From the Couch Hole: Are You the One You Want to Be?

Previously on FTCH, sinners never flinch when they say there will be blood. And so it goes, there will be happy days because blueberry-pie Oreos have returned. This week was the first of two weeks that really drive my year. I’ve survived and need to get through another week to start to see a little break. This week the bear says, “Farewell, my lovely” but the Commodores say, “Hold on.” They are in the mood for love of awesome sauce, and the baconator is the reason for their decision to leave. Remember, FTCH is mighty-mighty just lettin’ it all hang out.

Pop Culture Ephemera

• Raymond Chandler – Farewell, My Lovely (1940) (Published by Alfred A. Knopf): “She was a cute as a washtub.” This book was superior to The Big Sleep (1939) in almost every facet. Much like that book, this is three short stories stitched together to make a complete novel. It felt like three unrelated stories in The Big Sleep. This book has a consistent story that flows naturally from one scene to another. The plot doesn’t contain so many similar characters that it gets confusing. There are the requisite femme fatales, corrupt cops, and Marlowe gets beat up a few times. The plot revolves around corruption in Bay City (a filler name for what is obviously Santa Monica) that Marlowe discovers as he looks for the girlfriend of recently released from prison, Moose Malloy (a character type that I see in so many Carl Hiaasen novels). The writing is tighter and more entertaining than Chandler’s first Phillip Marlowe novel. This is everything that I want and expect in a hard-boiled detective novel. I wasn’t going to read more of Chandler’s books, but now I’m hooked again.

Buy Farewell, My Lovely paperback

• The Bear – “Bears” (2025) (S.4 E.7) (Hulu): “Everything in life is just for a while.” – Richie. When you see that it’s an episode that’s over an hour, you know you have arrived at the emotional apex of the season. The marriage of Richie’s ex-wife has brought together all of the key players, most of whom we also saw previously at “Thanksgiving.” The Berzatto clan (including my favorite, Faks) is described by Stevie (John Mulaney) and Claire (Molly Gordon) as “It’s a lot of people with very specific and unique personalities that feel things very strongly.”
  
  Weddings are often used in shows and films as emotional touchpoints. That isn’t anything new. Except that the wedding seems like a macguffin, and we never see much of it except from under a table. The season of emotional healing is highlighted here with a number of healing moments including Carmy/Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis), Carmy/Claire, Sugar/Francie, and no less than Richie/Frank. The show has always been Carmy’s except for this season where it’s transitioned a bit to the engaging path of Sydney. This episode reminds us that when we are done, the real journey might be Richie’s. It’s hard not to love him as he gives a great William Friedkin speech and we end with his Thelma & Louise poster. This episode is why this show will go down as one of the masterpieces of the 2020s.
  
  This episode proves one thing that you need to know if you’ve never watched the show. This episode and the series as a whole makes the best music choices of any show on-air. Case in point, the whole playlist at this wedding, with special shout-out to the inclusion of Lone Justice.

• Commodores – “Hold On” (1975) (from Movin’ On): “Some things in life are hard to see, baby / That’s why I want you to listen to me.” The Commodores third album for Motown saw them move from being a Motown soul band to a funk band to be taken seriously. In the era where bands were starting to slide towards what would become the disco sound, this album brought funk like Earth, Wind & Fire and Kool & the Gang. The song “Sweet Love” on this album would get more radio play. I am more of a fan of this funky breakdown. This stands with “Machine Gun” as their best funk songs.

Buy Commodores – Movin’ On CD

• In The Mood for Love (2000) (Directed by Wong Kar Wai): “He remembers those vanished years. As though looking through a dusty window pane, the past is something he could see, but not touch. And everything he sees is blurred and indistinct.” – Caption. The New York Times ranked this as the fourth best film of the 21st Century, so far. There are probably 20-25 films that I’d give a perfect star rating for the last 25 years. This is one of them, but among that group, this wouldn’t be fourth for me. Stylistically, this is one of the best films. Wong Kar Wai is a master of mood and technique. He lingers over the little things like smoke rising in a restaurant and the two hands lingering so near each other that make this “doomed romance” so endearing. It owes much in theme to David Lean’s Brief Encounter (1945). Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung smolder when they are around each other. I understand the criticism that the camera isn’t always where the viewer wants it to be. As the couple hides from society, so then does most of the adultery take place offscreen and unspoken. It’s a great film with two superstar actors and a superb director; the only drawbacks are small in the scheme of how beautiful the film looks. It’s hard to not mention what a brilliant use of three Nat King Cole spngs in Spanish. You’ll hear them for days afterwards.

Buy In The Mood for Love (Criterion Collection)

• Decision to Leave (2022) (Directed by Park Chan-wook): “He remembers those vanished years. As though looking through a dusty window pane, the past is something he could see, but not touch. And everything he sees is blurred and indistinct.” – Lim Ho-shin. The second film of the week about a doomed relationship. They are both directed by easily top-20 directors of the century. The story of a police investigator who falls for the wife (and most likely suspect) of a murdered husband. This film is oft called “Hitchcock influenced.” There’s certainly elements of Vertigo (1958). I felt like this was much more of a Hitchcock acolyte, Brian De Palma film. The themes of voyeurism were straight from Body Double (1984) which, of course is a tribute to Rear Window (1954). The relationship romance always has something in-between the characters. Sometimes it’s the way the camera puts a physical item like a window between them. Other times it’s the interesting way that they speak different languages (she speaks Chinese and he speaks Korean), so they communicate through text and voice clips they can translate. Remember, nothing is exactly what you think you see or hear. This film takes two or three amazing turns. I don’t know why this wasn’t more talked about at the time. This also finally finishes my “Best Films I Didn’t See” of 2022.

