Trailer of the Week: A Simple Plan (1998)

Don't sit at home and watch the snow fall.

Why not go out and see something cheerful like this?

Hey, I Remember This Show: Jack of All Trades

For MaryAnn.

Movie Song of the Week: “Everything Old Is New Again”

As you might have guessed from this week's very light blogging, this hasn't been one of my better weeks. So I can't help but post one of my favorite cheery numbers from 1979's All That Jazz in the hope that the goddess Ann Reinking and her follower Elzsebet Foldi might distract me from an otherwise inevitable pity party.

I hope you all enjoy it.

Movie Quote of the Week

You can't choose between life and death when we're dealing with what is in between.
--Zelda Rubinstein, Poltergeist (1982)

TV Quote of the Week

My mom’s Puerto Rican. That’s why I’m so lively and colorful.
--Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation, “Sister City”

R.I.P. J.D. Salinger

Author J.D. Salinger, writer of the novel Catcher in the Rye and creator of Holden Caulfield, threw himself for the final time yesterday. He was 91.

He will be missed.

R.I.P. Zelda Rubinstein

Zelda Rubinstein, star of the movie Poltergeist and the TV series Picket Fences, crossed over yesterday at age 76.

She will be missed.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

I spent most of the last two weeks trying to help a fellow American who was down on her luck and now I wonder if maybe I helped her too much.

At the time it seemed like a smart thing to do. So many of my friends have problems that are beyond my power to solve that helping the one person I knew whose problems were relatively easy to fix seemed like a piece of cake.

Now I'm beginning to wonder whether I made a mistake. Time will tell.

Trailer of the Week: The Lady Eve (1941)

Don't stay home this weekend and watch some spin-off of Battlestar: Galactica.

Why not go out and see a movie?

Hey, I Remember This Show: Mister Magoo

Yes, that's Gilligan's Island's Jim Backus aka "Thurston Howell III" voicing the title character.

As for the rest, please feel free to write your own political joke.

Movie Song of the Week: “7 1/2 Cents (Seven and a Half Cents)”

Heh. I figured it out.

Movie Quote of the Week

Oh, I suppose not. Only, which three books would you have taken?
--Alan Young, The Time Machine (1960)

TV Quote of the Week

So are we going to sit around crying into our lattes or are we going to do something about it?
--Burn Gorman, Torchwood, “End of Days”

Show Tune/TV Song of the Week: “Maybe This Time”

It's dueling Sallys this week as guest star Kristin Chenoweth and a member of the Glee cast give us a rendition of yet another of my favorite songs from Cabaret.

I hope you all enjoy it.

Hey, I Don't Remember This Show

Accidental Family
AfterMash
Alvin and the Chipmunks (1983)
Birdman
Birds of Prey
Captain America
Chilly Willy
Cimarron Strip
Commander in Chief
Comrade Dad
Count Duckula
Crusader
Cupid
Dan August
Danger Mouse
Dark Shadows (1991)
Dark Skies
Dark Water
Dempsey and Makepeace
Dracula: The Series (1990)
Drak Pack
Friday the 13th
Gloria
Good Morning, World
Green Lantern
Greg the Bunny
Hammer House of Horror
Hawaiian Eye
He & She
Honey West
How I Met Your Mother
Huckleberry Finn and His Friends
Hustle
I Married Joan
Iron Man
James Bond Jr.
Karen
K-9
Love Thy Neighbour
McClain's Law
Mighty Thor
Mission: Impossible (1988)
Moby Dick and Mighty Mightor
Mr. Terrific
Muppet Babies
My Living Doll
Night Visions
O'Hara, U.S. Treasury
Our Miss Brooks
Peter Gunn
Pistols 'N' Petticoats
Return to the Planet of the Apes
Sapphire and Steel
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon
Shazam
Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century
Southland
Space Precinct
Stingray
Super President
Supercar
Superman (1988)
The Addams Family (1973-1975)
The Baron
The Beulah Show
The Fantastic Journey
The Flash (1967)
The Halls of Ivy
The High Chaparral
The Middleman
The Munsters Today
The New Adventures of Zorro (1981)
The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca
The Pruitts of Southampton
The Roaring 20's
The Second Hundred Years
The Super 6
The Swamp Fox
The Vampire Diaries
Zorro

