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I just finished reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. I am glad I read it. It is like nothing I have read before, including other works by him. It is challenging, but worth the effort. The 1,079 page story takes place in the future, at a junior tennis academy and a nearby substance-abuse recovery facility. It is brash, brilliant, funny (most of the novel takes place in the Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment), thought-provoking and tragic. Ninety-six pages are devoted to footnotes, located in the back of the book. These need to be read along with the text, as much of the story is told there. (A dear friend gave me book clips to mark my place in the footnotes, and they proved to be invaluable. I recommend them to anyone who reads a printed copy of this book!) Has anyone else read this book? Did you love it? Hate it? Put it down after about 600 pages? I would love to hear your thoughts. I am sure there is much I missed. After I finished the novel, for example, I went back and read the first chapter again. There were several hints in that chapter about what happened to the main characters after the novel ended. How do you think it compares to other works by David Foster Wallace?

Okay, I've read this interesting article. I'm also reading a book, "What If?" by Randall Munroe, subtitled "Serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions." Comparing the human brain to a computer, Munroe says: "Humans, for example, are probably still far better at looking at a picture of a scene and guessing what just happened." Any parent could look at this picture for five seconds, and figure out what most likely happened, whereas a computer, even the computers of tomorrow, might take a million-billion-trillion calculations to reach the same conclusion (granted, that might take less than five seconds, but you get what I mean): It will be a century after my death when computers finally figure out that Brooks Robinson was the greatest defensive baseball player that ever lived, but I already know, just as surely as I know the sun will rise in the morning.

"Sunrise: The Story of Two Humans" was not only the first major film of Karl Struss, but it also featured the first winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress (Janet Gaynor). The 1st Academy Awards had separate categories for Best Picture ("Wings") and Best Unique & Artistic Picture, and this film won the latter. Have a look at our extensive Film Index, and see which movies you've missed out on.

Munroe's webcomic, XKCD, is one of the best things on the Internet.

I'd seen clips from the early Woody Allen comedy, "Everything You Always Wanted To Know about Sex* (*But Were Afraid To Ask)," and when I was in elementary school, heard little "secrets" about this racy movie, which consists of seven semi-short segments - each unrelated to the others, but all related to questions about sex (which remain pertinent to this day). I was expecting virtually nothing from this film, but it delivered more than anticipated. Very few things are "ha-ha funny," but much of it is clever, and it has aged surprisingly well. In terms of recommending it, I'd say that if you like "The Kentucky Fried Movie" and "Sleeper," you'll probably enjoy this. Actors include Gene Wilder (in an outrageous role that will make you cringe if you're seeing this on a first date), Burt Reynolds, Woody Allen, John Carradine, Lou Jacobi, Louise Lasser, Regis Philbin (!), Anthony Quayle, and Tony Randall. If you look at our small list of 1971-1972 Films in the Film Index, you'll see that this movie fits right in with its time.

Just for shits and giggles... stick any funny musical performances here. Dudley Moore Beethoven Sonata: I love the never-ending ending. Chico and Harpo: For four funny fists.

Content aside (it's pretty bad), the 18-minute film short, "Three Little Pigskins," is amazing to watch - it features both The Three Stooges and a 23-year-old Lucille Ball in one of her very first Hollywood roles, and has been digitized in extremely high quality.

Prompted by Rissa's mentioning that she had a "New Mexico sparkling wine", which I guessed correctly was Gruet, I ask the following -- Is Gruet the new mini-burger? I first had it about 2 years ago at Grapeseed in Bethesda. Since then I have seen it many places, although I haven't kept track of exactly where. I know that they carry it at Adega in SS. Ubiqitous hipster food that gets sold because it is "unusual" or something worth while?

