Time for an all new, very revealing Sticky Floor Friday! I trim the fat from last week’s endless episode and get down to business. This week, you even get a glimpse into The Nerd’s uncool past. Ah, youth. How cruel you are on a Nerd.
And while you’re at it, Digg Sticky Floor Friday! It only takes a second!
Sorry for anyone trying to access the site today. My web host, Globat, decided to shut down entirely without warning or apology.
Now on to some good news. Friday Night Lights may live on after all! Read all about it HERE and I’ll be back later with a new Sticky Floor Friday!
In the meantime, why not enjoy my Box Art Battle with Black Rage again??
Hey, it’s DVD Tuesday, and we’ve got some Oscar bait to check out!
American Gangster is a decent movie made better with great performances. Denzel Washington keeps things interesting as Frank Lucas, a self-made gangster who gains so much power, he can shoot a guy in the face on a busy sidewalk and simply stroll away. Russell Crowe plays Richie Roberts, the down-on-his-luck cop chasing him. Now, this movie faces an obvious dilemma: The bad guy is much more fascinating. Russell Crowe does a fine job as a determined cop with morals, but did we really need the courtroom drama with his wife? Those scenes seem like they’re part of a different movie. The best moments are watching Frank gain power, and then exert it with brute force on anyone who opposes him. You get taken in by his charm and almost forget he’s a heroin dealer. Denzel’s performance balances out the story elements we’ve seen before, like the drug raid, crooked cops, and the familiar rise-to-power. But if you enjoy movies about all those things, you’ll enjoy AG. Also, it’s got Josh Brolin shooting a dog while wearing a moustache, which he also did in “No Country For Old Men.”
VERDICT: RENT FOR DENZEL!
This is the only Best Picture Nominee I haven’t seen, so I can’t say too much about it. Everything I’ve heard tells me I’m a fool for waiting this long. George Clooney is great as usual, and Tom Wilkinson steals the show. It’s up for an Oscar, and it’s the first Best Picture on DVD, so you should definitely pick it up before the awards this Sunday!
VERDICT: OSCAR CONTENDER! RENT IT!
This is exciting for me because I’m a huge Nirvana fan and have always been fascinated by Kurt Cobain’s short life. Nirvana came along at a time when I was discovering music beyond 80’s pop, and by the time of his death, I was heavily invested in Nirvana. Okay, I was obsessed. Nirvana opened my eyes to the impact music can have on a person’s life, and Cobain’s death opened my eyes to the dangers of idolizing musicians. The fact that Cobain died at 27, a year younger than I am right now, is stunning. It’s also a shame. About A Son is a documentary narrated by Cobain from tons of archival interviews. Most of the material has never been made public before, and I will be picking this up immediately. If you’re a fan of Nirvana, or just music in general, pick this up.
VERDICT: RENT IT! (OR BUY IT IF YOU’RE OBSESSED)
It’s a good week! Two big movies with huge stars, and a dead rock star documentary. Enjoy!
You may remember Steve Guttenberg from your fondest memories of the 80’s. You know him as the smart-ass cop Mahoney in the Police Academy movies. Or maybe as the smart-ass/youngest person in Cocoon, or as the smart-ass-with-a-robot in Short Circuit, or the smart-ass dad in Three Men And a Baby. The guy was everywhere in the 80’s, starring in 6 movies that grossed over $100 million bucks. Sadly, for lovers of charming smart-asses, Guttenberg’s deal with the devil only ran to 1990, possibly after Beelzebub saw Three Men And a Little Lady. But those of you starving for your GuttenFix are about to be fed a spoonful of Steve every week! Why?? Because Steve Guttenberg will be on the newest season of “Dancing With The Stars.” And you can bet this will do for him what it did to the careers of Mario Lopez, Ian Ziering, and Drew Lachey. Er, let’s hope it at least leads to more commercials like this one:
Guttenberg can even charm the pants off imposing military lesbians!