Show Tunes of the Week

“A Very Good Day” -- Working
“First Threepenny Finale” -- The Threepenny Opera (1976)
“Glitter and Be Gay” -- Candide
“Half of the People” -- Mass
“I Hope I Get It” -- A Chorus Line”
“Maybe This Time” -- Cabaret (1998) via Glee
“Mein Herr” -- Cabaret (1998)
“Nicky Machiavelli” -- A Bronx Tale
“Pirate Jenny” -- The Threepenny Opera (1976)

Trailer of the Week: All About Eve (1950)

Don't just stay home polishing all the awards you've won.

Why not go out to the movies and see something that will put those awards in perspective?

Hey, I Don't Remember This Show: The Pruitts of Southampton

Remember the good old days when people living beyond their means were considered laughingstocks? I guess it's a good thing we don't encourage people to live like the Pruitts anymore.

Science Fiction Quote of the Week

-- it is not that you have sinned for i know everyone has done the same or similar things or would if they had our gift & i know too that it is nothing serious or abnormal & of course you have decent instincts & are ashamed --

-- just so/ it is that you know what i have done & you know every last little wish & thought & buried uncleanness & in the top of my head i know it doesn’t mean anything but down underneath is all which was drilled into me when i was just a baby & i will not admit to ANYONE else that such things exist in ME --
--Poul Anderson, “Journeys End”

Comic Book Image of the Week


Some good advice for would-be authors from Steve Gerber's Man-Thing.

Movie Song of the Week: “Let's Go to the Movies”

From 1982's Annie, it's yet another musical number inspired by Busby Berkeley. Why some movie blogger hasn't adopted this song as their official anthem, I'll never know but I must confess I'm a bit puzzled that a number this elaborate got swept under the rug.

Oh, right. We weren't supposed to like movie musicals in the 1980s and if we wanted to see some woman dance around in her lingerie, we were supposed to prefer that it be Madonna and not Ann Reinking. Whatever. To paraphrase the Waitresses, there are times when I'm all too glad to feel like a fifth wheel.

However, I must confess that I find it a little funny that Ms. Reinking and Mr. Finney are taking a child to see Camille. Oh, well. They do say that the past is a distant country and that they do things differently there...

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it.

Pop Song of the Week: “Put a Lid on It”

Embeddable music videos are fast becoming extinct on the Net so I might well start posting a few before they vanish altogether.

This week I post a song from the Squirrel Nut Zippers' 1996 album Hot. After all, we seem to be still reliving the 30s and the Squirrel Nut Zippers captured the spirit of those days a whole lot better than any of their contemporaries. Plus I like how lead vocalist Katharine Whalen channels the spirit of the late Billie Holiday. Not many female singers can pull off such a feat without looking stupid and many wouldn't even try. But then Ms. Whalen is a goddess. So there.

I hope you all enjoy it.

Movie Quote of the Week

What’s the matter, the Recession still on?
--Frankie Thomas, Nancy Drew: Detective (1938)

TV Quote of the Week

Talent doesn’t age, sweetheart.
--Kristen Chenoweth, Glee, “The Rhodes Not Taken”

Creative? Me? Er, If You Say So...



I recently got a Creative Blogger award from Lynn, the nice lady who runs the Violins and Starships site. Normally, I would be tempted to quibble but my parents taught me better than that so I will just hush up and say, "Thank you."

Apparently I'm now obliged to mention seven facts about me that I have not mentioned thus far and to pass the award on to seven bloggers that I do not normally link to. (I'd like to include Lynn, Jaquandor and Samurai Frog on that list but I suspect that would be cheating since they all already have one.)

