Archive for October, 2008
I Disagree, Mr. Ebert
Roger Ebert laid out a few rules a couple days ago on how movie critics should behave. While I quibble with some of his rules (”Trailers”) and others are painfully obvious (”Provide a sense of experience”) and a couple are just tedious, (”Do the Math”, “Sit Down, Shut Up, and Pay Attention!”), the one I take issue with is the following:
No autographs! If for example, you are at a press event and interviewing a star, the stars are old hands at this and will think of you as a species of bottom-feeder if you ask them for an autograph. Your fellow professionals will try to pretend they are in another room, and gossip scornfully about you in the buffet line. It is bad enough they have to make a meal out of more of this god-damned shrimp without their being being associated with you. Either you are moronic enough to desire an autograph after having had the opportunity of speaking with the star in person, or you hope to sell it on eBay. It is doubly reprehensible if a star asks you for your name, and you reply, “Just your signature will be terrific!”
Of all the stars I’ve asked to autograph something for me, none have ever rolled their eyes or had other professionals in my room openly disdain me for it (and if there are those who do, so be it; that’s their issue). I don’t think there’s anything moronic about wanting an autograph just because I spoke with a star. Yes, interviews are neat but I accept that A) I’m not a great interviewer and B) the star will probably have heard the question before. Furthermore, I don’t ask for autographs from every star I meet. If there’s a special movie or TV show, I will ask an autograph for that because I want that star to know that I appreciated that work and I’m appreciated them in it. If they take affront to that, then again, it’s their issue and not mine. Being a detached critic if all well and good but if you can’t be a fan from time to time, then you may need to check your love of cinema.
Thus, my autographed copy of The Graduate, signed by Dustin Hoffman, is one of the priceless things I own and I treasure it greatly. It’s not only my favorite film of all-time signed by one of my favorite actors of all-time, but it’s a memento from my very first junket. And when I’ve managed to grab an autograph for my brother or a friend, it’s me taking the opportunity through my work to show my love. If that means I don’t meet Roger Ebert’s level of professionalism, so be it. I know my code of ethics for my job and it’s never let me down.
I’ve Been Thinking - Election 2008, Part I
As this long election season winds down, I’ve been having various thoughts about the political climate and how this will all shake out. These will be brief thoughts that are too long for a Twitter post but won’t be in depth blog entries. But on these posts I do encourage comments so feel free to do so below or through Facebook.
The Double-Edged Sword of Joe Lieberman
There’s a drawback to the Dems getting close to the filibuster-proof majority. The closer they are to sixty votes, the more they need Joe Lieberman. This is a guy that should be a pariah of the Democratic caucus but because he’s an independent, he’s been crucial these past two years in keeping the balance of power 51-49 (which has clearly been a meaningless majority since the Dems have let major pieces of Republican legislation sail on through while getting little accomplished other than an energy bill that was jam-packed with pork). However, the 60-vote majority does mean something and even in the “best case” scenario where the Democrats need to pick up nine seats, this rests on the assumption of keeping Joe Lieberman. If they only pick up two or three seats this election, then screw him because there’s no way they’ll get six Republicans to jump on board to a piece of legislation unless it’s something like stem-cell research which would pass easily anyway (and the only reason it hasn’t passed yet is because Bush has vetoed it, one of the few cases where the Christian right has made their presence known in a substantive piece of legislation as opposed to just being an easily manipulated block of voters that Republicans have exploited).
So while I’ll swallow my pride and accept him as a necessary evil of a filibuster-proof majority, I hope that either the Dems will pick up even more seats in 2010 or that Holy Joe gets his ass kicked to the curb in 2012.
Matt’s Great DVD Sale - Got a Fiver?
As our economy strains, I’ve found myself looking for alternate revenue streams as the job market shows no sign of improving in the near future (although the search for permanent employment continues daily). Thus, I’ve decided to sell off about half of my DVD collection. It will be going up on eBay but before I decided to offer it up to the world unknown, I’d like to give first crack to my friends and family, partially because I like you so much and partially because it means I get the money faster and don’t have to deal with shipping.
To answer your questions:
1) Yes, all the DVDs are in excellent condition. Some of their cases may be roughed up from my various movings over the years, but the DVDs all work perfectly. They were not used as coasters, frisbees, or plates.
2) If there’s a title you hate, assume I got it as a gift.
3) If there’s a title you love and are wondering why I would part with such a classic, I would like to show you my checking account balance.
4) Most of these titles are $5 because it’s a nice round number, I believe it to be a fair price, and the government has not come through with a bill for $4.99. Of course, all prices are negotiable.
