tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post117091335293476447..comments2024-02-23T05:17:08.682-05:00Comments on The Film Freak Central Blog: The TrenchBill Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14011398543859221282noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-16661758067196951082007-03-05T04:10:00.000-05:002007-03-05T04:10:00.000-05:00Think you mean Hour of the Wolf, Ryland. The other...Think you mean <I>Hour of the Wolf</I>, Ryland. The other one is Haneke.Bill Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14011398543859221282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-57135980797543672632007-03-05T03:59:00.000-05:002007-03-05T03:59:00.000-05:00Late to the party on this one. I'm really into tha...Late to the party on this one. I'm really into that "relationshit" title.<BR/>As for Bergman...I've never been able to pinpoint the "best" one. There was a time when, being really depressed and drunk far too often, all I watched was Bergman movies and I still haven't seen all of them, including key members of the oeuvre like <I>Smiles of a Summer Night</I> and <I>Time of the Wolf</I>. For a Ryland Walker Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09233954424885027837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171537513393592912007-02-15T06:05:00.000-05:002007-02-15T06:05:00.000-05:00After my last post, I thought about The Last Kiss ...After my last post, I thought about The Last Kiss for a while. It's not the kind of terrible film that's easily forgotten. Sadly, the only gift Haggis has is the ability to write memorable scenes. They're memorable for a bad reason--they make you hate fiction and light--but I remember nearly every comma of Million Dollar Baby, Crash, and The Last Kiss. (By the way, do you remember a world in O'JohnLandishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15560571840235787129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171517094580887802007-02-15T00:24:00.000-05:002007-02-15T00:24:00.000-05:00Can someone tell Zach Braff he isn't a lead? He sh...Can someone tell Zach Braff he isn't a lead? He should be casted off into the herd of Apatow-only actors as the 5th friend or something.<BR/><BR/>And the word "relationshit" has more wit itself than all of <I>Trust the Man</I>. That movie did not even deserve 1/2* from Walter. If I ever saw David Duchovny, I would smack the little self-satisfied grin off his face. And Im not just referring to hisRickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00879652646989670889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171516758111291772007-02-15T00:19:00.000-05:002007-02-15T00:19:00.000-05:00HA - you're right - somehow works either way, thou...HA - you're right - somehow works either way, though. Gotta' love Yiddish.Walter_Chawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14314737706201691225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171512966779626062007-02-14T23:16:00.000-05:002007-02-14T23:16:00.000-05:00Last Kiss review:"by the time chinless, overcast M...<I>Last Kiss</I> review:<BR/><BR/>"by the time chinless, overcast Michael finally schleps bat-faced cyborg Kim"<BR/><BR/>i love the turn of phrase, Walter, but I think the Yiddishism you were going for was "shtups." To shtup is to know carnally, to make the two-backed beast with, to sex up, to knock boots with, to administer the affection injection to. To schlep is to lug or carry, e.g, "I had toJefferson Robbinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05356665406917571985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171495760971139752007-02-14T18:29:00.000-05:002007-02-14T18:29:00.000-05:00In between this season and the last, Jack Bauer sp...In between this season and the last, Jack Bauer spent two years (being tortured!) in a Chinese prison, and in between seasons four and five he was living under a false identity, leaving his daughter and girlfriend to believe him dead.<BR/><BR/>Also, if you've been watching this season (and I'm guessing you haven't), you've seen how Jack has different feelings about torture now that he's had some Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171479839209883762007-02-14T14:03:00.000-05:002007-02-14T14:03:00.000-05:00"major characters on 24 rather frequently face pri..."major characters on 24 rather frequently face prison or other negative consequences as results of their illegal-but-life-saving activities."