My seven facts:

1.The first film score I ever owned was John Barry's score for Goldfinger.

2. The first movie I ever saw in a theatre was 101 Dalmations.

3. The first R-rated movie I remember seeing without my parents was 1976's The Omen.

4. The first movie poster I ever bought was for 1976's Carrie.

5. The first old movie I ever remember making deliberate plans to see on TV was 1955's Tarantula.

6. The first DVD I ever owned was The Terminator III: Rise of the Machines. (It was a present.)

7. The first TV set on which I ever watched anything was my parents' old black and white set in Detroit -- and that one also had a built-in record player.

As for the seven bloggers I choose to pass on the award to, I pick:

1. The Flick Filosopher. One of the first web-critics I ever read and still one of the most innovative.

2. Brilliant at Breakfast. Pioneer political blogger and web-critic who can wax philosophical like nobody's business. Every time I think I have her pegged, she surprises me.

3. Self-Styled Siren. Creatrix of the best old movie blogs ever. If there is an old film she does not yet know about, the chances are it is not really worth knowing about.

4. Thrilling Days of Yesteryear. Creator of one of the best old TV show blogs ever. Not to mention the distributor of more info about TCM and Facebook than you'd ever want to know.

5. Shanna Swendson. My favorite published author/blogger. Not only a source of valuable writing advice and literary recommendations but a heck of a movie/TV critic to boot. And her insights on local Texas culture ain't bad either.

6. Lylee's Blog. Another blogger who generally goes anywhere her imagination takes her. Blogs about movies, show tunes, music competitions, court decisions, you name it.

7. Jon Swift. Possessor of a Sahara-dry wit and proof that twenty-first century political satire does not have to be stupid.

Of course, I suspect some of these bloggers might find this award to be redundant but, hey, it is always good to be noticed, right?

Pensamientos Acerca de Televisión

The Big Bang Theory: “The Psychic Vortex”

I have done enough foolish things in the names of love and lust that I feel silly picking on the characters of this show. Yes, they are stereotypes and yes, the show all too often settles for cheap and easy jokes about geeks and nerds.

But every so often the show clicks and becomes more than that and more often than not, said clicks have to do with the character of Sheldon Cooper, an obsessive-compulsive scientist played by Jim Parsons. Let's face it. Everyone knows at least one person like Sheldon, a guy terminally obsessed with having everything just his way -- and no one else's. And while it is tempting to dismiss Sheldon as just an updated version of Felix Unger, I must also admit to finding him the most interesting character of the show. And that includes the pretty blonde waitress/actress named Penny whom Sheldon's roommate Leonard Hofstadter unsuccessfully pursued in earlier seasons.

Usually I find Sheldon's obsessions humorous but tonight when he chose to educate his Indian friend Rajesh Koothrappali on the Zoot Suit Riots in response to his friend's attempt to get him to go to a local club's rather lame celebration of the Zoot Suit, I actually applauded. It is not often that Sheldon's obsessions actually proved to be more useful than irritating but this was one of them.

I suppose to most viewers, the Zoot Suit Riots were just another trivial aspect of American history and I suppose to some, they are. But when -- like me -- you grow up with Mexican-American relatives who remember the bad old days of the pre-Civil Rights era, you get tired of seeing even the most serious of historical events swept under the rug in the interest of avoiding hurt feelings. I am not arguing that every TV show should attempt to lecture its audience on the darker aspects of American history -- after all, The Big Bang Theory is meant to be a comedy -- but it should not encourage people to ignore history either.

As for the rest of the episode...

Well, it was interesting to see the Howard Wolowitz character -- an obnoxious Jewish-American scientist who usually spends most of his time hitting on women -- actually proving to be more diplomatic than Leonard. Granted, Howard had a selfish motive for his behavior -- he finally found a steady girlfriend who is willing to put up with him and he did not want any philosophical arguments between Leonard and Penny rocking the boat. But it was still rather shocking to see Leonard -- who was usually the most diplomatic male character on the show -- being obnoxious. This time it was about Penny's belief in psychics. Penny was an obvious believer; Leonard was not.