What do people think of "Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee," the web series on the Crackle network by Jerry Seinfeld? I've only watched a few episodes, but it has recently caught my eye, and I'm kind of falling in love with it. Such a simple premise: two funny comedians, one interesting car, and beautiful cinematography of such mundane things as coffee coming out of an espresso machine. The episodes are about 15-minutes long, and if they were any longer, it would detract from them because, like "Seinfeld," it's essentially a "show about nothing." So I guess there's really not much to say about it other than a thumbs up or a thumbs down. Thumbs up from me - in limited doses for sure, sort of like a "Word-A-Day Calendar." Plus if you go to the home page, the entire series is right there in front of you, and free-of-charge (there's one (annoyingly repetitive) ad before each episode). This is, I believe, the only complete compendium of restaurants visited during this series on the entire internet. No other website would be able to identify the restaurants (I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself for Baked By Melissa in Season 2, Episode 3). Season 1 1. Jul 19, 2012, Larry David, 1952 VW Bug, John O'Groat's (West LA, CA) 2. Aug 2, 2012, Ricky Gervais, 1967 Austin Healey 3000 MK III, City Island Diner (City Island, The Bronx, NYC, NY) 3. Aug 9, 2012, Brian Regan, 1970 Dodge Challenger TA, Rae's Restaurant (Santa Monica, CA) 4. Aug 16, 2012, Alec Baldwin, 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL, Fairway Market Cafe (Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYC, NY) 5. Aug 23, 2012, Joel Hodgson, 1963 Volkswagon Karmann Ghia (equpped with a Porsche 912 engine, suspension, and brakes), Skylark Diner (Edison, NJ) 6. Aug 30, 2012, Bob Einstein, 1970 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3, Jerry's Famous Deli (Studio City, LA, CA) & Nate & Al's (Beverly Hills, CA) 7. Sep 6, 2012, Barry Marder, 1966 Porsche 356 SC Cabriolet (Dutch police car), Bendix Diner (Hasbrouk Heights, NJ) 8. Sep 13, 2012, Colin Quinn & Mario Joyner, 1976 Triumph TR-6, Fort Defiance Restaurant & Bar (Red Hook, Brooklyn, NYC, NY) 9. Sep 20, 2012, Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks, 1960 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II & 1970 Porsche 911 S, Norm's Diner (West LA, CA) 10. Sep 27, 2012, Michael Richards, 1962 VW Type 2 (used as body-shop vehicle), Malibu Kitchen & Gourmet Country Market (Malibu, CA) Season 2 1. Jun 13, 2013, Sarah Silverman, 1969 Jaguar E-Type (XK-E) Series 2 Convertible, Millie's Cafe (Silver Lake, LA, CA) & K&C Donuts (Silver Lake, LA, CA) 2. Jun 20, 2013, David Letterman, 1995 Volvo 960 Station Wagon (rebuilt with a racing engine by Paul Newman) & 2011 Nissan Leaf, Green Granary (New Milford, CT) & Taylor & Son True Value Hardware (New Milford, CT) 3. Jun 27, 2013, Gad Elmaleh, 1950 Citroí«n 2CV, Frites Shop (East Village, Manhattan, NYC, NY), Balthazar (East Village, Manhattan, NYC, NY), French Roast (Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYC, NY), & Baked by Melissa (Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYC, NY) 4. Jul 4, 2013, Don Rickles, 1958 Cadillac El Dorado Seville, Factor's Famous Deli (Pico-Robertson, LA, CA) 5. Jul 11, 2013, Seth Meyers, 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS, Roebling Tea Room (Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC, NY) 6. Jul 18, 2013, Chris Rock, 1969 Lamborghini P400S Miura, Allendale Eats! (Allendale, NJ) Season 3 1. Jan 2, 2014, Louis C.K., 1959 Fiat Jolly, Louis C.K.'s Meridian 341, (Chelsea Piers, Chelsea, Manhattan, NYC, NY) 2. Jan 9, 2014, Patton Oswalt, 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 & 2012 Honda Accord SE Sedan, Handsome Coffee Roasters (Arts District, LA, CA) 3. Jan 16, 2014, Jay Leno, 1949 Porsche 356/2, Jones Coffee Roasters (Pasadena, CA) 4. Jan 23, 2014 Todd Barry, 1966 MGB Roadster, Tom's Brooklyn (Coney Island, Brooklyn, NYC, NY), Nathan's