R.I.P. Carl Weathers

So sad to hear that Carl Weathers has passed. He was in some favorites (and I almost posted the image of Chubbs in heaven with the alligator and Abe Lincoln from HAPPY GILMORE, and either discretion or the fact that I couldn’t find a large enough image in a good format won over), and from everything I’ve seen was an all-around beloved guy. He will be missed.

In My Day, Part 87

I grew up during an era when that dam was going to break. It was just a matter of time and poor decision-making on the part of local businessmen cutting costs on materials, foremen who didn’t believe you might know more than them, and/or politicians with questionable side deals. Sure, sometimes acts of nature were to blame, but there were always the aforementioned issues making things worse.

Cute Cinema Couples, Part 47

In Robert Mandel’s terrific F/X (1986), cops Brian Dennehy and Jossie DeGuzman are perfectly adorable together in, what, one scene? Missed opportunities…

Lars von Triers' NYMPHOMANIAC

For when you like your protracted horny escapades to be rife with dark comedy and depression. Kudos.

"Jesus and His lawyer are coming back."

I can tell you from experience that having a gastroenterologist with equal senses of kindness and humor is a wonderful thing.

(The lyric in the title has nothing to do with my doctor; I heard Eels’ “Novocaine for the Soul” on the radio today and it made me feel good. I am currently listening to my favorite of their albums, SOULJACKER, while typing this.)

(And this image from A LETTER TO MOMO also has nothing to do with it, I just know that text-only posts can seem dull.)

Philip Glass Solo

A few months back the rare giddiness arrived with the news of a new Peter Gabriel album; today it took hold again, as I learned of new Philip Glass. Philip Glass Solo, just the man and his piano. And it’s everything you’d want it to be.

Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle

I’ve gone back and watched the full “Childhood” episode from the 4th series of Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle, and it’s locked in: this is one of the best comedians I’ve watched in my 59 years.

Now, the trick is: where do I find Region 1 or region-free DVD’s of the show…because I will pay good money for more of this stuff.

Stewart Lee

Last night I stumbled across a clip of a comedian chastising his audience for not getting a joke, then going on a rant about the vast body of dead comedians for whom the audience was to blame. It was kind of genius, and not just because it seemed completely off-the-cuff.

That was Stewart Lee.

So I searched him and found a 2004 special called STAND UP COMEDIAN, which was one of those shows where you realize you’ve found something really special…only I was 20 years late.

But I loved it. You can find it on YouTube.

Val Guest's THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE

I'm pretty sure I saw this film as a small child, when weekly sci-fi programs had my rapt attention. But admittedly, I was too young to fully grasp the horror on display.

Director Val Guest’s 1961 entry is, from this now-59-year-old’s POV, a *fucking banger* of a film. An almost constant stream of banter, often between newspaper reporters and editors working through their latest stories, as a global nightmare unfolds. In fact, it's a great example of journalism cinema. At once urgent and uncertain, the film lays down an unexpectedly thrilling and engaging foundation for all that follows in just a matter of minutes. And with it, an undercurrent of truly horrific proportions. When the ultimate truth comes to the surface, an editor's office filled with newspapermen stare drop-jawed as a worse-becomes-worst development is announced, and the film attains that level of brilliance that few science-fiction films have.

I'm not fully familiar with Guest's work...I've only seen five of his films (well, 4 1/4 if you count CASINO ROYALE appropriately). But if this one is any indication, I have, perhaps, been missing out.

A masterpiece. Log it, five stars, Letterboxd.

(I viewed the film as part of January's influx of great programs on The Criterion Channel. I highly recommend seeking it out.)

Sic Semper Moranis

I hate that I didn’t realize the greatness of Rick Moranis until I was in my 50s. I was not a regular SCTV viewer, but I knew him from the Bob & Doug album and a handful of films where I liked him just fine. Today in an article about the dreaded AI version of George Carlin, someone responded that Moranis did a dead-on Carlin impersonation. So, I searched “Moranis as Carlin” on YouTube, and these were the first four responses.

Now, Mint ad aside, all three are excellent. Moranis as Carlin, Moranis as obnoxious movie exec, Moranis as Woody Allen in TAXI DRIVER.

(I’m going to recommend MY BLUE HEAVEN, a 1990 comedy with Steve Martin that is far more enjoyable than I had been led to believe. Moranis plays the straight man to Martin’s mobster. It’s a lot of fun.)

R.I.P. Mike Nussbaum

“Now, I come into your candy store and give you twenty dollars in singles…”

Aw, man…I just read that Mike Nussbaum passed away last week. He was one of my favorite players in HOUSE OF GAMES, David Mamet’s excellent 1987 film. Nussbaum’s Joey explaining a simple con to Lindsay Crouse’s tightly-wound psychiatrist is so much fun, and for me it is in no small part due to how casual the shady characters are about the work. Greatness.

The Criterion Collection: ZATOICHI Box Set

If there is a favorite New Thing from the past month, it is Criterion’s exquisite box set of all 25 ZATOICHI films, from the acclaimed Japanese series that ran from 1962 to 1973. It is beautifully rendered, from the artwork to the format. It has heft. I love it.

I'm Back!

Well, in the span of the last ten days I’ve seen three films in theaters following a 45-month gap.

Now I just need movies worth going to watch, and it’s a step away from the driest season cinema has…so we’ll see…

R.I.P. Tom Wilkinson

We lost one of the great ones this week. Tom Wilkinson was always on point & memorable in films that had amazing casts surrounding him. It’s a very sad loss for cinema.

All those kids in your acting class, see how many of them know his work, then send them away to watch every clip of him they can find.

His fleet opening scene in THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL is so wonderful it makes me weep.

STRANGE DAYS

I’ve wanted to watch Kathryn Bigelow’s STRANGE DAYS (2001) for years now…it always seems to be on the service I don’t use. It’s been on Max for ages, and I quit them roughly the week before it showed up there, I think. To compound issues, physical copies of the film seem hard to come by.

And the more I think about it, I don’t know if I saw it when it first came out. One of those films where I’ve seen certain clips so many times I may have Mandela’d myself on this one.

Don’t make me purchase an international Blu-ray, folks. That’s always a 12-sided die role for disappointment.

But this cast…I am transfixed…

JD McPherson Made My Christmas (Better)

On the drive over to my mother’s home Christmas morning, the local station was playing a really excellent mix of non-traditional Christmas songs. Among them was JD McPherson’s “Holly, Carol, Candy & Joy”, which may just be my new favorite holiday banger. From his Christmas album Socks, the jubilant ditty is a nifty mix of good cheer, old-school rock, sly wordplay, and really tight, effective musicianship. Kudos! (Check it out.)