Bracket busted.
Pop Culture Ephemera
- Black Bag (2025) (Directed by Steven Soderbergh): “When you can lie about everything, how do you tell the truth about anything?” – Clarissa. This sleek espionage thriller makes me happy. Writer David Koepp is a name that when you see him attached to a film, immediately goes into the “must watch” list. Director Soderbergh is working with such a tight screenplay and has such an accomplished cast (including Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett) that he has to just turn on the cameras and let it play out.
The plot is technically a spy espionage story with the threat of many deaths, but like good espionage stories, it’s main themes revolve around personal relationships. There aren’t huge action scenes like in a Mission:Impossible or Bourne Identity, but there are some nice spy-tactics set pieces. The film is bookended by two dinners at the Woodhouse home. These scenes work like they would in a well-crafted mystery with a series of witty quips where the viewer wants to slow it down to determine who is or isn’t telling the truth. It’s a testament that a wonderful performance by Pierce Brosnan is one of the last things I remembered about the film afterwards. A tight 93 minutes makes this a leader in one of my favorite films of 2025 so far.
- Cheap Seats – “1997 Spelling Bee” (2004) (S.1 E.4) (ESPN Classic): “Only one can be crowned Lord of the Bee.” – Jason Sklar. For two years, the best reasons to turn over to ESPN Classic was for mid-major regional wrestling reruns and Cheap Seats. The MST3K-influenced show hosted by the Sklar Brothers, Jason and Randy, riffed over sports shows from ESPN, Wide World of Sports, and other unique competitions like cheerleading, surfing, and billiards. There is no hiding their respect for MST3K. The Sklar Brothers even suggested Jonah Ray for a revival of their show. The sports references are solidly stuck in the late ’90s and early ’00s. If you haven’t watched one, this is a great place to start. I miss riffing shows like this. The brothers stay active with revamps including Cheaper Seats and The Nosebleeds (dedicated to riffing UFC fights). Remember, “Whoever spelt it, dealt it.”
- Roberta Flack – “Feel Like Makin’ Love” (1975) (from Feel Like Makin’ Love): “When you’re touchin’ me / And my feelin’s start to show” This was Roberta Flack’s third #1 Billboard single. She had such a beautiful voice, there was a total vibe about her songs. She started her career with “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly with His Song.” The instruments form a simple bed to highlight one of the best soul voices of the decade. The song lives in the middle of the ’70s Sexual Revolution where a song about seduction doesn’t have to be subtle. Flack wouldn’t hit it this big again in her career which is a huge shame. At least she left us a memorable legacy like this song.
- Millionaire’s Express (aka Shanghai Express) (1986) (Directed by Sammo Hung): “: The first thing I have to say is that this Blu-ray from Arrow is the best upgrade ever in quality from the original VHS version I watched in the mid-Nineties to the version that went under Shanghai Express a few years later. This martial arts comedy is a Western at heart. I can’t imagine watching It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) without the context of knowing the history of the actors involved. It’s a similar experience with this film. I wasn’t prepared for all of the famous actors in cameo roles, and I certainly was still early into my understanding of all of the Western genre references.
This is a film that improves with multiple viewings. The plot throws in everything and the kitchen sink. You need to feel comfortable enough with the story to let yourself enjoy the fights and the slapstick humor. The intellectual levels of a Sammo Hung film aren’t always advanced. This film made for Chinese New Year release is an all-ages film with very broad humor. If only Sammo and Jackie had been able to bury the hatchet and work together on this, it would have been a perfect Hong Kong film. Do yourself a favor and seek out this Arrow release. It’s a treat to see this how it played in theaters in 1986.
- Anora (2024) (Directed by Sean Baker): “I don’t have Instagram. I’m an adult, man.” – Toros. This isn’t a quiet, little independent film with thoughtful dialogue and symbolism that you might expect for an Academy Award-nominated film. When we meet Ani (Mikey Madison) working at the adult club, we are introduced to a cast complete with coworkers as wicked stepsisters that prepares us for a full Cinderella story when we meet Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), son of a Russian Oligarch. From the discovery of their marriage in Vegas by Ivan’s parents, the movie becomes a reverse Cinderella. The film is always at a ten with volume and aggressive dialogue. The second half of the film as New York City road trip caper is by far the best part of the film. Ani shows some different levels of vulnerability underneath her surface bravado as she and the Russian posse sent to get him look for Ivan. There’s a brilliant shift that happens on this quest that is really subtle. There’s a transition that happens as Ani sees that the people she had seen as enemies are really closer to her than her husband. Sean Baker has a good ear for dialogue and his camera is always moving. I enjoyed the film’s flipping of expected tropes. I don’t think it would have cracked my Top Ten last year if I had caught it in theaters.
Best of the Rest
- Bob James released what is called a cover of “Feel Like Makin’ Love” in 1974 although Roberta Flack’s album with the song didn’t come out until early 1975. I’ll ignore my confusion for purposes of this entry. His funky soft jazz cover sounds like it could be the theme song to a wonderful ’70s drama show. This version of the song has been sampled more than Roberta Flack’s version. You can catch this funky Fender Rhodes piano on songs by Onyx, Godfather Don, and Da Youngster. Or you might recognize it from Breaking Bad‘s “Bit By A Dead Bee” (S.2 E.3). It’s nearly seven minutes of relaxing goodness.