Famous (Coney Island, Brooklyn, NYC, NY), William's Candy (Coney Island, Brooklyn, NYC, NY), It'Sugar (Coney Island, Brooklyn, NYC, NY), Everyman Espresso (lobby of Classic Stage Company, East Village, Manhattan, NYC, NY) 5. Jan 30, 2014, Tina Fey, 1967 Volvo 1800S, Floridita (Harlem, Manhattan, NYC, NY) Dominique Ansel Bakery (Soho, Manhattan, NYC, NY) 6. Feb 2, 2014, George Costanza (Jason Alexander in character), 1976 AMC Pacer D/L, Tom's Restaurant (Morningside Heights, Manhattan, NYC, NY) 7. Feb 6, 2014, Howard Stern, 1969 Pontiac GTO "The Judge", Bel-Aire Diner (Astoria, Queens, NYC, NY), Associated Supermarket (Astoria, Queens, NYC, NY) Season 4 1. Jun 19, 2014, Sarah Jessica Parker, 1976 Ford Country Squire LTD, Starbucks (Kips Bay, Manhattan, NYC, NY), Colony Diner (East Meadow, NY), Francesco's Bakery (Hicksville, NY) 2. Jun 26, 2014, George Wallace, 1965 Buick Riviera 2-Door Hardtop, The Flamingo Hotel (Las Vegas, NV), Peppermill (Las Vegas, NV) 3. Jul 3, 2014, Robert Klein, 1967 Jaguar Mark 2, Landmark Diner (Ossining, NY), Sing Sing Correctional Facility (Ossining, NY) 4. Jul 10, 2014, Aziz Ansari, 2012 Prevost X3-45 VIP Touring Coach, Brody's Diner, (Shrewsbury, MA) 5. Jul 17, 2014, Jon Stewart, 1978 AMC Gremlin & 1969 AMC AMX, NEP Studio 52 (Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, NY), Tick Tock Diner (Clifton, NJ), Petco (Clifton, NJ) Season 5 1. Nov 6, 2014, Kevin Hart & Dick Corcoran (Michael Richards in character), 1959 Porsche 718 RSK Spyder, Pier 212 (Santa Monica, CA), Undefeated (Santa Monica, CA) 2. Nov 13, 2014, Amy Schumer, 1971 Ferrari Daytona 365 GTB/4, Short Stop Coffee Shop (The Bronx, NYC, NY) Parkview Sports Center (The Bronx, NYC, NY) 3, Nov 20, 2014, Bill Burr, 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302, The Novel Cafe (Santa Monica, CA), Hollywood Smoke (Santa Monica, CA) 4. Nov 27, 2014, Miranda Sings (Colleen Ballinger in character), 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite, Art's Delicatessen and Restaurant (Studio City, CA), Fountain, Hollywood and Highland Center (Hollywood, LA, CA), Hot Topic, Hollywood and Highland Center (Hollywood, LA, CA) 5. Dec 4, 2014, Fred Armisen & Dick Corcoran (Michael Richards in character), 1965 Saab 96 Monte Carlo 850, Coava Brew Bar (Buckman, Portland, OR), The Grilled Cheese Grill (Buckman, Portland, OR), Paxton Gate (Boise, Portland, OR) 6. Dec 11, 2014, Ali Wentworth, 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE Low Grille Cabriolet, Blue Tree (Upper East Side, Manhattan, NYC, NY) (Fiddler's Elbow Country Club, Bedminster, NJ) 7. Dec 18, 2014, Jimmy Fallon (Parts 1 and 2) & Dick Corcoran (Michael Richards in character), 1956 Chevrolet Corvette Convertiblle, 1994 Land Rover Defender 90, & 13-Foot Boston Whaler, John's Pancake House (Montauk, NY) Season 6 1. Jun 3, 2015, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 1964 Aston Martin DB5, Caffe Luxe (Santa Monica, CA), Art's Table (Santa Monica, CA) 2. Jun 10, 2015, Steve Harvey, 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air V8 Convertible, Manny's Deli & Cafeteria (Chicago, IL), Biggs Mansion (Chicago, IL) 3. Jun 17, 2015, Jim Carrey, 1976 Lamborghini Countach LP400, Killer Cafe (Marina del Rey, CA) 4. Jun 24, 2015, Bill Maher, 1979 VW Beetle Police Car (used in Wofsburg, Germany), Brite Spot (Echo Park, LA, CA) 5. Jul 1, 2015, Trevor Noah, 1985 Ferrari GTB qv, One Girl Cookies, (Dumbo, Brooklyn, NYC, NY) 6. Jul 8, 2015, Stephen Colbert, 1964 Morgan +4, Bluestone Coffee Co. (Montclair, NJ), Watchung Booksellers (Montclair, NJ) Season 7 1. Dec 30, 2015, Barack Obama, 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray & 2009 Cadillac One (Presidental State Car), The White House (Washington, DC) 2. Jan 6, 2016, Steve Martin, 1954 Siata 8V & 1966 Ford Mustang, Pleasantville Diner (Pleasantville, NY) 3. Jan 13, 2016, Kathleen Madigan & Chuck Martin, 1972 BMW 2002 tii, Alfred Coffee & Kitchen using Stumptown Roasters (West Hollywood, LA, CA)

