Save the Super Bowl snacks for me too.
Pop Culture Ephemera
- Dashiell Hammett – Best Cases of the Continental Op (2022) (Published by Amazon-Audible): “But a knowledge of the motive isn’t indispensable—quite a few murder mysteries are
solved without its help.” I’ve been wanting to explore some more of the hard-boiled stories of the Continental Op. There are a few collections out there, but this audio-only production by Amazon contained what research had told me were among the best. These eight short stories have an entertaining variety of scenarios. The best being a closed-room hotel mystery “Bodies Piled Up” and “The Golden Horseshoe,” a complicated, mistaken-identity murder mystery. These were originally published in the pulp magazine, Black Mask, and I’m ready to find the remaining adventures of the short, stocky insurance investigator, the Continental Op.
- Somebody Somewhere – “Knick-Knacks and Doodads” (2022) (S.1 E.2) (Max): “I don’t know when you think real life starts, but you are over 40.” – Tricia. I’m only two episodes into this show, so it’s probably going to bite me in the butt to make too many assumptions about where it’s heading. I put this in that category with The Bear (FX). It’s a comedy that isn’t laugh-out-loud funny. It’s also a drama with touching moments of emotional vulnerability. Sam (Bridget Everett) is back in her small Kansas town to help her sick sister. The show starts after the death of her sister and revolves around Sam dealing with aging parents while trying to find her own way in the world after 40. I’m drawn in to the life of the characters. It’s not simple. There are light moments that can become heavy quickly, like when Sam is criticizing the Vision Board of her friend, Joel. These moments are endearing, and I think I’m going to really like this show.
- The The – “Infected” (1986) (from Infected): “I can’t give you up, ’till I’ve got more than enough / So infect me with your love.” This video aired on 120 Minutes (MTV) at some point in 1987 and within the next week, I had this album and The The’s Soul Mining (1983). I was a Matt Johnson fan from that point forward. At his best, he is an artist’s artist, blending media along with an appreciation for cultural history. This song, like many song’s from this era, can’t be read as anything but an indictment of the government’s handling of AIDS. It’s hard to separate out Johnson’s health issues of the period between albums as he battled alcohol and drug abuse. Johnson also manages to make it a song about lost love. The video is a clever callback to Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo (1982). If it made even one more person track that film down, then bravo.
- A Real Pain (2024) (Directed by Jesse Eisenberg): “Because I know that my pain is unexceptional, so I don’t feel the need to, like, I don’t know, burden everybody with it, you know?” – David. I think the film could have been called An Exceptional Pain. The cousins are the Yin and Yang of the type of pain we feel in our daily lives. David (Jesse Eisenberg) bears his quietly, taking his pills, and trying not to burden others with the pain he feels. Benji (Kieran Culkin) lives his life out loud and burdens everyone he meets with his stories. There’s something transactional about Benji as he also takes the pain of others until he can’t handle it any longer.
The cousins’ trip to Poland is accompanied by a constant refrain of Chopin to ground us in the history and culture of the country. The other members of the tour help illuminate the pain of each cousin without feeling two-dimensional. The best scene in the film happens in the middle of a graveyard where Benji loses his patience with James the tour guide. Benji just wants a bit of quiet to reflect. James is full of facts, but the tour doesn’t interact with the Polish people, it only observes them through James. It’s a powerful point about how many people go about their lives. The ending left me wanting some more insights from each cousin. It’s an engaging film, and I hope that Kieran is recognized for his acting, despite being borderline annoying.
- September 5 (2024) (Directed by Tim Fehlbaum): “News can tell us what it means afterward, I’m sure they’re gonna try. But this is our story, and we’re keeping it.” – Roone Arledge. I realized quite early in this film, that if you didn’t have some historical perspective of what news, sports, and coverage of breaking news looked like in 1972, this might be a confusing film. We’ve seen documentaries and films that have covered this event from what it means culturally and politically. I gave this film a pass in needing to put that relevance into the film because this film is much more about the telling of the Story (the event as capital “S,” Story). This is about the larger question of “should,” ultimately.
The film has an easy structure that’s developed in the first few minutes. Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgard) is the executive over ABC Sports who seeks the story of the terrorist attack on the Munich Olympics for ABC Sports. On the other side of the ledger is the voice of Peter Jennings (Benjamin Walker) who is trapped in a building, telling the story from the more traditional viewpoint of a news reporter. Stuck in the middle is Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro) as the producer who has to make decisions to what makes the air. As the film progresses, he wears the weight of his decisions on his face and shoulders. This is a well-thought-out production. This isn’t to give you any more knowledge about the Munich attack than you have had previously. This is a process film about how the story is viewed through the people who tell it, much more under the umbrella of All the President’s Men (1976) and The Post (2017). The details are crucial to maintain that feeling of watching a documentary unfold, and this film captures the era perfectly.