Well, it’s official. Toshiba has mercifully euthanized the HD DVD, making Blu-Ray the only High Definition format in town. This is good news for anyone simply waiting for the other shoe, or any shoe for that matter, to drop so we can get on with our lives. We all knew this format war would shake itself out, and it’s fallen in favor of Blu-Ray. There are people who say HD DVD was the better format, but how do you expect to win with such a generic name? They should have picked something slick and nonsensical, like Fire Whip or Virtu-Laser, and I bet they would have moved more than 1 million units.
Either way, you’ve gotta be happy for owners of Playstation 3, who’ve had a rough year of mediocre games and unfulfilled promises. If nothing else, they’ll still be able to use their PS3 to watch movies.
In an attempt to wink at her foreboding doom, The new issue of New York Magazine has Lindsay Lohan recreating the final photo shoot of Marilyn Monroe six weeks prior to OD’ing. This is a faithful re-enactment, a few steps beyond your normal Maxim shoot.
The very definitely NSFW link to the photos is HERE. You know, if you care.
I am now a subscriber to New York Magazine.
It’s President’s Day, so let’s celebrate by taking a look at five great fictional Presidents from Pop Culture!
5) President James Marshall - Air Force One
Any time you can roll Han Solo, Indiana Jones, and Jack Ryan (who also became president in the Tom Clancy novels) into The White House at the same time, you can do no wrong. Harrison Ford’s President James Marshall from “Air Force One” was an ass-kicking, catch-phrase-tossing action hero. It was Die Hard With the President…On A Plane. (Er, Die Hard 2 With The President)
4) President Thomas ‘Tug’ Benson - “Hot Shots Part Deux”
In the Hot Shots sequel, Lloyd Bridges gets to become president for the sake of keeping him around for the sequel. His President Benson is beyond incompetent, simply existing to utter ridiculous lines like this:
[Addressing a roomful of Japanese businessmen]
President Thomas ‘Tug’ Benson: It seems like only yesterday I was strafing so many of your homes. Here I am today, begging you not to make such good cars.
3) “President Ronnie” - Bad Dudes
You may or may not remember this classic video game from the 80’s. As one of the eponymous “Bad Dudes,” you are tasked with rescuing the President from a bunch of ninjas. And when you beat the game, you’re treated to a Ronald Regan look-a-like who wants to reward your bravery by…taking you out for a hamburger! Now that’s American!
2) President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho - Idiocracy
Idiocracy is a flawed movie with a ton of great moments. And one of the best is the inclusion of President Camacho, a former wrestler/porn star who drives a motorcycle, has long flowing hair, and starts his speeches off with the telepromted line “Shit.” Click on the Prez below to see him in action:
1) ‘Unnamed President’ - Tons of Stuff
The Unnamed President always seems to be around in movies that need to show the President, but don’t want to date their movie by having him resemble the current administration. Sometimes you only see the back of his head, sometimes you see him in all his generic, white, kinda-commanding glory, and sometimes he’s played by actual, well-known actors. Here’s a list of some movies you’ve seen ‘Unnamed President’ in:
Anything Directed by Michael Bay (The Rock, Armaggedon, Transformers, The Island)
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Escape from New York/L.A.
Hunt For Red October
Clear and Present Danger
Pelican Brief
Superman II
Wag The Dog
X-Men: The Last Stand
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
It was hard to leave off some of the great fake Presidents of our time, such as Bill Pullman’s Thomas Whitmore from Independence Day (for protecting America from aliens), and Jack Nicholson’s James Dale in Mars Attacks (notable for the exact opposite: getting vaporized by aliens within seconds). Besides, nobody wants a Top 7 list. That’s (probably) un-American.
My favorite commercial ever.
Whoa, Robert Loggia! Look how satisfied ‘The Loge’ is with himself at :23. I wish I could rent Robert Loggia and have him come over to re-enact this commercial with me.
Your favorite day of the week is here! Sticky Floor Friday! Technically this is up on Valentine’s Day (11:55 pm), so just pretend that my references are still relevant. Enjoy the rambling!
Click HERE for eye-gasmic HD Glory. Indy’s Back!
