old life.
Obama Moment: When all of the Small Town Cars show up at Owen Wilson's big race. (sigh) In Pixar's defense, this is the best possible movie inspired by NASCAR and a Chevron commercial.
Rataouille
Low-Point: When they discover Remi the rat was behind all of the cooking and the staff abandons Protagonist.
Obama Moment: When Remi's family accepts Remi and helps in the kitchen and when Jeane Garofalo returns (worst voice acting in Pixar's history).
WALL-E
Low-Point: WALL-E is fatally damaged and resists EVE's help saying they must follow through with the directive.
Obama Moment: EVE realizes that completing the directive can also save WALL-E.
In other Pixar news, Up looks to be their most mature and depressing film yet (and that is saying something after producing a post-apocalyptic film).
Toy Story
Low-Point: Buzz learns he is a toy and cannot fly. Woody fears he will never see Andy again.
Obama Moment: No real Obama moment. Their hope comes a bit later when they meet the deformed toys i.e. baby head on Erector set spider legs that rotates its head Exorcist style.
A Bug's Life
Low-Point: The ant colony learns that David Foley and his army of carnies are frauds.
Obama Moment: Little girl ant shows David Foley she learned the valuable lesson of perseverance which invigorates Foley to return to his original plan of fighting the grasshoppers. Sort of lame because the scene is structured as if Foley made some new realization when all he does is return to do what he was going to do all along. However, of late I have formed a new found respect for Pixar's sophomore effort and have denounced Antz because AVClub told me to.
Toy Story II
Low-Point: I don't remember this too well. It is either Woody fearing he will never see Andy again or some mortality fear.
Monster's Inc.
Low-Point: Crystal and Goodman are banished to the Arctic.
Obama Moment: Either the comedic appearance of the Yetti voiced by universal Pixarian actor John Ratzenberg or more appropriately Goodman learning that there is a closet door in the nearby village giving him hope that he can rescue Boo from Buscemi.
Finding Nemo
Low-Point: Brooks and Degeneres are facing death in the belly of a whale and Brooks accepting his failure to rescue his son/kid from Weeds.
Obama Moment: When Brooks takes a leap of faith and lets go causing him and Degeneres to be evacuated through the whale's blow hole. Arguably Pixar's most poignant moment.
The Incredibles
Low-Point: Lee blows up The Incredibles while The Guy From Coach listens helplessly.
Obama Moment: We learn that The Incredibles survived the crash through a humorous scene where Holly Hunter becomes a parachute. I may have the chronology wrong on this.
Cars
Low-Point: Why?????? Perfect streak then you release this contrived film. But, I guess it is the moment when Owen Wilson is discovered by the media and returns to his old life.
Obama Moment: When all of the Small Town Cars show up at Owen Wilson's big race. (sigh) In Pixar's defense, this is the best possible movie inspired by NASCAR and a Chevron commercial.
Rataouille
Low-Point: When they discover Remi the rat was behind all of the cooking and the staff abandons Protagonist.
Obama Moment: When Remi's family accepts Remi and helps in the kitchen and when Jeane Garofalo returns (worst voice acting in Pixar's history).
WALL-E
Low-Point: WALL-E is fatally damaged and resists EVE's help saying they must follow through with the directive.
Obama Moment: EVE realizes that completing the directive can also save WALL-E.
In other Pixar news, Up looks to be their most mature and depressing film yet (and that is saying something after producing a post-apocalyptic film).
Fall Movies I am Looking Forward To
AKA What I saw in the EW Fall Movie Preview edition.
Synecdoche, New York - Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut. That alone is more than enough. The definition of synecdoche per Wikipedia is :
- a term denoting a part of something is used to refer to the whole thing, or
- a term denoting a thing (a "whole") is used to refer to part of it, or
- a term denoting a specific class of thing is used to refer to a larger, more general class, or
- a term denoting a general class of thing is used to refer to a smaller, more specific class, or
- a term denoting a material is used to refer to an object composed of that material.
- Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - errr delayed to 2009. Opps.
- Frost/Nixon - Based on the play, dir. Ron Howard. I won't hold that against it though.
- Burn After Reading - Coen brother's return to Raising Arizona slapstick.
- Australia - Baz Luhrman's first movie since Moulin Rouge! That alone is enough.
- Quantum of Solace - Urgh, dir. Marc Forster of Finding Neverland. Interesting factoid, it is the first Bond movie that is a true sequel.
- Two Clint Eastwood movies, one sounds better than the other.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Arrested Development's Longest Self-Reference
"Afternoon Delight" from season 2 starts out with the Banana Stand being destroyed with "I get you Bluth!" graffiti'ed on the side. Who on the show speaks in such broken English? Annyong! In the series finale, season 3, we learn that Annyong was spying on the Bluth's to seek revenge on Lucille who stole Annyong's father's banana stand idea.
