voluntaryXchange

Terry Jones, RIP

I don’t even know what to say. Just such a huge influence on my life since I first started watching in the 6th grade.

I do wish someone in the legacy media would show some clip other than Brian’s mother or Mr. Creosote … perhaps Clodagh Rodgers or something.

P.S. Also saddened by the passing of quasi-Python Neil Innes a few weeks ago.

Secretly Pleased with One Star Wars Detail

Saw the new one last weekend. I was pleased to see older character actor Richard E. Grant in a major role. I hope this one thing doubles his career earnings.

Maybe this is because I’m still sad that I read several years ago that many of Derek Jacobi’s friends made megabucks with parts in other major franchises.

Midway

There’s a new movie coming out about the Battle of Midway. I have not seen it yet.

Before it comes out, I’ll note that the 1976 version actually gets the history of the battle down pretty well. Plus there’s a lot of now deceased stars you’ll recognize, and plenty of older contemporary ones that you get to see when young.

I always wonder how a new one will turn out. Personally, I do not give the director of this one, Roland Emmerich, a lot of credit for that.

Reelgood tells me that the 1976 version is not streaming anywhere, but you can rent it from many of the big sites (just not Netflix).

Eva Mendes On Parenting

I normally would not read this sort of thing, but:

“People are so sweet – they really try to warn you, prep you, when you’re pregnant, but nobody can prep you. Nobody,” Mendes said of her new role.

“And nobody told me it was gonna really be a job. And a job that I needed an incredible amount of skill for, in different areas,” she continued. “A chauffeur, a cook, a personal assistant to an abusive boss.”

[Kelly] Clarkson, 37, retorted, “They don’t appreciate it!” …

“No, they don’t! They’re not grateful!” said Mendes. “Oh my God, do they get grateful? Does that happen at some point?” she asked the audience.

We got some genuine gratitude from the vXteengirl last night. And wow was it appreciated, and very hard work.

This point was made in the 1989 movie Parenthood:

“In any other profession, you’d need to take a test or pass tests,” she said. …

I loved this one; I think this is what our kids think of us:

“We’re very controlling,” she said. “I think what the term is — we’re always laughing at these terms — I think we would be ‘bulldozing parents.’”

That’s most of the article, but here’s the rest.

R.I.P. Glenne Headly

One of my favorite actresses passed away suddenly last night.

I always perked up when she had a role: The Night of, Parks and Rec, Kit Kittredge, Dick Tracy, Lonesome Dove (so sad), and of course Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (so over the top).

For me, she might be the actress that did not do too much for me in the attractiveness category, but that I was still transfixed by. For me, it was all about her acting … super-underrated.

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Better to Know You’re a Fool, Than to Open Your Mouth and Prove It

Stunning:

My readers may not be too up on trains, Christie, or the 1930’s. So here goes:

• The Orient Express was a train.
• Murder On the Orient Express is a story about a murder. On a train.
• The train is traveling through Europe. It should have lots of Europeans on it.
• Because the train is traveling through Europe, it can’t be traveling through the Orient (or even Asia if you want to be politically correct). It should not have many Asians on it, if any.
• Christie, the author, was not associating the word Oriental with Asians. Ms Theodore is. She should check her priviledge.
• Christie chose the word Orient. This is not the same word as Oriental. Sheesh, Ms. Theodore. There you go again.
• In the 1930’s, it was commonly understood that “the Orient” started where generally Christian Europe ended. Turkey.
• While many Turks live in Asia, most people don’t think of Turks when they see the word Asians

No doubt, we will soon hear apologies that he comments were meant as satire. I don’t buy that.

Or maybe not. The internet being what it is, opening your mouth and inserting your foot has gotten her a lot of Twitter traffic.

Via Cold Spring Shops.

Technorati Tags: murder,orient,express,asians,rebecca,theodore

The “Shazaam!” Test

Find someone the right age: probably in their 40’s or 50’s.

Ask them if they remember a movie from the early 90’s called Shazaam! that starred the comedian Sinbad as a genie.

Better yet, ask them one part or the other, and see if they fill in the rest.

I have done this, and it can be startling. (When I first read this I vaguely remembered something like this, but not well enough at all to be anything other than curious about what the answer was).

*****************************

It turns out that the answer is that there was no such thing.

Which is quite strange since most people think there was.

What should we make of this? Some people on Reddit think that it is a little bit of proof that we live in something like “The Matrix”, and we’ve just observed a glitch.

*****************************

Normally, I would not give that much thought. Except I was curious and I tried this on a bunch of people, about a third of whom do remember such a movie.

Via Marginal Revolution.

Technorati Tags: sinbad,shazaam,movie,matrix,reddit,conspiracy

A Gem In Some Old Photos

From some parking lot in June 2013:

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Sir John Hurt, R.I.P.

Perhaps my favorite actor, Sir John Hurt, has passed away.

These days most people know him as Olivander from the Harry Potter movies. And the obits all mention The Elephant Man.

But for me, there are two roles I will always remember.

If you have never seen the 1976 production of I Claudius (shown on Masterpiece Theatre in the U.S.) you should go and find it. It’s one of the finest pieces of television ever created, and the 4 hours or so featuring Sir John as Caligula are breathtaking.

The second was unavailable for many years: the 1975 BBC production of The Naked Civil Servant. It’s not terribly politically correct for our contemporary mores, but I thought the performance was mesmerizing.

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Twins

Annette Benning was The Late Late Show last night.

Holy cow, does she have a future playing Hillary Clinton in movies or TV.

The resemblence is uncanny. Particularly in the trailer for the upcoming film 20th Century Women. Apologies to Clinton though — I’ll admit that Benning’s character is frumpier than Clinton.

Technorati Tags: annette,benning,hillary,clinton,late,show