Oh, well. As usual, the best moments on the show revolved around Sheldon Cooper -- which is odd because he was not exactly the most likable character on the show. Then again, perhaps the fact that he didn't even try to be all that likable was what set him apart from the rest of the characters. After all, we all like a challenge.

Pensamientos Acerca de Televisión

Ugly Betty: “The Manhattan Project”

It is the start of a brand-new -- er -- old season (season three, to be exact) and Betty Suarez is finally moving on from her two rival boyfriends Henry and Gio. She's a whole new girl working at a whole new magazine and moving into a whole new place. So I suppose the writers will proceed to do their damnedest to get her back to the status quo of the show's first two seasons.

On the plus side, Lindsay Lohan is cast as a noxious fast food manager who once bullied Betty Suarez back in high school. And no, I'm not even going to make any cheap jokes about typecasting. After all, Ms. Lohan has been the target of enough cheap shots as of late. But I would not be surprised if Ms. Lohan appeared in a future episode.

Trailer of the Week: The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

Don't just stay home and let some guy on cable fill you up with political commentary.

Why not go out and see something that is totally apolitical?

Movie Song of the Week: “Anything Goes”

Spielberg does Berkeley. Director Steven Spielberg, that is, doing Busby Berkeley. And given my obvious love of Busby Berkeley numbers, it was almost inevitable that I post this even though it comes from one of my less favorite movies.

From 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, it's Kate Capshaw singing an old Cole Porter number in Mandarin in what would appear to be the only musical number Steven Spielberg has ever done to date apart from the dance numbers in 1941. It's quite a shame he never tried again.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it.

Movie Quote of the Week

I should hate to see our country endangered by my underwear.
--Greta Garbo, Ninotchka (1939)

TV Quote of the Week

No one's unemployed these days except you.
--Jacqueline King, Doctor Who (The Second Series), “Partners in Crime”

Pensamientos Acerca de Televisión

Doctor Who (The Second Series): “The End of Time: Part Two”

Well, as I noted yesterday, the David Tennant era of Doctor Who is officially over and in the next episode, we will see a young actor named Matt Smith -- no relation to the other Smiths in the DW universe, I trust -- taking over the role of the Doctor. Russell T. Davies will be leaving too and Steven Moffat -- writer of some of the better Doctor Who episodes -- will be taking his place.

As a result, I was not quite as annoyed with this episode as I was the episode before it. The hungry cyborg/Master still bothers me -- for that matter, so does the Mighty Morphin' Power Master -- but they are not really deal breakers. Nor did I mind too much the sillier elements: for example, that fall from a great height that theoretically should have killed the Doctor outright but instead just stunned him a little. Or for that matter, the magic radiation that killed people but still left a certain alien free to travel about without worrying about contaminating anyone.

RTD did take time to indulge all his greatest hits: armed confrontations, moving planets, Star Wars references, arbitrary visits to characters of previous episodes, etc. He always had a flair for the epic that he could not always fulfill as well as he should -- though given the fact that he's been working on three shows -- Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures -- it seems amazing that his screenplays work as well as they do.

Anyway, we never do find out Wilf's big secret -- although we do find out at least one secret about him. Nor do we quite learn the true identity of the Woman in White who kept popping up in the previous episode. Yes, she appears to be a Timelady but apart from that, who is she really? Why does the Doctor seem to recognize him. Show writer Julie Gardner has supposedly outed her as the Doctor's mother -- but RTD did not officially concur -- perhaps so that the new guy's writing staff can come up with their own explanations.