5) If you have any questions, just shoot me an e-mail at matt AT goldbergblog DOT com.
Now, on with the list!
12 Monkeys: Collector’s Edition - $8
28 Days Later: Widescreen Special Edition - $6
300: Two-Disc Special Edition - $10
A Clockwork Orange - $4
A Fistful of Dollars - $5
A Life Less Ordinary - $5
A Mighty Wind - $5
A Series of Unfortunate Events: 2-Disc Special Edition - $8
A Simple Plan - $5
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence – Two-Disc Special Edition - $5
About a Boy - $5
About Schmidt - $5
Accepted - $5
American Beauty: The Awards Edition - $5
An Evening with Kevin Smith - $5
Angel: Season Five - $10
Angel: Season One - $10
Animal House: Double-Secret Probation Edition - $5
Assault on Precinct 13 - $5
Bad Boys - $5
Batman Begins: Two-Disc Deluxe Edition - $5
Batman: The Animated Series – Volumes One through Three (sold together or individually) - $10/ea, $20 for all three
Be Kind Rewind - $5
Bee Movie - $5
Bill & Ted’s Most Excellent Collection - $10
Black Hawk Down: 3-Disc Deluxe Edition - $8
Bowling for Columbine: Special Edition - $5
Brick - $5
Bring It On: Collector’s Edition - $5
Brotherhood of the Wolf - $5
Bubba Ho-Tep - $5
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season One - $5
Capote - $4
Chappelle’s Show: Season One - $5
Chappelle’s Show: Season Two - $5
Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle – Unrated - $2
Closer - $5
Cloverfield - $7
Club Dread - $2
Crank - $6
Dark City: New Line Platinum Series - $4
Dave - $5
Dr. Strangelove: Special Edition - $7
Eastern Promises - $5
Election - $5
Euro Trip: Unrated - $4
Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story - $2
Family Guy: Volume Three - $7
Fantastic 4 - $5
For a Few Dollars More - $3
Four Brothers - $4
Frequency - $5
Friday Night Lights: The First Season - $8
Garden State - $5
Gattaca - $5
Get Shorty: 2-Disc Collector’s Edition - $5
Ghostbusters 1&2 - $4
Gladiator: Extended Edition - $5
Gladiator: Signature Selection - $5
Glory - $5
Gone Baby Gone - $5
Hero - $5
Hill Street Blues: Season One - $5
Hitch - $5
Hotel Rwanda - $5
House of Flying Daggers - $5
House: Seasons One through Four (sold together or individually) - $15/ea or $45/all
I Heart Huckabees: 2-Disc Special Edition - $5
In the Line of Fire: Special Edition - $5
Inside Man - $5
Jerry Maguire: Special Edition - $5
Jersey Girl - $5
Just Friends - $4
Kingdom of Heaven: 4-Disc Director’s Cut - $10
Kung Fu Hustle - $5
Land of the Dead - $5
Legally Blonde: Special Edition - $2
Little Miss Sunshine - $5
Live Free or Die Hard: Unrated - $5
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels - $2
Looney Tunes: Back in Action - $2
Lord of War: 2-Disc Special Edition - $5
Magnolia: New Line Platinum Series - $10
Mean Girls - $5
Meet the Parents: Bonus Edition - $5
Million Dollar Baby: 2-Disc Widescreen Edition - $5
Minority Report - $5
Mission: Impossible - $5
Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Unrated - $5
Murder My Sweet - $5
My Cousin Vinny - $5
Napoleon Dynamite - $5
Notes on a Scandal - $5
Ocean’s Twelve - $5
Office Space: Special Edition - $4
Once - $6
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest: Two-Disc Special Edition - $10
Over the Hedge - $5
Panic Room: Special Edition - $8
PCU - $5
Peter Jackson’s King Kong: 2-Disc Special Edition - $3
Peter Pan - $3
Pitch Black: Unrated Director’s Cut - $3
Platoon: Special Edition - $5
Primary Colors - $5
Quiz Show - $5
Rain Man: Special Edition - $2
Reno 911!: Miami – Unrated - $5
Reno 911!: Reno’s Most Wanted Uncensored - $5
Requiem for a Dream - $5
Reservoir Dogs: 15th Anniversary Edition - $8
Rocky Balboa - $5
Roger Dodger - $3
Rumble in the Bronx - $5
Schindler’s List -$5
Shattered Glass - $5
Sideways - $5
Signs: Vista Series - $5
Sin City: Recut, Extended, Unrated - $7
Sleepy Hollow - $5
Smokin’ Aces - $5
Snatch. - $5
Sneakers - $5
Southland Tales - $5
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace - $2
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones - $3
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith - $4
Stardust - $4
Stranger Than Fiction - $4
Straw Dogs - $4
Stripes: Extended Cut - $5
Super Size Me - $5
Superman Returns: Two-Disc Special Edition - $5
