Birds sighted.
Pop Culture Ephemera
- The Inspection (2022) (Directed by Elegance Bratton): “Most of my friends are dead or in jail. The streets was gonna kill me, no matter what, so if I die in this uniform, I’m a hero – to somebody.” – Ellis. When you know that the story of a troubled, young, gay black man who enlists in the Marines is based upon the true events of the director’s life, you don’t stress as much when the lead character seems like he’s going to die during training. Jeremy Pope is a revelation as Ellis French. I’d love to see him get more starring roles.
The film is a more traditional boot-camp genre picture at its heart. It’s more Officer and a Gentleman (1982) than Full Metal Jacket (1987). With the elements of racism and hatred of gays in the military, this film has a number of roads you might think it could travel. In the end, the film just doesn’t make a decision about what it wants to be. I don’t know what to make of the conclusion. The film might have constrained itself by being based on the true story of the director. It’s a good film, but misses all the chances at giving the viewer a memorable message.
- Barney Miller – “The Escape Artist” (1975) (S.1 E.11) (ABC): “Logical consequences are the scarecrows of fools and the beacons of wise men” – Charlie Evans Jeffers attributes it to Aldous Huxley but it is from Thomas Henry Huxley. There are few shows that hit their stride so early. I’ve been working my way through Happy Days (ABC), All in the Family (CBS) and M*A*S*H (CBS) and all of those took a season or two to find the groove that would make them famous. This episode has everything that I love about the show.
The two-criminal structure is already part of the episode. This one guest stars Roscoe Lee Browne as the philosophical escape artist, Charlie Evans Jeffers. The other gag is about a Birdman named Gusik. The two plots interweave along with the first mention that Harris is writing a detective novel, a story that will run the entire run of the series. The coffee is bad, Fish makes marriage jokes, and Wojo is judgmental of the criminals. It’s all here as it will be more or less for eight seasons. The episode never leaves the 12th Precinct. The writing here is smarter than most sitcoms of the decade.
- Tennessee Ernie Ford & Glen Campbell – “For the Good Times” (1975) (from Ernie Sings & Glen Picks): “And I’ll be here if you should find you ever need me / Don’t say a word about tomorrow or forever.” Is there a better deep voice in country music than Tennessee Ernie Ford? This was originally written in 1968 by Kris Kristofferson. When Ray Price covered it in 1970, it was the first song to put Kristofferson on the map. It went on to win “Song of the Year” and “Single of the Year” from the Academy of Country Music Awards. This version with Ford and Campbell breaks it back to the bare bones (compared to the orchestra on Price’s version). The song covers all the stages of the lovers’ breakup from initial sadness through the acceptance.
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) (Directed by Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones): “Listen, strange women lyin’ in ponds distributin’ 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.”- Dennis. I had some trepidation seeing the 50th Anniversary release in theaters. Visions of Rocky Horror Show-type of audience participation didn’t appeal to me. Fortunately, it was a relatively tame, but full theater, crowd that laughed at the appropriate scenes but didn’t shout out dialog. The film is a series of beloved scenes that are part of our geek lexicon. I can’t go too far at a Comic Con without hearing a “I got better” type of exchange.
Two things that struck me compared to recent physical media releases. The DVD versions have included a “false start” where Dentist on the Job (1961) starts playing before it is replaced by our film. That was removed for the Blu-ray and wasn’t present here. The most surprising element was the clarity of the picture. The last DVD release and the Blu-ray releases were a huge jump in video quality. This felt like a print I might have watched when I saw it in theaters in 1985. The humor hasn’t diminished at all, even when you know all of the lines before they are delivered. It’s the ultimate “see it with a crowd” film, and I’m glad it came around again this year. I can’t wait for the anniversaries of their next two films.
- Thunderbolts* (The New Avengers) (2025) (Directed by Jake Schreier): “Look, I’ve been where you are. The past doesn’t go away. So you can either live with it forever, or do something about it.” – Bucky Barnes. I’m not going to tell you the consensus comment about this film, “The MCU is back!” This isn’t 2010, but the MCU might just have the “save shot” that it needed. If nothing else, it brought back some fun.
The film gets off to a rocky start. My biggest complaint in recent years is that you feel like you need to have done your homework before the film. I haven’t watched all of the Disney+ shows, and I needed a little more backstory on the characters. This is the second team in the most symbolic sense. Each of the characters is a shadow of a more famous Marvel hero. After that first act gets the team together, the film finds a groove. The story is “movie worthy” which is more than I can say for the past few. Florence Pugh is the glue that holds it together, like Chris Pratt on Guardians. Her acting brings a seriousness to what is essentially a comedy; that’s how these films succeed. The film almost loses my goodwill at the end. The worst part of the MCU has always been the ending (the actual ending) where the film finishes with the feeling like you are watching a preview for the next film. I was charmed enough to overlook that misstep, and now we move into a Fantastic Four-dominated MCU over the next couple of years.
Best of the Rest
- By 1972, Al Green had made his soul cover of the Kristofferson song a common entry in his concert repertoire. I love how this song translates to Green’s voice. He gets closer to the ache of losing a love and less at the acceptance. It feels written for him.
- Entertainment Weekly (3/28/97): “Best Commercials of All-Time” #22: Sunsweet Prunes “Today the Pits” (1967): “For one thing, prunes are wrinkled and I don’t like wrinkles.” Stan Freberg was a pioneer. He led a revolution in the late ’60s of the dynamic concept of sarcasm in advertising. The idea that you can present your product with humor and doubt was unique. Here’s a prune. Not everyone likes the prune, it’s not for everyone, and you can buy it or not. Then prune sales rocket 400%. This is definitely one of the best forgotten ads of all-time.
