Sunshine activated.
Pop Culture Ephemera
- Medusa Deluxe (2022) (Directed by Thomas Hardiman): “Silly girls aren’t they.” – Divine. First-time director Hardiman makes a beautiful film with a great scenario that just happens to be boring. There’s been a scalping murder of a stylist at a regional hairdressing competition. The film takes place backstage, starting after the murder as we meet the stylists and models, learning each of their backgrounds in what should be the making of a fun murder mystery. The film is done in a series of very long, handheld-camera takes. It’s style over substance, as I fear when I hear about technique-heavy films. The movements through the building are smooth, the acting is fun, the hairstyling is interesting, and the plot is slow. I ended up watching the choreography to see if I could see a camera or shadow in parts instead of listening to the dialog. I hope this director meets a worthy script some day, there’s lots of promise here.
- Severance – “Cold Harbor” (2025) (S.2 E.10) (Apple+): “God, you’re f*cking weird” – Hella. I’ve been thinking about this season finale for a couple of weeks. I have lots to say, but a little less when I avoid spoilers. The whole episode is a spoiler, which is a testament to them bringing so many stories together. The second season snuck up on viewers by making you care about each character’s innie and outie. The problem is that the story is headed to a point where only one or the other can exist for each character. The conversation that Mark Innie and Mark Outie have with each other in this episode is enlightening, but this has happened for each character this season. The episode lost some of the comedy of past entries, but it made up for it by turning up everything to a ten. We don’t just get a record player when a job is finished, but we get a whole marching band. The arc of the season goes to Milchick who has gone far over to the creepy side. Ultimately, this season proves that an innie vs. an outie is choosing logic over emotion and which will ultimately triumph. This would have been disappointing as a series finale but as a season finale it’s spot on.
- Nazareth – “Love Hurts” (1975) (from Hair of the Dog): “Some fools think of happiness / Blissfulness, togetherness.” It’s interesting that this Everly Brothers’ country song from 1960 became a hard-rock classic for a Scottish band. I believe this was played at every school dance I attended from 1978 through 1985. I think of Nazareth as mostly a blues-influenced band, but while not the first, you have to give this song an important place in the early days of the power ballad.
- Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1972) (Directed by Werner Herzog): “Fortune smiles on the brave and spits on the coward.” – Aguirre. The story isn’t really a story as much as a scene setter. There’s a Spanish expedition going up the Amazon in search of the lost City of Gold. They are part of the doomed party of Pizarro. The promise of El Dorado is always just a vague distance and direction away. You don’t watch this film for the plot. You experience the descent into madness as Aguirre (Klaus Kinski) loses his awareness of his surroundings as he envisions finding what he seeks. Sound is the most important sense as Herzog allows the sounds of the river and jungle to surround you. There is a scene in which the river has captured a raft in a whirlpool, and the sheer noise of the water doesn’t allow for communication across the river. There’s the sneaky music of Popol Vuh that blends into the scenes so well that you aren’t often aware of how it gives the film a wonderful mix of the native tribes and the religious aspect of the journey. The rest of the story is told through the face of Aguirre (Kinski’s incredible blue eyes shine). There’s no doubt that death is the destiny; it’s just how it will happen that drives the film. I’ve loved this film since first seeing it in the late ’80s. Watching it again, I realize I really need to see it on the big screen.
- Four Musketeers (1974) (Directed by Richard Lester): “You have a conveniently discriminating anatomy.” – Athos. The theme that links this film and Aguirre, The Wrath of God is a notorious production. One is the fiery relationship between Herzog and Kinski. This one is the story of actors who thought they were making a single film that was turned into two films and the lawsuits that decided the fate. As a film, I’ve always found this to be the superior of the two, mostly from an action standpoint. Michael York as D’Artagnan takes over the lead in the story which plays out with a similar mix of swordplay, humor, and political intrigue. What struck me in this viewing is the influence that Lester has from the martial-arts movies of Bruce Lee and the Shaw Brothers on the way he mixes humor into the fight scenes. The film moves at a fast pace which keeps the viewer from spending too much time questioning the plot holes. It’s not the amazing film I thought it was when I was ten, but I find my nostalgia is still strong for these four swashbucklers.
Best of the Rest
- I mentioned that “Love Hurts” started its life as a country song. In 1975, it would go a long way to create the power-ballad genre. The song was helping to create what we would call the alt. country genre in 1974 when singer-songwriters Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris teamed up for their cover of the chestnut. Their voices blend together in a way that doesn’t even need other instruments. Gram’s early passing prevented us from decades of brilliance like this version. What a flexible tune.
- Entertainment Weekly (3/28/97): “Best Commercials of All-Time” #27: Ikea “Dining Room” (1994): Two men shopping for a dining room table ignited a national debate. This is credited as being the first to feature an openly gay couple. You might have blinked and missed it. It only aired after 9:30 pm so children wouldn’t see it. Conservatives blasted it to the point that Ikea was receiving bomb threats. It disappeared from the airwaves quickly. It’s not even that great of an ad, and by later in the decade, this could have been an episode of at least four sitcoms.
- The year after the Everly Brothers released “Love Hurts,” Roy Orbison covered it and gave it that right amount of heartache. I can hear that same dichotomy in Jim Capaldi’s version. The year after the Nazareth version, Jim Capaldi gives a much more up-tempo version but with a voice that is sad underneath it. Jim Capaldi was a co-founder of Traffic and I believe that Steve Winwood is playing organ on this version.