RTD has received more than a little criticism about how he first wrote Donna Noble into a situation where she faced certain death and then rescued her at the last second. Granted, her rescue was so unexpected that I kept the Monty Python crew to show up and start singing about how she was saved at the last minute. But I am kinda glad he did not decide to exploit her death for cheap emotional points and even more glad that he gave her a happy ending. Her ending may not make the most feminist fans of Doctor Who very happy -- but they made sense in view of what we already learned about the character in previous episodes and I was glad to see that her new spouse actually seems to care for her.

Perhaps Donna will have children with her new husband and perhaps someday one of them will accompany a future incarnation of the Doctor on his travels through time and space. Of course, that seems unlikely now. But then at one time, a second Doctor Who series seemed unlikely too.

Hey, I Remember This Show: Doctor Who (The Second Series, Season Four)

Heh. Now that the David Tennant era of Doctor Who is officially over, I can't resist posting my favorite trailer of the three seasons in which he performed prior to this current one.

Plus, I can't help getting the first two lines of this trailer out of my head. Mind you, I don't quite know what business Billie Piper has appearing in this trailer. But somebody obviously liked her so I won't kick.

I hope you enjoy it.

100 Quotes Every Geek Should Know

It's time once again to play "Name That Quote"... with your host Tonio Kruger.

Okay, actually this is a list I borrowed from Byzantium's Shores, which got it from somewhere else. The official name really is "100 Quotes Every Geek Should Know" and while I have my own list of such quotes -- which I may or may not post at a later date -- I will go ahead and post this one. Bold is for the ones for which I know both the name of the original source and the name of the character citing such quote in such source; italic is for the ones I just know by source. Please feel free to copy the list for your own site.

1. “Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.”

2. “Three rings for the Elven kings under the sky, seven for the Dwarf lords in their halls of stone, nine for the mortal men doomed to die, one for the Dark Lord on his dark throne, in the land of Mordor where the shadows lie. One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring the bring them all, and in the darkness bind them. In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie.”

3. “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

4. “Spock. This child is about to wipe out every living thing on Earth. Now, what do you suggest we do... Spank it?”

5. “With great power there must also come -— great responsibility.”

6. “If you can’t take a little bloody nose, maybe you oughtta go back home and crawl under your bed. It’s not safe out here. It’s wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross; but it’s not for the timid.”

7. “Five card stud, nothing wild. And the sky’s the limit”

8. “If you think that by threatening me you can get me to do what you want… Well, that’s where you’re right. But -- and I am only saying that because I care -- there’s a lot of decaffeinated brands on the market that are just as tasty as the real thing.”

9. “We’re all very different people. We’re not Watusi. We’re not Spartans. We’re Americans, with a capital ‘A’, huh? You know what that means? Do ya? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world. We are the wretched refuse. We’re the underdog.”

10. “If I’m not back in five minutes, just wait longer.”

11. “I’m going to give you a little advice. There’s a force in the universe that makes things happen. And all you have to do is get in touch with it, stop thinking, let things happen, and be the ball.”

12. WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE

13. “Some days, you just can’t get rid of a bomb!”

14. “Bill, strange things are afoot at the Circle K.”

15. “Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple.”

16. “Didja ever look at a dollar bill, man? There’s some spooky shit goin’ on there. And it’s green too.”

17. “Alright, alright alright.”

18. “Heya, Tom’, it’s Bob from the office down the hall. Good to see you, buddy; how’ve you been? Things have been alright for me except that I’m a zombie now. I really wish you’d let us in.”

19. “Never argue with the data.”

20. “Oooh right, it’s actually quite a funny story once you get past all the tragic elements and the over-riding sense of doom.”

21. “Fantastic!”

22. “I must not fear. / Fear is the mind-killer. / Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. / I will face my fear. / I will permit it to pass over me and through me. / And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see
its path. / Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. / Only I will remain.”

23. “This is the way society functions. Aren’t you a part of society?”

24. “Okay. You people sit tight, hold the fort and keep the home fires burning. And if we’re not back by dawn… call the president.”

25. “No matter where you go, there you are. ”

26. “Do you know of the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish that is best served cold? It is very cold in space.”