SE1 EP1 - "The Addams Family Goes to School" I watched this episode last night - this was a disturbingly creepy comedy. Trivia: Carolyn Jones (Morticia) spent less time on the screen (six minutes) than anyone who was ever nominated for Best Supporting Actress, playing a lonely existentialist in "The Bachelor Party" (1957):

So, about Allen Funt's theatrical, x-rated version of "Candid Camera" - the 1970 film, "What Do You Say to a Naked Lady?" The first actor in this trailer sure looks like a younger version of the guy in "Kentucky Fried Movie" (1977) being on the receiving end of Feel-Around.

If you've any inkling to watch "Singin' in the Rain," rent it on Amazon Prime - clearly, this film has not only been "digitized," but also significantly enhanced from its original self - the color and clarity looks like it was filmed with a digital camera this year - it's remarkable. I had never before seen this most glorified of Hollywood musicals, so I really had no idea what to expect. I am not a huge fan of musicals (thank you, "Doctor Dolittle" for helping to eliminate the genre), but went in with an open mind. The song and dance numbers were, surprisingly, all from about 25-years before (except for two), as the film (from 1952) takes place around 1927, in the transition period between silent and talking films, with nods toward "The Jazz Singer." I hate to keep bringing this up in film reviews, and should probably just accept it as a sad part of recent American history, but I honestly did not see one, single person in this entire movie who wasn't white. I watched this in part to honor Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds - Debbie Reynolds was just wonderful in this film, Donald O'Connor was a fine dancer (who looks a lot like the remarkably talented Danny Kaye), and both Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse were perhaps the two best dancers not named Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers ever to grace the Hollywood stage (of the four, the only two who never danced together were Gene Kelly and Ginger Rogers). Charisse, a Texan named Tula Finklea (!), had some of the longest and strongest legs I've seen on a classically trained dancer. The eponymous dance number is wonderful, of course, but surpassed in grandeur by the extended "Broadway Melody" sequence which was probably the most involved dance scene I've ever watched. "Singin' in the Rain" is a lot like Venice, Italy - it's something you should see, once - but I know of some older folks who think it is the high point in Hollywood history, and in a sense, they're right - it's magical without needing any computerized special effects, and that era is now gone - forever, I'm afraid, although I'm sure there will be individual films in the future that make do without electronic wizardry. And for the record, I think I prefer both "West Side Story" and perhaps even "The Sound of Music," but both of those had "Singin' in the Rain" to draw on, and 10+ years to think about it. Actually, in terms of "story," "Sweeney Todd" was far superior even though there was nary a dance to be found. If anyone knows where to find the "Broadway Melody of 1929," would you please write me? I've been looking for it, and cannot find it anywhere on the internet. A genuinely funny scene, where Gene Kelly is recalling his "sophisticated" past, and how the audiences were thrilled by his work:

Crackle (positioning to be a competitor with Amazon, Hulu, etc., is offering viewers, among other things, sporadic episodes of Seinfeld for free (with advertising) - seemingly taking a cross-section that creates a "theme" rather than going in sequence. Right now, there are 10 episodes to watch, all seemingly involve movies, and most involving dogs (that's just a guess, but those two themes seem recurrent) - this might be done to prevent users from sequential marathons, an to keep returning to crackle (they say they expire 2/1/2015, so I assume another 10 episodes will take their place, but who knows). Since Crackle apparently owns rights to syndication, they can do whatever they please, and this might be a good strategy. So far (I've only recently discovered "Crackle" via "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee". When I've filled in a picture, I've finished watching that episode, and would very much enjoy discussing it (as of Sat Jan 25, 2015, I've watched all nine of "Seinfeld At The Movies" - just start any discussions in a new post in this thread (after all, discussions are what this is all about). Any comments? Questions? Thoughts? And this goes even for series that I'm writing mini-guides to, such as Star Trek (TOS) and (TNG), Twilight Zone, and Night Gallery - any and all discussion, no matter how minute you think it may be, is more than welcome - it makes my day, actually. On view now on Crackle's "Seinfeld curated theme" is "Seinfeld At The Movies" - 10 episodes, all dealing with Seinfeld and/or friends going to the movies at some point in the episode, and it looks like these will be available until Feb 1, 2015. I suspect they have a "theme of the month" (which could result in repetition - for example, I was thinking "dogs" might be part of this current theme, but they're only incidental). It's an interesting way to prevent people from blitzing through the episodes in order, and "encouraging" visitors to come back to Crackle on a regular basis. Sure, why not. Season 3, Episode 3: "The Dog" - Oct 9, 1991: [Note: Jerry is asked by an inebriated airplane passenger to watch his dog, Farfel, while the passenger recovers from a medical incident.] Season 4, Episode 14: "The Movie" - Jan 6, 1993: [Note: A comedy of errors, this ends up with everyone (but Kramer) going to the movie they didn't want to see, the fictional "Rochelle, Rochelle."] Season 5, Episode 24: "The Understudy" - May 18, 1993: [Note: Kramer, a Bette Midler fan, falls for and fawns over her after George brazenly knocks her out in a softball game.] Season 7, Episode 1: "The Engagement" - Sep 21, 1995: [Note: George and Jerry resolve to grow up and take life more seriously, resulting in George's engagement, while Kramer and Newman try to rid Elaine of a barking dog.] Season 7, Episode 20: "The Calzone" - Apr 25, 1996: [Note: George Steinbrenner falls in love with Calzones, and sends George to fetch one nearly every day] Season 7, Episode 8: "The Pool Guy" - Nov 16, 1995: [Note: Jerry has trouble telling the Pool Guy at their club that their group of friends has no room for somebody new.] Season 8, Episode 12 "The Comeback" - Jan 30, 1997: [Note: An insulted George goes to great lengths to issue a comeback against a co-worker who publicly insulted him.] Season 8, Episode 17, "The English Patient" - Mar 13, 1997: [Note: Elaine has such a disdain for "The English Patient" that it adversely affects all around her.] Season 8, Episode 4, "The Little Kicks" - Oct 10, 1996: [Note: Elaine turns out to be the worst dancer in the history of the world, and it's hilarious.] Season 9, Episode 20, "The Puerto Rican Day" - May 7, 1998: [Note: Jerry and Kramer get stuck in heavy Manhattan traffic during Puerto Rican Day, desperately trying to get across town.]

I'd love to say "Old / New" (2015) is "Patton Oswalt at his best," but it's really Patton Oswalt at his most typical: A medium talent, trying to be historically great, but settling into his usual, mildly amusing self.

The 1934 musical-comedy short "Bubbling Over" stereotypes the "lazy black man," with Hamtree Harrington playing the good-for-nothing head janitor, Samson Peabody, constantly hounded by the Assistant Janitor, Ethel Peabody (played by Ethel Waters), the two of them leading an "All-Black Cast!" Waters played the unforgettable role of Jennie Henderson in the very best episode of "Route 66," "Goodnight Sweet Blues" (which I urge anyone-and-everyone reading this to watch, over-and-over again - it's life-changing television). This 19'30" musical manages to fit in four numbers: "Taking Your Time," (in which Ethel humorously nags Samson), "Southernaires Quartet," (a delightful song about "hanging your hat in a Harlem flat"), "Darkies Never Dream," (Ethel's lament about her life of drudgery), and "Company's Comin' Tonight," (an upbeat ensemble about a rich uncle arriving in town (from the, um, State Asylum)). "Bubbling Over" is worth watching for historical terms, and if you can tolerate "lazy, black humor," you may get a laugh or two out of Ethel Waters' dialogue after her first song ("Wake up, Samson, you're going to be late for your nap!"). At the end of the day, I can appreciate the humor, but still wish that films like this were never made. Ethel Waters and company deserved a whole lot better.