- Johnny Cash’s sixth and last album for American Recordings was released after his death on what would have been his 78th birthday. This interpretation with his weakened voice and spare instrumental backing gives the song a completely different meaning. This is no longer about the loss of a lover. It’s a song looking back on a life well lived. It’s a difficult version to listen to without feeling emotions. The richness of his voice was perfectly used on these American Recordings. Rick Rubin has an understanding of this song that makes the production almost as good as the original versions.
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 (#21 -100)- 3 – Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
- 3 – Directed by Terry Gilliam
- 3 – Directed by Rob Reiner
- 3 – Directed by Steven Spielberg
- 3 – Directed by Quentin Tarantino
- 3 – Directed by David Yates
- 2 – Directed by James Cameron
- 2 – Directed by Brian De Palma
- 2 – Directed by John Hughes
- 2 – Directed by Terry Jones
- 2 – Directed by Sergio Leone
- 2 – Directed by Kevin Smith
- 2 – Directed by Billy Wilder
- 1 – 1900’s
- 2 – 1920’s
- 3 – 1940’s
- 4 – 1950’s
- 6 – 1960’s
- 18 – 1970’s
- 16 – 1980’s
- 17 – 1990’s
- 8 – 2000’s
- 4 – 2010’s
- 1 – 2020’s
- FAVORITE MOVIES OF ALL-TIME (2009)
- 25. Apocalypse Now (1979)
- 24. E.T. (1982)
- 23. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
- 22. City Lights (1931)
- 21. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
- FAVORITE MOVIES OF ALL-TIME (2025)
- 25. Apollo 13 (1995) (Directed by Ron Howard): I was down on this film before it debuted. I love this story so much that I haughtily thought there should just be a documentary. This proved me wrong. It didn’t stray far from the actual story, which is why it’s supremely entertaining.
- 24. The Conversation (1974) (Directed by Francis Ford Coppola): Gene Hackman eats up the scenery without having much dialog. This film is one that gets better with each viewing.
- 23. Ratatouille (2007) (Directed by Brad Bird): After Cars (2006), I feared that Pixar was on the downturn. Ye of little faith. This was an amazing comeback film. It was funny and wistful and tender and everything that I love about Pixar when they are hitting on all cylinders.
- 22. Sunset Boulevard (1950) (Directed by Billy Wilder): Movies about the movies are dicey at best. Make a movie about the movies that’s also a top-notch film noir, and now we are getting somewhere. Billy Wilder has earned a level of freedom by this point in his career that shines onscreen with delicious dialog.
- 21. Aliens (1986) (Directed by James Cameron): Cameron is coming from that Roger Corman School of blending genres to appeal to a larger audience. Given a bigger budget, he turns the monster horror film, Alien (1979), into a science fiction/war film with horror elements. It is one of the very best theater films of the decade. This is one of a dozen or so films on this list that I feel like my memory of the dialog is above average.
1975 in Review
- May – Thor #235 (Marvel): Cover by Gil Kane. Art by John Buscema. Written by Gerry Conway. “We must act at once if Jane Foster is to survive. Though the cost will be great, I cannot falter.” – Lady Sif. Jane Foster is in the hospital as she seems to be every few issues. Thor is upset. Hercules and Thor are off planet in another world to form a B-story. The Absorbing Man manages to touch Thor’s hammer and absorb the powers. Relatively normal stuff highlighted by incredible art.
- May 10 – Sony debuts the Betamax in Japan. The LV-1901 was a combined unit of television and recorder. It came with tapes for an easy $2,488 ($14,500 in 2024 dollars). It won’t make an appearance in the United States until November. Lasting until 2002, blank tapes were still being produced until 2016.
- May 12 – Sports Illustrated: The 101st Kentucky Derby was run on May 3, 1975. It was won by Foolish Pleasure ahead of Avatar and Diablo. This was the first horse race that I remember watching. It wasn’t a thrilling finish, but I was taken by the sport and would pay attention to the Triple Crown for the next decade.
What the Hell Did I Put in My Mouth?
Skinny Pop: Harry Potter – Butterbeer
I’ve declared this the Year of Butterbeer among other “Years of” so far this year. This is the Butterbeer crossover that has made the most sense so far. The popcorn is somewhere in the thin world between kettle corn and caramel corn. It’s got a very pleasant taste that’s not overly caramel, but it’s closer to the burnt brown sugar elements of caramel. My only complaint is that I would have liked a little more buttery flavor to the crunch. In the Year of Butterbeer, this is your best entry-level snack.
Mountain Dew: Baja Cabo Citrus
There is a faction of Mtn Dew fans (and to be honest, it’s a large faction) that value the Baja releases above all others. I like them, but maybe not as much as the current GameFuel line. The Tropical Citrus Punch is reportedly Tangerine Lime. I can confirm the tangerine, but I’m less confident of the lime. The coloring and flavor is much closer to the Orange LiveWire Mtn Dew with a hint of another citrus fruit. I think it’s ultimately a safe summer entry for them that is good but not great.
Pringles: Grilled Beer Brat
This is the first of the three Lite Beer collabs with Pringles that I tried. I hope it isn’t a portent for all of the flavors. I thought this would be an easy flavor to replicate. Lay’s had some Beer and Brats chips a few years ago that did a decent job. Not that I should be disappointed, but this doesn’t have any Lite Beer, let alone any beer flavor. I get a little of the sweet brat flavor, but even that isn’t overly smokey or pork in nature. I ended up tasting what seemed like a generic pork related meat flavor. Hoping for better in the future.
“Lay your head upon my pillow
Hold your warm and tender body close to mine
Hear the whisper of the raindrops blowing soft against the window
And make believe you love me one more time for the good times.” – Kris Kristofferson