27. “Ray, if someone asks you if you’re a god, you say YES!”

28. “Greetings, programs!”

29. “I guess you picked the wrong god-damned rec room to break into, didn’t you?!”

30. “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”

31. “Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no substitute for a good blaster at your side, kid.”

32. “Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.”

33. “It’s a moral imperative.”

34. “Talk with your mouth full / bite the hand that feeds you / bite off more than you can chew / dare to be stupid”

35. “Well, let’s say this Twinkie represents the normal amount of psychokinetic energy in the New York area. Based on this morning’s reading, it would be a Twinkie thirty-five feet long, weighing approximately six hundred pounds.”

36. “This episode was BADLY written!”

37. “Worst. Episode. Ever.”

38. “Goonies never say die.”

39. “Nothing shocks me –- I’m a scientist.”

40. “Bright light! Bright light!”

41. “The Road goes ever on and on/Down from the door where it began/Now far ahead the Road has gone/And I must follow, if I can/Pursuing it with eager feet/Until it joins some larger way/Where many paths and errands meet/And whither then? I cannot say.”

42. “Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!”

43. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?”

44. “Wait a minute, Doc. Ah… Are you telling me you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?”

45. “Don’t call me a mindless philosopher, you overweight blob of grease!”

46. “I’d just as soon kiss a wookiee!”

47. “But one thing’s sure: Inspector Clay is dead, murdered, and somebody’s responsible.”

48. “I know kung fu.”

49. “This is your receipt for your husband... and this is my receipt for your receipt.”

50. “Your soul-suckin’ days are over, amigo!”

51. “I don’t believe there’s a power in the ‘verse that can stop Kaylee from being cheerful. Sometimes you just wanna duct-tape her mouth and dump her in the hold for a month.”

52. “Would you say I have a plethora of piñatas?”

53. “Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!”

54. “There is no Earthly way of knowing… which direction we are going. There is no knowing where we’re rowing, or which way the river’s flowing. Is it raining? Is it snowing? Is a hurricane a’blowing? Not a speck of light is showing so the danger much be growing. Are the fires of hell a’glowing? Is the grisley reaper mowing? YES! The danger must be growing for the rowers keep on rowing AND THEY’RE CERTAINLY NOT SHOWING ANY SIGNS THAT THEY ARE SLOWING!!”

55. “Time... to die.”

56. “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”

57. “Check, please.”

58. “So say we all.”

59. “After very careful consideration, sir, I’ve come to the conclusion that your new defense system sucks.”

60. “I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar.”

61. “No matter what you hear in there, no matter how cruelly I beg you, no matter how terribly I may scream, do not open this door or you will undo everything I have worked for.”

62. “Ahh, a bear in his natural habitat: a Studebaker.”

63. “He’s dead, Jim.”

64. “Who’s gonna turn down a Junior Mint? It’s chocolate, it’s peppermint -- it’s delicious!”

65. “Bring out your dead.”

66. “My name is Inigo Montoyo. You killed my father. Prepare to die!”

67. “Why a duck? Why -- a no chicken?”

68. “Redrum.”

69. “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows."

70. “We’re going to need a bigger boat.”

71. “Oooh, ahhh, that’s how it always starts. Then later there’s running and screaming.”

72. “Greetings, my friend. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future.”

73. “Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room!”

74. “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.”

75. “Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!”

76. “You maniacs! You blew it up! Oh, damn you! Damn you all to hell!”

77. “Klaatu barada nikto.”

78. “Monsters from the Id.”

79. “ET phone home.”

80. “What... is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?”

81. “We thought you was a toad!”

82. “Face it tiger, you just hit the jackpot!”

83. “You don’t have to be a gun.”

84. “Danger Will Robinson! Danger!”

85. “Yeah, well. The Dude abides.”

86. “All things serve the beam.”

87. “You can’t fool me! There ain’t no Sanity Clause!”