The low point of my life: Shelley Winters giving Cleopatra Jones a run-for-her-money in hand-to-hand combat. Really: Shelley Winters.

I saw "Pulp Fiction" when it came out in 1994, and *hated* it - it was my first Quentin Tarantino film, and I was so turned off by all the gratuitous violence that I just couldn't stand the movie. My second stub of a Tarantino film I saw was "Reservoir Dogs" which did nothing to ingratiate him to me. I am simply not impressed by how much violence you can throw up on a screen, unless that violence is there for an artistic purpose. That said, I really enjoyed "Django Unchained," but oh my God it was hard to watch (remember Paul Dano making the slaves clap while he sang?) And, since I liked Christoph Waltz so much in that film, a friend recommended that I watch "Inglorious Basterds." What I'm hoping, is that in the past twenty years, shows like "The Walking Dead" have gotten me so numb to graphic violence that it won't bother me as much, and I'll be able to "look through it," whereas I was unable to in the past - it makes sense, as things have changed a lot in the past two decades - was Quentin Tarantino the Jack Kevorkian of violent directors? (I used to think Kevorkian was a terrible person, opening up this can of worms; now, I've matured, and strongly support physician-assisted suicide, death-with-dignity, etc., and look at Kevorkian as something of a trailblazer that I was simply not personally ready to handle. Maybe it's a stretch - maybe a *big* stretch - to equate Tarantino with Kevorkian, but it's the same general principle ... I think. I'm not 55 minutes into the film, and I see it more as a comic book-like form of escapism, without any deep meaning (unless I'm missing something), and also without such a terrible amount of violence (Samuel L. Jackson's and John Travolta's shocking kill scene notwithstanding). Travolta is currently rushing Uma Thurman to the hospital, pretty much peeing his pants at the thought of what might happen if things go completely wrong. My biggest issue with Tarantino - not so much "Tarantino" as "Tarantino fans" - is that so many of them seem to think he's such an intellect, and all I see is a kid with brass balls, willing to speak his mind and do what he wants to do, exploiting shock value as a substitute for serious artistic merit. He's kind of like David Mamet with gory pictures. There's nothing wrong with that (goodness knows, I have my little cache of entertainment completely devoid of substance (and no, I'm not talking about porn; I'm talking about some of the more vapid TV series I've been power-watching over the past few years), and I make no pretense that they're any kind of high art). After Thurman and Travolta shook hands on keeping Marcellus in the dark about her OD, and Travolta says he's going to go home now and have a heart attack, she said to him, "Vincent!" He turns towards her. She says, "Don't you want to hear my 'Fox Force Five joke?' Okay, now that came so far out of left-field that it made me laugh out loud - it was truly funny because it was just so random. Tarantino gets points for his capacity to come up with a John Cleese-like joke in the damndest of situations. That was wonderfully silly, especially since the joke itself wasn't funny in the least. Okay! Okay! Christopher Walken's "watch delivery" routine was low humor at its absolute apogee - as it kept going, it kept getting more-and-more outrageous, funny, and cringe-worthy, all at the same time. Like the kid is going to know what dysentery is! Oh, this is just too much! I honestly wonder how many takes the scene took before Walken didn't laugh - he was masterful, but there's a zero-percent chance any human being could have done this in one take without laughing, and once you start laughing, it becomes infectious, so maybe it took twenty takes - regardless of how many it took, the end product was worth it. And sure enough, the watch becomes a major MacGuffin going forward - something powerful enough to compel him to (cue George Takei: "Oh, my!") go back to his old apartment. *** SPOILERS FOLLOW *** (Don't read this part if you haven't seen the movie yet.) "Pulp Fiction" seems (and I don't remember it well, because I haven't seen it since 1994) like it's about to take a major pivot at the point where Bruce Willis shoots John Travolta. Did anyone notice what book John Travolta was reading in the can? He was reading the pulp-fiction classic, "Modesty Blaise." - pretty good humor, but man, Travolta's visage was grim, grim, grim (I mean, I guess that's understandable when you've just been pumped full of lead, but still - he didn't look dead; he looked depressed). I think if I chose a caption for this screen-shot, it would be, "Oh, fuck." Paired with the James Bond-inspired, "00Fuck" and "What the fuck?" I mean, I guess you sow what you reap, but this is pretty brutal (and I'm calling bullshit on how silent the silencer was; nevertheless, that was an imposing piece of iron). Hmm, I wonder if Butch's (Bruce Willis's) chance encounter on the roadway with Marsellus (Ving Rhames) was a tribute to Janet Leigh experiencing the exact same thing in "Psycho" with her boss, Vaughn Taylor - I can't imagine it wasn't, because it was just too closely parallel - they were walking in the same direction, and