Entries by Rob Dean (454)
Simon Says "PAY YOUR GODDAMN TAXES!"
True story: after a night of reverie in the town of Philadelphia, I pretty much broke down and summarized Demolition Man for my friends, scene by scene - from opening to closing credits. I have no idea why I know this movie so well, but if there is ever any cause for someone that knows a ridiculous amount of useless info about Demolition Man - you know where to find me.
Zelda Convention - July 5, 2011
Quotent Quotables - July 5, 2011
That best portion of a good man's life,
His little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.
(via Priscilla Gilman)
That's Not True... That's IMPOSSIBLE
So...the first cast photo for the porn parody of cartoon American Dad has been released.
Michael Scott, your reaction?
The Wizard
Double Dip Demands is a column in which I propose films that deserve a re-release on DVD/Blu-Ray with more special features, better transfers and other nerdy bits. Some of the films have no DVDs out there for Region 1 viewers, and some of them have a really crappy version that's bare bones or poorly put together. Who speaks for these films? I do.
The Film: The Wizard (1989)
Cast & Crew: Todd Holland (dir.), David Chisholm (writer); Fred Savage, Luke Edwards, Jenny Lewis
Plot Synopsis (via IMDB): A boy and his two friends run away from home and hitch cross country to compete in the ultimate video game championship.
Is It Currently Out? It is currently out on a bare-bones disc.
Why Does it Deserve Special Features? The Wizard is not a good movie. In fact, Ebert said that it was one of the worst films of 1989 (amongst other problems he had with it). The Wizard exists almost solely as a marketing tool for Nintendo and Universal - there's very little approaching artistic merit within its frames. So why should time and money be spent on this disc? The Wizard actually has a few things going for it. For starters - the movie has a high nostalgia factor for people who were kids at the time. It taps in to the excitement we felt as we read the latest Nintendo Power or hotly anticipated the next gimmicky piece of gaming equipment. Furthermore, The Wizard is one of the few times in movies when video game culture has taken the spotlight (however accurately) and it is one of the earliest films to grant some measure of credibility to this "passing fad" of video games. The crass commercialism, historical precedence, hokey plot and nostalgic sheen collide to form a wholly idiosyncratic film that is worth mockery and re-examination.
What Should Be on The Disc?
TMBGthumping
They Might Be Giants cover ChumbaWumba's classic (?) song "Tubthumping:"
They Might Be Giants covers Chumbawamba
I voted for "Tubthumping" to be one of the songs on the list and still think it's actually a great song to cover. As the Johns Flansburgh & Linnell state, it has enough little parts that you can experiment with each one and the simplicity of the lyrics/song structure allows you a big enough sandbox to make your own impression. Also, expectations are so low that it's hard to not do something interesting - or, at least, pleasing.
They Might Be Giants' new album, Join Us, comes out in two weeks on July 19.
(as pointed out in the comments - check out the face of Dan Telfer - the lanky, bespectacled fellow in polo shirt with brown hair behind John Linnell - from 2:36 - 2:46)
Verbiage - July 5, 2011
Today's word of the day is Morbid:
mor·bid
[mawr-bid]–adjective
- suggesting an unhealthy mental state or attitude; unwholesomely gloomy, sensitive, extreme, etc.: a morbid interest in death.
- affected by, caused by, causing, or characteristic of disease.
- pertaining to diseased parts: morbid anatomy.
- gruesome; grisly.
Gotta Hand It to Her...
hiyo?
Bijou Philips stars in Claire Edmondson's music video for Broken Social Scene's "Sweetest Kill" off their Forgiveness Rock Record.
(via Badass Digest)
That Mustache is a National Treasure
From Found Footage Fest: "Our new favorite man, Frank Woehrle, is back with more video greatness, and he brought along his usual bag of tricks. Green screen? Check. Wardrobe changes? Check. A scene where he looks like a giant? Check. God bless America!"
Happy Birthday, America!
Best version of national anthem. There is no debate:
I Hope Cap Invites Red Skull to Lick on his Balls
You know...for the kids!
Zelda Convention - July 1, 2011
A Mosquito. My Libido?
Quotent Quotables - July 1, 2011
I'm full of hard times today
7 Patriotic Videos of Pure Hilarity
First of all - America is the greatest, freest, fittest, smartest, prettiest, sexiest, sweetest, funniest, nicest, swankiest, toughest nation in the world. And if you don't like it - you can GET OUT.
Secondly - we have a lot of problems. there's a lot wrong with the greatest, freest, fittest, smartest, prettiest, sexiest, sweetest, funniest, nicest, swankiest, toughest nation in the world.
But one thing we do very well? Humor. And nothing is quite so funny as our own history, our own screwed up nation and a man getting kicked in the groin. That's just science.
Here are 7 hilarious patriotic videos that focus on our nation's younger days:
7) The Whitest Kids U'Know, Jack & Oswald
My favorite part? "You have a flag! That's very nice." Some of the jokes land flat...but then the music picks up...