I am astounded that after seeing each episode half-a-dozen times I still pick up new references. Arrested Development is basically The Bible Code. All of life's mysteries are answered on this show if you only look close enough.
I am astounded that after seeing each episode half-a-dozen times I still pick up new references. Arrested Development is basically The Bible Code. All of life's mysteries are answered on this show if you only look close enough.
The Batman = The George Bush
Batman is George Bush (despite what AVClub says). He tortures and spies on people with no regard to the law. (The torture was unnecessary and was a tactic by The Joker to get The Batman to sell out his values i.e. bin Laden got us to sell out American values). And the movie concludes saying The Batman is not going to be popular and is no hero i.e. Bush's extremely low approval ratings. However, we still need The Batman to do the dirty work i.e. Jack Baurer i.e.^2 Dick Cheney. So they are basically saying Bush superficially seems evil but he is doing the necessary work to protect us. An unusually conservative message for a Hollywood movie.
I would have preferred the movie ending with The Batman realizing his hardcore vigilantism actually does more harm than good despite his good intentions. TDK initially has this message with Alfred telling The Bruce Wayne that he created The Joker and his followers by "pounding them, and in their desperation they followed a man they didn't fully understand" i.e. our violent actions abroad have indirectly created more terrorists. As for Harvey Dent.... I guess in my interpretation he would be the left-wing trying to solve terrorism the legal route with diplomacy but we are basically hypocrites and if we were ever directly affected by terrorists we would sell out our values.
I would have preferred the movie ending with The Batman realizing his hardcore vigilantism actually does more harm than good despite his good intentions. TDK initially has this message with Alfred telling The Bruce Wayne that he created The Joker and his followers by "pounding them, and in their desperation they followed a man they didn't fully understand" i.e. our violent actions abroad have indirectly created more terrorists. As for Harvey Dent.... I guess in my interpretation he would be the left-wing trying to solve terrorism the legal route with diplomacy but we are basically hypocrites and if we were ever directly affected by terrorists we would sell out our values.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
McCain's poor celeb choices
Much has been made of John McCain's pointless "Celeb" political ad featuring Britney Spears and Paris Hilton juxtaposed with Obama (I don't think a political ad has been so shallow with its juxtapositions since the bin Laden/Cleveland ads by the great senator from Georgia Mr. Saxby "I didn't serve in Vietnam and lose three limbs" Chambliss (which was beautifully parodied on The Simpsons with a political ad featuring a senator sharing a milkshake with bin Laden)).
What I find interesting is McCain not choosing the typical celebrity targets of the right-wing: Penn, Robins, Sarandon, Garafelo. Instead, he chooses Spears and Hilton, who may be the GOP's most famous supporters. First, you have Spears who in addition to having origins in the GOP's patented blue-collar-salt-of-the-earth-heart-of-America is also infamous for proclaiming her blind support of President Bush in a clip featured in Fahrenheit 9/11. Next you have Paris Hilton, whose parents, The Daily Show revealed, gave the maximum amount to McCain's campaign. Not only that but Hilton is appearing in a right-wing parody of Michael Moore movie directed by Airplane diretor David Zucker. (Come on David "Scary Movie III/IV; My Boss' Daughter I am so washed up" Zucker, is Michael Moore really the best target the right-wing has? That is so 2004)
So, in conclusion, good job John McCain for alienating half of the Republican celebrity base (you still got Willis and that other dude). The GOP convention could have used some Spears controversy to at least give you some relevance.
What I find interesting is McCain not choosing the typical celebrity targets of the right-wing: Penn, Robins, Sarandon, Garafelo. Instead, he chooses Spears and Hilton, who may be the GOP's most famous supporters. First, you have Spears who in addition to having origins in the GOP's patented blue-collar-salt-of-the-earth-heart-of-America is also infamous for proclaiming her blind support of President Bush in a clip featured in Fahrenheit 9/11. Next you have Paris Hilton, whose parents, The Daily Show revealed, gave the maximum amount to McCain's campaign. Not only that but Hilton is appearing in a right-wing parody of Michael Moore movie directed by Airplane diretor David Zucker. (Come on David "Scary Movie III/IV; My Boss' Daughter I am so washed up" Zucker, is Michael Moore really the best target the right-wing has? That is so 2004)
So, in conclusion, good job John McCain for alienating half of the Republican celebrity base (you still got Willis and that other dude). The GOP convention could have used some Spears controversy to at least give you some relevance.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