Sunday Morning Tuneage Flashback
- On the Sunday Morning Tuneage from 6/4/2007 to 7/12/2009, I ranked my 100 Favorite Films of All-Time. I did one per week with the arbitrary rule that they had to air on television that upcoming week. It ended up being a pretty representative list in retrospect. A few were ranked out of order, but I stick with that list for that point in my life. The 2009 stats check out.
6 – Alfred Hitchcock films.
5 – Steven Spielberg films.
4 – Stanley Kubrick films.
4 – Billy Wilder films.
I’m going to attempt the impossible over the next 20 weeks. I’m going to use that old list as a template and rank five films a week, without planning it all out ahead of time. Remember, these are “favorite” and not necessarily “best” movies. Enjoy critiquing me along the way.
2025 Running Stats (#46-100)- 3 – Directed by Terry Gilliam
- 3 – Directed by Quentin Tarantino
- 2 – Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
- 2 – Directed by John Hughes
- 2 – Directed by Terry Jones
- 2 – Directed by Sergio Leone
- 2 – Directed by Steven Spielberg
- 2 – Directed by David Yates
- 2 – 1920’s
- 1 – 1940’s
- 1 – 1950’s
- 6 – 1960’s
- 14 – 1970’s
- 11 – 1980’s
- 12 – 1990’s
- 5 – 2000’s
- 2 – 2010’s
- 1 – 2020’s
- FAVORITE MOVIES OF ALL-TIME (2009)
- 50. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
- 49. Das Boot (1981)
- 48. Brief Encounter (1945)
- 47. Duck Soup (1933)
- 46. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
- FAVORITE MOVIES OF ALL-TIME (2025)
- 50. Glory (1989) (Directed by Edward Zwick): Broderick is decent but Denzel steals the show and you know that he’s going to be a force. It helps that it’s just a damn fine story.
- 49. Jurassic Park (1993) (Directed by Steven Spielberg): It seems a crime to have a film that was so much fun to be ranked here. It is simply fun from start to finish. I saw it on the big screen again last year, and I still smiled the whole time.
- 48. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) (Directed by Sergio Leone): The spaghetti western was pretty much done as a big-budget epic by 1968. The Leone went back to the well and showed that it wasn’t over just yet. One of the best Henry Fonda roles of the decade and that’s saying something.
- 47. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) (Directed by Mike Newell): Based on my favorite book of the series, this was the first film in the series that would have benefited from being broken into two films. The ending marks a transition for the series to more adult themes.
- 46. Once Upon a Time in America (1984) (Directed by Sergio Leone): Everything that makes his spaghetti westerns work are on display here. Beautiful camerawork, excellent score, and the man knows how to get the best out of his actors. This defines “epic” in an era where the films were starting to go the other direction.
1975 in Review
- April – Thor #234 (Marvel Comics): Cover Art by Dick Giordano. Written by Gerry Conway. Art by John Buscema. “I dare thee, Loki — I dare the this once, to meet me in Combat Unadorned!” – Thor. The battles between Thor and Loki are relatively predictable. The fight inside the issue doesn’t have Loki with the Firesword he has on the cover. The actual battle is hand-to-hand and Thor has to win in 60 seconds or turn back to human form. This era is very entertaining for this title.
- April 3 – Bobby Fischer loses his World Chess Champion crown by refusing to play against Anatoly Karpov for $1.5 million. Fischer hadn’t defended his title since 1972.
- April 26 – TV Guide: Cover by Jack Davis. Airing as part of the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie, McCloud, the Dennis Weaver show, would have mostly 120-minute episodes in the season that just ended. The show was an exciting hybrid of detective shows with a western influence.
What the Hell Did I Put in My Mouth?
Reese’s Chocolate Lava Cup
I should have gotten the Big-Cup version. That was my first thought. Upon further thought, I’m not sure there is a Goldilocks version. The regular-size version just doesn’t provide enough gooey fudge to make a difference. I’m afraid that the Big-Cup size would be too much of a mess to eat. The chocolate-cup engineers didn’t do their best job on these by putting the goo at the bottom of the cup separated from your fingers by only a thin layer of chocolate. This belongs on a plate with a fork.
Doritos Late Night:
Zesty Jalapeno Popper
The popularity of their past couple of releases (Sizzlin’ Cheeseburger and Loaded Taco) had me excited for this one. Doritos has had multiple versions of a Jalapeno Popper in the past. The idea of the Late Night seems to be to reimagine an old flavor with a new adjective attached. They nail the flavor without adding too much jalapeno spice. There’s a sweet aftertaste that doesn’t completely fit the profile. This doesn’t hit the quality of the past two releases, but it’s fun.
Gardetto’s:
Peppercorn & Herb
Gardetto’s is the comfortable mid-point between Chex Mix and those Munchies type of mixes. It’s a go-to for me on road trips and as an alternative to the Chex Mix. This Peppercorn & Herb takes the garlic and onion flavor profile and ups the game with a little pepper spice. The only drawback to the container that I purchased was the overwhelming amount of rye chips. I like all of the items but want a better balanced mix.
“Love wounds and marks
Any heart
Not tough or strong enough
To take a lot of pain, take a lot of pain
Love is like a cloud
Holds a lot of rain” – Nazareth
