#509 - It’s Impossible Not to Make Money Part 1
(Time: 19:37)
LINKIES
Am I Wrong for Loving You - Laura Lambert
Trees - Matthew Ebel
Call in and leave a voicemail for the show! 206-202-3644 or 281-394-4952
You remember what a BBS was? You know, the bulletin board system - the precursor of the Internet. Before there was Yahoo! and MySpace, before Ebay and Amazon, there was a network of these dial-up bulletin board systems.
Most of them were run by folks like me. I had an efficiency apartment (my first place in Houston) and next to my bed sat a computer connected to the extra phone line… this was Good Sports BBS. That’s right… I ran one of the most popular bulletin boards around. This sports-themed online community featured online games, chat rooms, message boards, fantasy sports, and even sports memorabilia auctions.
It is weird in that I met some of my friends through Good Sports BBS. This was in a time long before anything as exciting as video or even pictures were available online. The height of our media sharing in those days were ascii graphics (if you have to ask… never mind.) One of the biggest successes was a self-running electronic newsletter that people downloaded and played on their computer called “Digital Echo News.” It featured editorials (of course) by myself, submissions from other citizen journalists, digital art, and all manner of tech news. I sure wish I could find an old copy.
The reason I bring all of this up is not to lament that I had the mechanics of an Ebay or Amazon long before the web was invented… no, its just that I noticed my only surviving remnant from that time - one lone tshirt. On my wall still hangs the only remaining tshirt from those early days. These were given out as prizes for winning things like the fantasy league or just sold so my users could show the world that they were indeed uber-geeks.
Now, twenty years later… I am still connected via the same wires (albeit faster,) still bringing disparate people together to form communities, and still surfing on the edge of the newest geek stuff. The more things change…
Its that time again… time to give you the real skinny on what to expect from some of the upcoming films. This, my friends, is the film gospel according to Chris… mark my words!
1 - Black Snake Moan - this one looks like too much fun… but then so did Snakes on a Plane. I am very hopeful though.
2 - Spider-Man 3 - This actually looks like the best of the three… and this is coming from a guy that hated the whole Venom storyline in the Spidey books. I saw a preview though.. and was sold on the fact that Marvel’s most successful comic-to-film franchise is going to live up to its predecessors.
3 - Resident Evil: Extinction - I know, I know… this is a total shocker. What can I say? I enjoy this franchise… its pure scifi schlock and doesn’t pretend to be anything else.
4 - Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - I was really upset with the first Fantastic Four movie. They screwed with the storyline, they screwed with the characters, they screwed with the rules of making an interesting film. Add to that the fact that I have never liked the Silver Surfer character and what possible reason could I have for liking it? I don’t know… I think I was sold by the preview. The Silver Surfer looked amazing. I think the special effects will go a long way toward making this one watchable.
5 - 300 - This you can write down… 300 ROCKS!! The previews alone are so completely amazing that Dave mentions he even backs up the commercials on his DVR to watch them over and over. I saw the full theatrical trailer at the AMC last Saturday and was shocked at how great it looked.
6 & 7 - Grindhouse - Two full-length horror films combined into one great event! One directed by Quentin Tarantino (Death Proof) and the other by Robert Rodriguez (Planet Terror,) I can hardly wait!
8 - Wild Hogs - This one looks so bad that it isn’t worth the words I have used here.
9 - Zodiac - I absolutely love the whole story of the Zodiac Killer (ask me about my affinity toward serial killers some day) but I have heard that they totally screwed up the story. It sounds like their efforts to “hollywoodize” (did I just make up a term?) the real story, they ignored those little things called facts. I still have hope though.
10 - Shooter - It seems like after Mark Wahlberg makes a couple of great films, he finds one of those “cash in” scripts and turns out a piece of garbage. Welcome to garbage time. I remember this story when it was called Commando… or a hundred other “you were a great soldier… we need you back for one mission… or we’ll kill your family” films.
I was rearranging some things in the recording studio and while straightening up the cushions on the loveseat, I made this discovery…
I knew that Lou hid toys and treats in the cushions of the living room couch, I had no idea he was stuffing them all over the house. Geez… this is just behind one cushion - he must have $50 worth of dog treats hidden around the house! Some of these things are like a year old. I guess he’s preparing for some sort of dog treat apocalypse.