Swimming with Sharks - $5
Swingers - $5
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby – Unrated and Uncut - $5
Team America: World Police –Uncensored and Unrated - $5
Tenacious D: The Complete Masterworks - $7
Terminator 2: Judgment Day – Artisan Extreme DVD - $5
Thank You For Smoking - $5
The Aviator: Two-Disc Special Edition - $7
The Big One - $5
The Blues Brothers: 25th Anniversary Edition - $5
The Chronicles of Riddick: Unrated Director’s Cut - $5
The Crow: Collector’s Series - $5
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Indecision 2004 - $8
The Fifth Element: Ultimate Edition - $5
The Fog of War - $5
The Fugitive - $5
The Girl Next Door: Unrated Version - $5
The Good Shepherd - $5
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - $5
The Hurricane: Collector’s Edition - $5
The Italian Job - $5
The Jerk: 26th Anniversary Edition - $5
The Kingdom - $8
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: The Criterion Collection – Special Edition Two-Disc Set - $8
The Nines - $5
The Office: Season One - $5
The Others: 2-Disc Collector’s Edition - $5
The Prestige - $5
The Quick and the Dead - $5
The Quiet American - $5
The Ref - $5
The Rules of Attraction - $5
The Rundown - $5
The Sandlot - $5
The Shining - $5
The Silence of the Lambs: Special Edition - $5
The Simpsons Movie - $7
The Terminator - $5
The Truman Show: Special Edition - $5
The TV Set (autographed by director Jake Kasdan) - $6
The Weather Man - $5
The Woodsman - $5
There’s Something (More) About Mary: Widescreen Collector’s Edition - $5
Top Secret - $5
Training Day (autographed by writer David Ayer) - $6
Unforgiven: Two-Disc Special Edition - $10
Vanilla Sky - $5
Wag the Dog - $8
Waiting… - $5
What About Bob? - $5
When Harry Met Sally: Special Edition - $5
Who Framed Roger Rabbit: Vista Series - $5
Wimbledon - $5
Wordplay - $5
Fake U.S.A.! Fake U.S.A.!
Since the McCain campaign and the Republican Party are in decline and don’t take losing very well, they’ve decided to go back to that time-tested strategy of deciding who’s a “real” American and who’s a “fake” American. I was worried that in all this talk about whether or not Obama was a terrorist and the possibility of a complete economic meltdown, we wouldn’t discuss who really loves their country and what loving that country means.
Thankfully, the GOP went there this past weekend and two of TV’s best editorialists have responded as only they could. First, the eloquent Keith Olbermann asks, “What is ‘pro-America’, Senator?”
Jon Stewart then has a follow-up question, “What the pfuck?”
Hang In There, Nation!
There are 28 days left until Election Day. In that time, a horrible virus could ravage the Earth rendering its inhabitants fast-moving, blood-thirsty zombies; Sandra Bullock could do a stint in rehab; or John McCain could come back from the political brink and win this election on nothing more than vile attacks and broad smears. I think back to 2004 and recall the shock and horror of Bush winning a second term. I picture John McCain crossing the threshold of 270 votes on November 4th…I see him dying in office because he’s fucking old…I see Sarah Palin as President…My blood runs cold but my heart is beating out of my chest. I curl up into the fetal position and begin to sob. And then I look at this picture and everything is okay again:
It reminds me that Obama has run the best campaign possible. It wasn’t without its stumbles but it was hard-fought and it didn’t fall into the trap that got Al Gore and John Kerry of ignoring the smears and hoping the American people would be smart enough to see through it (they’re not). Obama has a smart, well-disciplined campaign and this little image reminds me of that. So whenever I read horror stories about John McCain or Sarah Palin, I just look at this photo and it calms my nerves and I put away my passport and stop looking for jobs overseas and return to hoping that our long, national nightmare will finally be over on January 20th, 2009.
Das Reviewsen
Five flicks, five reviews:
Appaloosa (5.0 out of 10)
Blindness (7.9 out of 10)
Flash of Genius (4.3 out of 10)
Rachel Getting Married (7.8 out of 10)
Religulous (7.5 out of 10)
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