Best of the Rest
- “Lads, the time has come.” – Ringo Starr. In 1995, Ringo appeared with the Monkees for a clever Pizza Hut commercial for Stuffed Crust Pizza. We shockingly learned this week that Ringo has never actually had a slice of pizza (or a curry). It isn’t just his veganism but a larger issue with allergies. This revelation came on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) as Ringo makes the rounds to promote his new Country album.
- Entertainment Weekly (3/28/97): “Best Commercials of All-Time” #35 – Dunkin’ Donuts “Time to Make the Donuts” (1982): Fred the Baker was a man of a different generation. All the young people of the ’80s were watching their VCRs and playing their Nintendos while Fred the Baker got up early every single morning to go make the donuts. Actor Michael Vale was so perfectly cast that they still have “Time to make the donuts” on the side of their donut boxes. It’s such a great campaign that I’d rank it even higher. Hats off to all the Sam’s out there just making the world tastier for the rest of us.
- It’s been a decade or more since Budweiser was the Belle of the Ball at the Super Bowl. After a strange last five years worth of advertising trends, I think we’re going to see a return to both comedy and feel-good ads. Car ads, movie trailers, and soda ads are on the decline, so maybe the beer ads are set to retake the crown. It feels like things are more “right” in the world when Budweiser, soda companies, and cars are the ones that rule the roost. Today’s ad balances the feel of old and new really well.
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 (#86-100)- 2 – Directed by John Hughes
- 1 – 1920’s
- 1 – 1940’s
- 2 – 1960’s
- 2 – 1970’s
- 4 – 1980’s
- 3 – 1990’s
- 2 – 2000’s
- FAVORITE MOVIES OF ALL-TIME (2009)
- 90. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
- 89. Diabolique (1955)
- 88. All The President’s Men (1976)
- 87. A Night at the Opera (1935)
- 86. The Breakfast Club (1985)
- FAVORITE MOVIES OF ALL-TIME (2025)
- 90. The Exorcist (1973) Dir. William Friedkin. I haven’t planned this list out, and I might regret it being here because I own more copies of this film than about any other.
- 89. Casablanca (1942) Dir. Michael Curtiz. One of the best scripts ever written.
- 88. Edward Scissorhands (1990) Dir. Tim Burton.
- 87. Goldfinger (1964) Dir. Guy Hamilton. The third time was the charm. I’m not breaking any news here since it’s typically the favorite among Bond fans.
- 86. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Dir. Stanley Kubrick. There won’t be a technically better film in the next 50 films.
1975 in Review
- February – Action Comics #444 (DC Comics): Cover by Nick Cardy. Written by Cary Bates. Art by Curt Swan. “How can I live with myself after this? Green Lantern dead– And I am the murder weapon that killed him!” – Superman. Mike Grell writes an excellent Green Arrow backup story.
- February 11 – Margaret Thatcher was elected the leader of the British Conservative Party, the first female leader of a major British Political Party. She would have to wait until 1979 to become Prime Minister.
- February 10 – Sports Illustrated: The Los Angeles Kings were a ragtag bunch that started the season strong and would barely lose the Norris Division to the Montreal Canadians who were favored to be the best team of the decade. The Kings were led by Rogie Vachon in goal and by Bob Nevin who had been in the league since 1957. They would lose a three game mini-series to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs despite being greatly favored.
What the Hell Did I Put in My Mouth?
Goldfish Crisps: Barbecue
The light and airy versions of the Goldfish crackers are called Crisps. Don’t mistake them for some healthy alternative. They are just a larger, more airy version with a generic barbecue flavor that leaves your fingers covered in an annoying dust. These make the cardinal error for Goldfish crackers. We love the regular Goldfish because they are small and you can’t stop eating them. These are larger and the finger dust makes them very stoppable. I’m not likely to purchase this version of the Goldfish cracker again.
S’mores Loaded
These Loaded branded cereals don’t ever get good reviews, but that hasn’t slowed down General Mills from keeping new ones coming. The S’mores flavor is in early contention for being one of the “Flavors of 2025.” I was hoping for a new take on the Golden Graham, but these chocolate creme filled pillows don’t recall that cereal. They don’t give me much of a s’more flavor either. It’s another Loaded entry that I didn’t mind while I ate them, but they’ll be forgotten by the time the next new cereal shows up in the aisle.
Chips Ahoy! Baked Bites: Blondie
I was excited when I read about the release of these. That’s typically a sure sign that I will be disappointed. That kinda checks out here again. They come in a number of small snack-sized bags inside the box. There are roughly six square pieces of the soft and chewy cookies with the white-chocolate taste. The vanilla here is all wrong. The flavor just doesn’t match my expectations of a Chips Ahoy and what I love best about a blondie. Just a big meh.
“Nurse me into sickness
Nurse me back to health
And tell me what it is that I want in this world” – The The
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