everything. Anyway, that immediately popped into my mind. Of course, what happened immediately afterwards in the two movies could not have been more different. You know what? I can already tell that I've been desensitized to ultra-violence over the past twenty years, which is kind of a shame - "The Walking Dead" pretty much completed the process for me. The violence in Pulp Fiction - which is *very* violent - just comes across to me now as cartoonish (which, I gather, it was always supposed to be, but twenty years ago, it really bothered me). Society has gone to hell, and I've gone with it - handbasket and everything. I'm not sure this is such a great thing, but it is unquestionably true. What's next for me - maybe ISIS beheading videos won't bother me any more? Damn it, I don't *want* to be like that. Still, the only way anything can be grosser than "The Walking Dead" is if the violence is portrayed more artistically (cf: "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover." which is a serious piece of art, with violence that's much more disturbing than any of these cartoonish movies and shows). My goodness, speaking of homages - and I don't know how I missed this before - the rape scene *must* be a tribute to "Deliverance": The only thing that's missing is Ned Beatty. I'm every bit as sure of this as I am about "Psycho," and it makes me wonder how many other tributes are in this film that I"m *not* picking up on - I suspect there are several, perhaps even quite a few: The format of the movie lends itself perfectly to random insertion of tributes. (Trivia: Did you know that there was an actual banjo player hidden behind Billy Redden, playing "Dueling Banjos" in "Deliverance?" I've watched that scene a lot of times, and it's amazing how real they make it look.) It's so coincidental - yesterday, I watched "Dog Day Afternoon," and at the end of the film, the FBI agent repeatedly tells John Cazale to point his gun up, in case they "go over a bump in the road." I had a pretty good idea that was a load of BS, but I don't ever remember having heard it before in a film. In "Pulp Fiction," John Travolta turns around and talks with Marvin, who's sitting in the back seat, and guess who accidentally gets a lead facial? All because Travolta wasn't pointing his gun up - and it truly was an accident: I cannot name a third picture where I've seen the subject broached before, and yet, it played a key role in both of these films. Ugh, I just got to the part where Quentin Tarantino tries to act - he can't. I'm not saying he hasn't gotten better in the past 23 years; I'm just saying his acting in this movie was pretty lame. And Samuel L. Jackson is funny as hell. <When they're cleaning out the car from the shooting of Marvin> ... "You the motherfucker should be on brain detail!" The UC Santa Cruz *Banana Slugs*? How can you not be amused by this dialogue? Vincent: Jules, look, what happened this morning, man, I agree it was peculiar. But water into wine, I ..." Jules: "All shapes and sizes, Vincent." Vincent: "Don't fucking talk to me that way, man." Jules: "If my answers frighten you, Vincent, then you should cease asking scary questions." Vincent: "I'm gonna take a shit." Then, it turns out that this is the Epilogue of the Coffee Shop Robbery, the Prologue (which was the exact same moment in time) having been shown during the film's opening, but from a different perspective (the Prologue's perspective of Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer) and Pumpkin (Tim Roth); the Epilogue's perspective of Jules and Vincent). Wow. When Pumpkin held Jules at gunpoint, and forced him to open the briefcase, the contents of which remained unknown, but clearly contained a mysterious light, shining from within, there was yet another, absolutely unambiguous reference to another classic film: "Kiss Me Deadly." Confidence level? Pretty close to 100%. Some people might think "Raiders of the Lost Ark," especially because Pumpkin looked inside, and said, "It's beautiful" (remember Belloq, in Raiders, opening the ark, and crying aloud, "It's beautiful!"?) But make no mistake - this homage is to "Kiss Me Deadly," not Raiders - the light, which has absolutely no reason to be there, is the giveaway. It took me 23 years to regress into liking "Pulp Fiction." Or, did it take me 23 years to progress into liking "Pulp Fiction?" I'm vastly - vastly - more educated now than I was 23 years ago, and I'm a completely changed person - a much, much better person, and a much, much kinder and gentler person, than I was 23 years ago. Am I simply able to look past the violence now, and recognize the quality of this film? Or have I become so numb and inured to violence, which was prejudicing me from recognizing this film's qualities before? Is it good that I can now look through violence as if it doesn't matter? Or is it bad? Am I reverting to my childhood, or am I progressing into old age? I honestly don't know, but I do know that I really, really liked "Pulp Fiction" this time, and perhaps more than any other movie, I'm glad I saw this again, with a completely open mind. And when Vincent excuses himself before the robbery, what is he reading in the can? Think for a moment before I answer ... Think. Re-read this post if you have to, but think ... He's reading Modesty Blaise.