Its that time again… Oscar night!!! Woopie!! Okay, there is really nothing magical about it… in fact, it is just an industry patting itself on the back and promoting their films, their agendas, and trying to convince the world that there is something magical about an Oscar. That said… its fun to make fun of their choices and set the record straight on who should have won.
BEST MOTION PICTURE:
For Best Picture, I am going to review those that I have seen and give my uninformed opinion of the ones I haven’t.
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BABEL - This one I already reviewed, you can read the earlier post.
RATING 7 out of 10
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THE DEPARTED - This one I already reviewed, you can read the earlier post.
RATING 8 out of 10
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LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA - I saw this one last night and was shocked at how good it was. I really enjoyed the other one of Clint Eastwood’s bookend films, Flags of Our Fathers, but this was clearly the better film. Clint continues to show why he is the best director working right now as both could have easily been in this contest.
RATING 10 out of 10
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THE QUEEN - I haven’t seen this film yet feel confident that I will enjoy it. I think the hype around it may be more than is warranted and for that reason, I cannot see my rating it higher than an 8.
RATING 8 out of 10
(ESTIMATED RATING)
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LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE - Sure, it was a cute film… sure, it was entertaining… sure, it was charming… sure, it was quirky… sure, I liked it…. but an Oscar for BEST MOTION PICTURE? The best? Seriously, even one of the five best? That is a bit of a stretch.
RATING 7 out of 10
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There you have it… the only BEST MOTION PICTURE rating that counts… Letters From Iwo Jima should win… but if you ask me… it should have been a battle between Iwo, CARS, and Dreamgirls.
Its a gorgeous day outside and in just a few minutes, I am going to be able to enjoy it. I just put the finishing touches on this week’s Pod Music Countdown (PMC Top 10.) I guess that isn’t entirely true… I have the windows and back door open, plus while the show was encoding and uploading, I snuck out a couple times. Long enough to snap some pics of the kiddos.
As you can see, Ginger is visiting again…
That is some serious hair… she is starting to look like an Ewok.
Of course Lou is always ready for his closeup…
…even when it does reveal his underbite.
The funny thing is that literally fifteen minutes after I snapped these, Ginger’s mom, Julie, left a voicemail pleading for me to put a picture of Ginger on the web. Great minds, I guess. 
#507 - A brand new segment of trivia, what’s wrong with the news, and the power of indy media.
(Time: 12:54)
LINKIES
Sweep the Leg - No More Kings
Booty Voodoo - Lee Coulter
Battlestar Galactica
Heroes
Game Show Network
Amazing Race
MikeyPod
Call in and leave a voicemail for the show! 206-202-3644 or 281-394-4952
The 1936 film Born to Dance is something rare for Jimmy Stewart - a musical. Like the previous one of his I reviewed, it was nominated for two Oscars (Best Dance Direction - Dave Gould for “Swingin’ the Jinx” and Best Music, Original Song - Cole Porter for the song “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”.) While the song went on to become a classic, this film never did.
The dance numbers were great (recognize that fellow in the sailor suit? It’s Jed Clampett - Buddy Ebsen in just the second year of his acting career.) and the acting was even pretty good. Unfortunately, the singing left a lot to be desired. Jimmy Stewart doesn’t appear to be the best of singers, nor does Buddy… neither had any range. That said, the humor was great, and while Eleanor Powell couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag… her dance numbers were amazing.
If that less-than-glowing recommendation isn’t enough to make you see it… do it for Buddy - he is a blast to watch throughout - whether playing the fumbling bumpkin or gettin’ jiggy with a tap number.
RATING 7 out of 10
#505 - New dog laws, bad film effect, and which TV shows have “jumped the shark.”
(Time: 23:10)
LINKIES
You’ve Got To - Young Punx
Photograph - Lee Coulter
Battlestar Galactica
LOST!
Two and a Half Men
King Wrong
Internet Movie Database
Call in and leave a voicemail for the show! 206-202-3644 or 281-394-4952
That’s right - my lap is the place to be. Most days for lunch, I grab something to eat, get a big glass of ice water, relax in the recliner, and find something to watch from my Tivo’ed selections. Lou and Nardo have learned my routine well and within seconds of me settling in and starting up the show, my lap becomes covered with the two of them vying for position.
Usually Lou starts out down by my feet, Nardo grabs the lap spot, then when Lou notices he has been one-upped, he walks up toward my chest and curls up there. It makes for a rough time actually seeing the screen sometimes, but occasionally they call it a draw and we are all comfortable.