- Entertainment Weekly (3/28/97): “Best Commercials of All-Time” #29: Levi’s “Doctor” (1996): Directed by Spike Jonze. I hope that Levi’s got what they wanted for their wide leg jeans. I had forgotten about this non-sequitur commercial. Levi’s could have their own wing of best/odd commercials from the ’90s. They tapped some of the best music-video directors and just let them do their thing. I wouldn’t call this a “best” as much as a “unique” advertisement. Well played, Levi’s.
- Is the next best version of “Feel Like Makin’ Love” by D’Angelo? I think it’s a little overproduced. What’s more impressive considering the original version is the George Benson version from 1983 off of his In Your Eyes album. It adds horns and some serious funk to turn it into a post-disco dance classic. You would not have imagined headed out to boogie to this original. This is still a pleasant listen in 2025.
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 (#61-100)- 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 David Yates
- 2 – 1920’s
- 1 – 1940’s
- 1 – 1950’s
- 4 – 1960’s
- 12 – 1970’s
- 8 – 1980’s
- 11 – 1990’s
- 4 – 2000’s
- 1 – 2010’s
- 1 – 2020’s
- FAVORITE MOVIES OF ALL-TIME (2009)
- 60. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
- 59. Easy Rider (1969)
- 58. Dracula (1931)
- 57. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003)
- 56. Memento (2000)
- FAVORITE MOVIES OF ALL-TIME (2025)
- 60. Monty Python & the Holy Grail (1975) (Directed by Terry Gilliam / Terry Jones): Sadly, most of my Arthurian knowledge comes from this film and Excalibur (1981). This movie plays best with a crowd.
- 59. Brazil (1985) (Directed by Terry Gilliam): In a world of 1984, Brave New World, and even Handmaid’s Tale, it’s hard to imagine a film that “feels” more like today than this one. I see something new every time I watch it.
- 58. Poltergeist (1982) (Directed by Tobe Hooper): Steven Spielberg lets Tobe Hooper do what he wants to but can’t attach his name to in 1982. Still one of my favorite movie-going experiences as a 14-year-old.
- 57. The Godfather (1972) (Directed by Francis Ford Coppola): I can’t give good explanation why these two films have dropped in my rankings over the years. They suffer from starting a modern genre that has started to do what they do only better. I still carry lots of respect for what Coppola was able to do with this story.
- 56. Jackie Brown (1997) (Directed by Quentin Tarantino): Sometimes the stars align. A director still at the top of his game, a wonderful variety of a cast, an enjoyable soundtrack, and source material from the great Elmore Leonard. Is it weird that De Niro is my least favorite part of the film?
1975 in Review
- March – Action Comics #445 (DC Comics): Cover by Nick Cardy. Written by Cary Bates. Art by Curt Swan. “The very instant he finishes that tenth feat – Superman will, as they say here on Earth, drop dead!” – Superman Revenge Squad. The other Superman on the cover is an actor, Gregory Reed, who plays Superman on television. I don’t remember much about the Superman Revenge Squad that are the villains in this issue.
- March 22 – The Indiana Hoosiers (31-0) and ranked #1 most of the season are knocked out by the Kentucky Wildcats (#5 seed) in the Mideast Regional Final in Dayton, Ohio.
- March 24 – Club fighter Chuck Wepner knocked Muhammad Ali to the canvas in Round 9 on the way to a full 15-Round fight that Ali won on decision. Sylvester Stallone watched the film on closed circuit television and got the idea for a story where he would play Rocky Balboa, a Wepner-like fighter.
What the Hell Did I Put in My Mouth?
Cheetos Puffs: Cheese Pizza
I think that pizza flavor is one of the most difficult to recreate for most companies. A Cheeto is already cheese flavored, so how do you bring out a pizza flavor? You give it a tomato sauce with hints of basil. It borders on a mess because Cheetos cheese is different than pizza cheese, and it doesn’t mesh with the tomato-sauce flavoring. Add to that, the Cheetos Puff not being a favorite of mine, and this isn’t a snack that I recommend for your basketball-watching over the next month.
Mighty Life: Very Vanilla
The “mighty” seems to refer to more calcium for your bones. I hope I grow more bones after finishing this box of cereal. I’d love to be 6’3″ this year. The vanilla is a little vanilla (in the vernacular of the word), but if you enjoy Life, then you’ll appreciate the touch of flavor. I can’t remember not liking any other flavor of Life. It’s a solid cereal, and they make good choices.
Frosted Mini-Wheats: Cocoa
I remember back in my year of cereal, 2016, that I liked Frosted Mini-Wheats Chocolate Bites. I’m not sure that these are much different. The Cocoa is the same chocolate flavors that Kellogg’s uses in releases like Cocoa Krispies, as I can attest to the flavor of the milk. I stick by the theory that chocolate fixes most things. Luckily, I enjoy Frosted Mini-Wheats. If you don’t enjoy these pillows of hay, I’m not sure that the chocolate will do much for you.
“In a restaurant
Holdin’ hands by candlelight
While I’m touchin’ you
Wanting you with all my might” – Roberta Flack
