Jan
04
2011

True Grit…Now Added To My All Time Favorites List

I love movies, just do. It’s that simple, so there is a list of movies that I can watch over & over again.

Back to back in like a marathon, just keep the popcorn, drinks & bathroom breaks coming.

It’s a short list too:

  • Blazing Saddles
  • Once Upon A Time In The West
  • El Cid
  • Tombstone
  • The Matrix

I can now add the Coen brothers version of True Grit to this list.

The thing I like about the above list, except for Blazing Saddles, is the epic telling of the story (OK…Blazing Saddles also has an epic story too, but that’s almost another post in itself).

This version of True Grit is the book version through and through. Unlike the version which highlights John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn this version follows the book – which is the exploits of Miss Mattie Ross and how the ‘True Grit’ she looks for in the people she enlists to help her avenge her father’s killer is, in fact, all in her.

What makes Jeff Bridges performance in the move so epic is that he had some tall shoes to fill. I mean, seriously, he was reprising a renown John Wayne role! What I found fantastic is that he made the role more ‘real’ than John Wayne ever could. I think even the Duke would admit that the role was turned over, like Heath Ledger did to Jack Nicholson in his role as the Joker…the better actor has come to take the role as their own.

In the end, this film is impressive in many ways, it’s attention to detail (like Tombstone, someone did their period homework), the acting and the scope of the movie as it lovingly follows the book – right to the actual ending is just grand.

I will watch this again in the theater and I will be waiting for the directors cut special edition.

There won’t be any pussyfootin’ around with no theatrical version here. Naw sir!

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Written by Karl in: Art,Entertainment |
Jul
24
2009

35 Years Old & Still Cool

Death Wish is still a great action thriller 35 years later.

Years before as Howard Beale (played by Peter Finch) shouted, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore!” in the movie Network, Charles Bronson’s Paul Kersey was already there. Death Wish, among other things is a gritty, unflinching look at the urban violence America faced in the 1970s. Paul Kersey, a well to do Architect, discovers his wife murdered and his daughter raped and beaten by unknown intruders.

In an interesting twist on movie convention, Kersey doesn’t seek revenge by going after the men who destroyed his family: he goes after any and all criminals. Bronson’s portrayal of an average guy who, in stages, progresses from amateur to super-vigilante, is very credible. The psychological complexities are intriguing. On one level, he can’t let go of the past, so he continues his rampage yet he berates his son-in-law for not letting go. The every man conditoin that is sprung from the trauma makes sense. His daytime self is normal, while his nighttime self is bloodthirsty.

There is also an ethical complexity to this film. We all know that vigilantism only promotes chaos and anarchy. We know we need a police department to enforce our laws. However, what happens when that law enforcement becomes bogged down by red tape, overwork, and apathy? Paul Kersey did seek justice through proper channels, harrassing the police to move more quickly on the case. It was when that avenue failed that a business trip out west, meeting men who still revel in the old ways of “cowboy justice” convince him to take the law into his own hands.

Again, a very logical reason for his becoming a vigilante and the viewer (already feeling sorry for his losses) cannot help but root for him no matter how wrong we should think it is.

Death Wish, for all it’s violence (and it was pretty graphic for its time) is a disturbing and complex movie. There were many films of the 70′s that tried in vain to have depth, but the social commentary that Death Wish delivers regarding urban violence is very thought provoking…and still poignant.

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Written by Karl in: Entertainment |
Mar
08
2009

Shatner…The Singer?!?

Not since I had heard William Shatner sing “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” on the Album The Transformed Man had I thought that Shatner could outdo himself. I was wrong. Witness for yourself the man that was the actor turned singer before Patrick Swayze & She’s Like the Wind.

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Written by Karl in: Entertainment,Weird |
Feb
02
2009

The Comcast Porn “Fluke” – NOT SAFE FOR WORK!

I case you hadn’t heard, certain Comcast customers in Tucson, AZ go to watch more that the superbowl last night.

Can it really be called a “fluke” when the loosing team does an upset and all of a sudden there’s a switch to a video of a huge, flapping penis in the team’s home town?

As the story goes…just after Larry Fitzgerald’s heroic comeback touchdown for the Arizona Cardinals, the video feed abruptly switched to a scene from Comcast’s “Club Jenna Channel” treating viewers to the sight of some porn star swinging his schlong around insanely for a few seconds.