88. “Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.”

89. “And I said, I don’t care if they lay me off either, because I told, I told Bill that if they move my desk one more time, then, then I’m, I’m quitting, I’m going to quit. And, and I told Don too, because they’ve moved my desk four times already this year, and I used to be over by the window, and I could see the squirrels, and they were married, but then, they switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn’t bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it’s not okay because if they take my stapler then I’ll set the building on fire…"

90. “Michael, I did nothing. I did absolutely nothing, and it was everything that I thought it could be.”

91. “Now I have a machine gun. Ho ho ho.”

92. “Gimme some sugar, baby.”

93. “Well hello Mister Fancypants. Well, I’ve got news for you pal, you ain’t leadin’ but two things, right now: Jack and sh*t… and Jack left town.”

94. “Kneel before Zod.”

95. “Shall we play a game?”

96. “Daddy would have gotten us Uzis.”

97. “It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and we’re wearing sunglasses.” “Hit it!”

98. “Make it so” / “Engage”

99. “Ya Ta!”

100. “End Of Line”

Pensamientos Acerca de Televisión

Doctor Who (The Second Series): “The End of Time: Part One”

Of course, it always seemed obvious to me that if the Master was ever to come down with an eating disorder, it would undoubtedly involve raging hunger -- just like in this episode.

But still... A hungry cyborg? A cyborg who is resurrected through potions?

Granted, series creator Russell T. Davies deserves kudos for resisting the temptation to toss in a visual reference to Meatloaf's “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.” (After all, the title seemed reference enough as it was.) But did we also need visual references to Silence of the Lambs, Stargate, The X-Files and seemingly almost every sci-fi movie and TV show that is not Doctor Who?

I suspect that Davies' true love is really fantasy and indeed, if you look at most of his Doctor Who as basically sword-and-sorcery stories set in space -- with Captain Jack being Fahred to the Doctor's Grey Mouser and the Doctor's various female companions playing Maid Marion to his Robin Hood -- then the stories do not seem so weird. One of these days, Davies is going to settle down and start working on a fantasy series that is either similar to his beloved Buffy the Vampire Slayer or else similar to Wizards and Warriors. However, at this point, I am still not sure whether or not that would be a good thing.

Anyway, I did like certain scenes in this episode -- including a brief glimpse of my beloved Donna Noble and quite longer glimpses of Donna's grandfather. Indeed, one of the best scenes of the episode -- if not, the whole series -- is a brief conversation in a cafe between the Doctor and Donna's grandfather.

I am not sure how I feel about the episode's end. After all, that pun was pretty bad. But I will give it credit for boasting the most memorable cliffhanger since “Utopia.”

My New Year's Resolutions

I posted this on another site so I might as well post it here.

1. Write more.
2. Write more stuff worth reading -- i.e. put more thought and effort into my writing.
3. Lose more weight -- and keep it off.
4. Go to the gym more often.
5. Find a better-paying job.
6. Watch more old movies -- preferably ones I have been always meaning to watch someday but never do.
7. Socialize more.
8. Make new friends.
9. Keep up my connections to old friends.
10. Travel -- if I get the chance.
11. Read all of those books in my bookcase that I have been putting off reading for a rainy day.
12. Win the state lottery.

Of course, I have made so many of these same resolutions in years past that I often suspect that number 12 is the most realistic one.

Oh, well. We'll see...

Movie Song of the Week: “Bye Bye Birdie (Reprise)”

I should have posted this tune yesterday but I didn't think of it. Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa.

From 1963's Bye Bye Birdie, it's a shamelessly young Ann-Margret singing the most memorable number of the entire picture. (And yet the one song from the movie that anyone ever hears nowadays is that “Put on a Happy Face” number.)

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it.

Trailer of the Week: Last Night (1998)

Don't spend all weekend nursing your hangover from New Year's Eve.

Why not go out and see a movie from a cheerier time?

2010 Already?

No, I can't believe it either.