Best of the Rest

• “Airheads have more fun.” These Airheads ads with the inflated heads go pretty far back. I was able to find one from 2007, but they may be a few years before that. I miss Skittles being the outlaw candy advertiser, doing the risque, funny, single-joke ads. Airheads are the PG-13 version of Skittles ads. I’m glad to see them back in their 15-second duration.

• Entertainment Weekly (3/28/97): “Best Commercials of All-Time” #8: Partnership for a Drug-Free America “Fried Egg” (1987): “This is your brain on drugs.” Just 15 seconds. It’s amazing that such a short ad had such an impact. This was oft quoted (mostly ironically) in my college years. I consider it an important ad, but I wouldn’t call it a “best” type of commercial. It’s noteworthy possibly for how many years they got out of the ad which I swear aired into the 2000s.

• I have always loved the one-note joke of the corny “You’re not you when you’re hungry” Snickers ads. They disappeared for a couple of years. “That guy sucks” is a great way to bring back the campaign and work in Josh Allen, here sleeping in a race-car bed. Well played, Josh.

Sunday Morning Tuneage Flashback

• Sunday Morning Tuneage from 10/11/2009, we were in the middle of a rough football season. It was funny how when one boy’s teams wasn’t doing well, the other one’s team also lost. Michigan and the Cowboys were having rough seasons too. I was enjoying Fringe (Fox), The Office (NBC), and Bored to Death (HBO). The list was certainly random, and I’m not sure I’ve even thought about it since then. Remember, Best Movies for an actor are based upon their performance more than the overall quality of the film.
  
  My #92 Top TV Show of All-Time was 60 Minutes (CBS) (1968-Present): I first knew this show as “60 Minutes will run in its entirety after the football game, except on the West Coast.” I had little interest in it until I reached High School or College. I am surprised that I ranked it this high because I’ve only ever watched it selectively based upon the stories. When they were good, they were good. I also wouldn’t rank News Magazine shows in my future rankings. A quality show for sure. Mike Wallace, Charles Kuralt, and Roger Mudd were my favorite hosts.
  
• BEST TOMMY LEE JONES MOVIES OF ALL-TIME (2009)
  • 10. Cobb (1994)
  • 9. Natural Born Killers (1994)
  • 8. Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)
  • 7. A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
  • 6. JFK (1991)
  • 5. The Amazing Howard Hughes (1977)
  • 4. Rolling Thunder (1977)
  • 3. The Fugitive (1993)
  • 2. No Country for Old Men (2007)
  • 1. The Executioner’s Song (1982)
    
• BEST TOMMY LEE JONES MOVIES OF ALL-TIME (2025)
  • 10. Cobb (1994): Jones knows that the script calls for Cobb to be unlikable and he’s got that covered in director Shelton’s second baseball film.
  • 9. A Prairie Home Companion (2006): An underrated little film. Director Robert Altman’s film seems very light on the surface. Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Tommy Lee Jones shine in this film.
  • 8. Men in Black (1997): I shouldn’t apologize for just loving this film. The Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones pairing is perfect for the tone of this movie. I don’t know why I left it off the first list because I watch this so often.
  • 7. Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980): Michael Apted’s film brought Tommy Lee Jones to the mainstream. His role as Doo, Loretta Lynn’s (Sissy Spacek) husband, was quite a breakthrough that told us he was a force to be watched.
  • 6. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011): You knew that Tommy Lee Jones would show up somewhere in the Marvel Universe. His role as Col. Phillips wasn’t too unpredictable but I thought it was a great choice.
  • 5. Natural Born Killers (1994): I wouldn’t have picked Oliver Stone and Tommy Lee Jones as the combo to have two great films together, but here we are. He inhabits his role perfectly here to offset some of his other law enforcement characters.
  • 4. JFK (1991): Jones role as Clay Shaw was also not a major character but he finds a way in these smaller roles to make an impression.
  • 3. Lincoln (2012): Spielberg gets his chance with Jones. While not a major character, Jones is memorable as Thaddeus Stevens.
  • 2. The Fugitive (1993): Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones make the best foes. “I don’t care.”
  • 1. No Country for Old Men (2007): I have mistakenly given too much credit to Brolin and Bardem for the success of this film. Jones has a presence that runs that line between good and evil that I’ve come to appreciate.

1975 in Review

• August – Scary Tales #1 (Charlton Comics) Written by Nicola Cuti. Art by Joe Staton. Charlton Comics was committed to horror comics. This anthology was hosted by R.H. Von Bludd, the female vampire. Steve Ditko would be a frequent contributor but not this first issue. Artist Joe Staton was also the creator of the Huntress. The title would carry on until 1984 through some rough years for Charlton.
• August 24 – Now called the Soccer Bowl, the 8th Championship of the North American Soccer League was played between two expansion teams. The Tampa Bay Rowdies defeated the Portland Timbers by a score of 2-0.
• August – Dynamite #14. The best thing about the orders from Scholastic books was the arrival of Dynamite. This “start of the school year” issue was pretty typical. A fun article on Disney World and a terrible ranking where Peter Pan was voted the best peanut butter. I loved the layouts in this magazine. They were some “street art meets Art Deco” style that were far too advanced for children to appreciate. I loved the Count Morbida’s puzzle pages. For a four- to five-year span, I lived for these to arrive.

What the Hell Did I Put in My Mouth?

“What do you have, what can you show?
What people see is what they know
Time has its changes that we all go through
How the wheels of life will turn
Will all depend on you” – The Commodores