Comcast has stated that engineers are working tirelessly to figure out what happened, but haven’t yet come up with an explanation.

My money is that because it was in Arizona just after the upset, it’s more than a glitch or even human error. That just had to be deliberate (ala Fight Club).

So without further ado…here is the video. WARNING THIS VIDEO CONTAINS NUDITY AND STUPID PORN DIALOG!

Get the Flash Player to see this content.


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Written by Karl in: Entertainment,Humor,News |
Jan
31
2009

See The New Star Trek Movie Commercial NOW!

Thanks to my pals at the Trek Movie twitter page (http://twitter.com/TrekMovie) I was turned on to the early release of the new Star Trek Movie commercial that will be aired during the Superbowl.

This commercial ROCKS!

http://trekmovie.com/2009/01/31/new-star-trek-super-bowl-commercial-online/

Can’t wait for the movie!

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Written by Karl in: Entertainment |
Jan
31
2009

levarburton.com is online!

Levar Burton, (actor, director, & educator) has just created his own blog: http://levarburton.com/.

This is so cool to me as he is such a great mind which I feel is what makes him a great actor and director.

I will be looking forward to reading his posts and I have subscribed to his RSS feed.

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Written by Karl in: Announcements,Entertainment |
Jan
18
2009

Looks Like My Theory On BSG Has Some Creedence

So after watching BSG again…where it’s revaled that Ellen Tigh is the last of the final five and that the five were on Earth a couple of millennia ago I was reminded that my original BSG theory from a few years ago might have had some creedence to it!

About halfway through the first season of BattleStar Galactica, when the Cylons mentioned that “all of this has happened before and will happen again” I started thinking about what that meant. So I came up with a theory:

The Human race are the decendents of the original Cylons and that when they reach earth there would be only be two survivors – a man and woman to recreate the race.

Later as the series progressed I developed this theory:

The entire human race will be revealed to be Cylon.

The original human race on earth having been wiped out by the original Cylons long ago forgot what they were. They destroy earth (ravage/war/whatever) and the humans who leave earth to eventually establish the 12 colonies are non self-aware Cylons. They create “new Cylons” and start the cycle from this end of the universe.

As of now, I would like to give my final BGS theory:

The entire human race will be revealed to be Cylon.

The original human race of Earth were wiped out by the original Cylons long ago and the Cylons evolve. The surviving few leave earth and find Kobol. From there they recreate the human race and become the “Lords of Kobol.” They send these new non self-aware Cylons out to the universe and they establish the 12 colonies. As before they create “new Cylons” perpetuating the cycle of death and rebirth from this end of the universe. The cycles goes back & forth.

Kara, is a victim of the vortex, she is from another timeline/universe where she did survive.

So there is my theory, updated with the new information I learned from the BSG premier. We’ll see how close to the truth I am. I am not going to try and revise it since there are only 9 episodes left.

I just hope that they didn’t jump the shark as other people are touting.

Then again, as long as they don’t bring back John the “ships of lights” crap…I can’t honestly say they jumped the shark with this version.

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Written by Karl in: Entertainment |
Jan
16
2009

An Oldie But A Goodie!

A few of us were chatting about next week and I brought up this old video on youtube.


Steve Jobs introduces the iRack!

It was one of MadTV’s best skits and it’s still funny (and sad) now as it was when it aired.

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Written by Karl in: Entertainment,War..Then & Now |
Jan
05
2009

Found The Wolverine:Origins Trailer!

And it is BAD ASS!!!

http://www.myspace.com/x-menorigins

Opening May 2009. I know I’ll be there!

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Written by Karl in: Entertainment |
Dec
20
2008

Alaska Outlaw Playing Cards

Alaska Outlaw CardsOn the Big Alaska Show today I met Jason Hahn, creator of the Alaska Outlaw Playing Cards.

Based upon the infamous “Bush Cards” outlining all the characters of the Bush Administration, he has laid out our past & present outlaws…many of which I did not know were Alaskan (i.e. Robert Strout – the Birdman of Alcatraz).

Regardless. The cards are so cool (I especially loved the card for Floyd Kaleak) I will most likely buy a second set, so I can show off the cards while keeping a pristine set!

Unfortunately…the initial prinitng was so popular that they’re out.  Luckily, you can preorder for the next batch.

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Written by Karl in: Entertainment |
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