Well, "The Big Lebowski" is another picture that nobody can believe I'd never seen before, but I hadn't (this, and "This Is Spinal Tap" were the two I'd really been wanting to watch for a long, long time). I was really getting into this film - a great comedy to be sure - when the terrorist attacks hit Nice, and pretty much ruined it for me. Still, that doesn't lessen the movie - Jeff Bridges is brilliant, and so is just about everybody else. I don't think I've ever seen a Coen Brothers film that I don't like - they are geniuses in the mold of Matt Groening. I'm not up for a big, long write-up, but I'd love to discuss the movie with anyone who wants to. This Nice attack has pretty much wiped out any comedic effects the film had on me tonight; tomorrow I'll be better - I'm not going to let those assholes compromise anything about my life.

Trivia questions: 1) Which actor or actress in "Trading Places" got elected to the U.S. Senate? 2) Which actor or actress in "Trading Places" had a prominent role in "Breaking Bad?" Roll your cursor over the right of the pictures for the answers (or, click on the pictures first for strong hints): 1) Al Franken 2) Giancarlo Esposito

It's a dramedy. Micheal Douglas plays an acting coach, Alan Arkin, his agent, shades of Larry David and Jeff Garlin. I almost gave up on it after the first episode, glad I didn't. It's now been nominated for a Golden Globe.

[split off from the Komi thread] I'll bite: As in "too full even to eat a single wafer-thin mint"?

I rewatched "Groundhog Day" a few months ago, and enjoyed it again - I can easily see how this would go on someone's "personal favorite movies" list. There have been some attempts made to address your question: Jan 31, 2018 - "How Many Times Does Bill Murray Reilve Groundhogs Day?" by Dave Wheeler on bigfrog104.com There's another article on whatculture.com It seems to be 10 years at a minimum, with some people guessing more like 30 years - I think it's probably somewhere in between those durations (Murray wasn't a great pianist, but he was good enough to fake it in a nightclub, and that alone would take 5-10 years of multi-hour-per-day practice).

Pop-Up Magazine is rolling back to the Warner Theater with its Fall Issue on September 25, 2018. If you have never heard of this or seen it before you can read more about it here: "Pop-Up Magazine Productions Brings You Original, True Stories, for Your Nights and Weekends" on popupmagazine.com I have been twice before and each time there were some memorable performances. There are plenty of tickets available at the moment, but if history is any guide the orchestra will mostly fill in (and much of the balcony as well) by the date of the performance. Expect the unexpected and remember, once it's gone, it's gone. The performances are never recorded. See you there. You deserve a night out.

I began watching Season One of "Orange Is the New Black," because I'm so culturally deficient that I'm clueless when it comes to certain popular things - I'm currently on Episode 3. I like this series very much, and I'm glad I'm watching it. Has anyone seen (and remember) the early episodes of Season One? In particular, "I Wasn't Ready," "Tit Punch," and "Lesbian Request Denied" (episodes 1-3). Not sure how far I'll make it through the series (I just watched SE1 EP1 of "The Andy Griffith Show," for Pete's sake), but it's been a fun ride so far.

"Between Two Ferns" is extremely funny, and Zach Galifianakis is a gifted comedian - I recently saw him on an episode of "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" (now on Netflix), and it was one of the better episodes of that series. As an example, I submit the episode with Barack Obama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnW3xkHxIEQ