<BR/><BR/>They do? Who is in prison for torturing? And especially Jack Bauer in a pinch simply leaves CTU and then comes back in. It's always "just keep me going until this is done, and that is done". And then the series ends, and next season everything's Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171423786987444472007-02-13T22:29:00.000-05:002007-02-13T22:29:00.000-05:00I would just like to thank Walter for coining the ...I would just like to thank Walter for coining the term "vagina charts" in his review of The Last Kiss. I think will be using that phrase in daily speech whenever possible.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171400943635540642007-02-13T16:09:00.000-05:002007-02-13T16:09:00.000-05:00Um, actually, well, major characters on 24 rather ...Um, actually, well, major characters on 24 rather frequently face prison or other negative consequences as results of their illegal-but-life-saving activities. Tony, one of the show's main characters, spent quite a bit of time in jail (albeit for treason) - it just happens in between seasons, because nobody gets sent to jail for anything the day of. <BR/><BR/>Just this season, just last night, Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171396382589388342007-02-13T14:53:00.000-05:002007-02-13T14:53:00.000-05:00"Isn’t it obvious that if there was a nuke in New ..."Isn’t it obvious that if there was a nuke in New York City that was about to blow—or any other city in this country—that, even if you were going to go to jail, it would be the right thing to do?"<BR/><BR/>Emphasis on "even if you were going to go to jail". Yes, torture the guy, then go to jail for it in the satisfied knowledge you helped thousands to survive. But in 24 (to remain in the realm ofAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171394849696192422007-02-13T14:27:00.000-05:002007-02-13T14:27:00.000-05:00Regarding the conversation a few threads back abou...Regarding the conversation a few threads back about <I>24</I>, the show creator is on record with <A HREF="http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/070219fa_fact_mayer" REL="nofollow">the New Yorker</A> about his own views on torture.Jefferson Robbinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05356665406917571985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171324060702081262007-02-12T18:47:00.000-05:002007-02-12T18:47:00.000-05:00Incidentally, I remember during one of my many ar...Incidentally, I remember during one of my many arguments in the wake of the release of Love Actually, I commented that you could make a movie that was just a straight hour-and-a-half of Hugh Grant dancing, and it would be a huge hit.<BR/><BR/>It never occured to me at the time, when I thought Love Actually actually was the cultural low-point for humanity, that they actually *would* release a Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171305127001743322007-02-12T13:32:00.000-05:002007-02-12T13:32:00.000-05:00The Wire RULES.End of Interview.End of Statement.E...The Wire RULES.<BR/>End of Interview.<BR/>End of Statement.<BR/>End of Line.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171295560258157392007-02-12T10:52:00.000-05:002007-02-12T10:52:00.000-05:00I can't bring myself to hate PotC2, maybe in a sim...I can't bring myself to hate PotC2, maybe in a similar way to how I can't bring myself to hate Matrix Reloaded. It's not great, or what one might call "good", but it's not very detrimental to the culture like Norbit may be. There's a lot of imagination on display, and Verbinski at least is a better filmmaker than other Bruckheimer ilk, reminding me of Terry Gilliam with more commercial Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171278586043850972007-02-12T06:09:00.000-05:002007-02-12T06:09:00.000-05:00I'm surprised know ones mentioned The Wire, I was ...I'm surprised know ones mentioned The Wire, I was content with Deadwood and The Sopranos before I started watching.<BR/><BR/>Any plans to cover it on the site?enandrewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07042756921607271994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171275874863682982007-02-12T05:24:00.000-05:002007-02-12T05:24:00.000-05:00I'm gonna stick my neck out: I think the American ...<I>I'm gonna stick my neck out: I think the American "Office" is every bit as good as--if not superior to--the BBC original.<BR/><BR/>I also like that when push comes to shove, the Steve Carell character has a modicum of professionalism, adhering to the old Hitchcock maxim that we'll forgive any man who's good at his job. I probably need to rewatch the British version, but it seemed to me that Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171257484944445862007-02-12T00:18:00.000-05:002007-02-12T00:18:00.000-05:00Wow, that episode of Extras was the most hilarious...Wow, that episode of <I>Extras</I> was the most hilarious sitcom episode since "The Doll" episode of <I>Curb Your Enthusiasm</I>. I know it has been on the BBC already but I just saw it tonight. The exploding coke bottle scene floored me, and followed by the "mash it up" (cheap but still funny) and "It's like <I>Deliverance</I> in here!" scenes, I couldn't even breathe I was laughing so hard.Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00879652646989670889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171241410018658932007-02-11T19:50:00.000-05:002007-02-11T19:50:00.000-05:00Huh, I like Scrubs well enough (though I don't kno...Huh, I like Scrubs well enough (though I don't know what season we're in here in Germany; we're usually at least one season behind, sometimes more). <BR/><BR/>On the other hand, I never got into Six Feet Under – how many episodes does one have to watch before it gets good? Or, to pose the question differently: Are there actually any standout episodes or is any effect just generated by previous Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171240576905755242007-02-11T19:36:00.000-05:002007-02-11T19:36:00.000-05:00I find the moralism of Scrubs so smug and hokey th...I find the moralism of Scrubs so smug and hokey that it's actually incomprehensible. Episodes usually go like this:<BR/>*20 minutes of moderately funny shit*<BR/>J.D. (VO): This made me think a lot about friends and love and shit. Whether you're doing this one thing or doing this other thing or even when you're doing this other other thing, friends and love and shit are what it's all about. (thisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171222005720590102007-02-11T14:26:00.000-05:002007-02-11T14:26:00.000-05:00Lennon and Garant started out writing garbage on p...<I>Lennon and Garant started out writing garbage on purpose</I><BR/><BR/>I thought this before too, but what is the reason for <I>Let's go to Prison</I>* being so horrible? Mr Show's Bob Odenkirk was the director, and if he could have done so, I think he would have made it into a spoof of prison comedies, not a straight prison comedy. I mean it was very close to being a spoof, but mostly had Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00879652646989670889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171180224946033232007-02-11T02:50:00.000-05:002007-02-11T02:50:00.000-05:00I was thinking of The Pleasure of Your Company com...<I>I was thinking of The Pleasure of Your Company comments, but I thought Walter did the Toronto reviews.</I><BR/><BR/>I'll take that as a compliment.<BR/><BR/>I don't have much of an opinion on David Wain, maybe because he's not as ubiquitous as Black or even Showalter (who actually seems like the biggest narcissist among them).<BR/><BR/>I still think Lennon and Garant started out writing Bill Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14011398543859221282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171179704570228852007-02-11T02:41:00.000-05:002007-02-11T02:41:00.000-05:00Can't be the only one that thinks Cries and Whispe...<I>Can't be the only one that thinks Cries and Whispers is better than either Seventh Seal or Persona, can I?</I><BR/><BR/>Well, that's tricky. Seventh Seal is a beautiful allegory; Cries and Whispers is sorta like exhuming your girlfriend's mom's corpse to politely lick its shoulder before you dump red paint on it. Clearly, that's meant as praise, but C&W is a creepy, alien thing that somehow O'JohnLandishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15560571840235787129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171171323951082612007-02-11T00:22:00.000-05:002007-02-11T00:22:00.000-05:00ths US has deftly written Michael Scott as very ca...<I>ths US has deftly written Michael Scott as very capable</I><BR/><BR/>They wrote him not only as capable, but as a very good sales rep. During the episode where the entire office goes on a sales call, Micheal does very well until Andy botches the whole thing. Quite the opposite of David Brent, who you begin to question if he even knows how to turn on a computer. Both shows work well with the Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00879652646989670889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-1171162479301765972007-02-10T21:54:00.000-05:002007-02-10T21:54:00.000-05:00One big difference between The Office UK and The O...One big difference between The Office UK and The Office US is in scope - the UK was finite, barely coming in at more than six or seven hours after the Christmas "special", while the US has already doubled that and then some. <BR/><BR/>It's an interesting point you bring up, Bill, and maybe the greatest (only?) flaw in the UK is that there's no way David Brent would ever have been taken on as Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com