Actor and stunt choreographer Ke Huy Quan has not been on my mind until recently. I may not have seen Temple of Doom, where he played Short Round, this millennium. I only saw The Goonies for the first time last year (friends know I regret nothing) and Data was probably my favorite of the Bad News Oregonians. And then Everything Everywhere All at Once came out this year and was entirely up my off-kilter-but-emotionally-truthful alley.…
TCM does a great montage every year of the film folks we’ve lost. It never fails to make me want to rewatch a film or three. This year, we lost a couple actors particularly dear to my cinemania, David Warner and Angela Lansbury. They’ve gotten better about making sure their videos are on YouTube, so you can check out past editions, including the recent 2021, 2020, and 2019 — the last of which I find…
The McRib and the Shamrock Shake will always have their adherents. Chicken McNuggets and Egg McMuffins will be the go-to McItem for many. But since the debut of the McDLT and its egregious use of Styrofoam, I’ve always had a soft spot for the “other burger” on the McDonald’s menu. For a brief time in the late 90s, that role was filled by the Arch Deluxe, McDonald’s attempt at a “grown-up burger.” It failed. Miserably.…
If you want to get wonky, I mean deeply wonky, about modern supply chains and quality control have I got the article for you: Adam Rogers’ piece for Insider on how some cities streetlights are turning purple. It makes me wonder how many news stories there were about mishaps with the introduction of electric streetlights back in the day… and how long we are before cities have “smart” streetlights that change color and intensity depending…
This one’s from 4 years ago, but pretty evergreen: persistent writer Margaret Atwood talks with a new generation of writers about her process and some key writing tips… and don’t forget to sit up straight.
I’d seen this as a suggested video last month and, while it’s arguably more of a Halloween kind of thing, “Christmas Carol” guarantees that ghosts are still seasonal. It might be time to re-watch Rashomon as well…
There are many ways to remember the “Day that Will Live in Infamy.“ Watching the 2001 film, Pearl Harbor, is arguably not one of them. Honest Trailers has my back on this. I mean, it does inexplicably find a way to cram Spitfires in there, but come on!
In trying to figure out what all those rings of power in Middle Earth actually do, I came across some videos by the self-described “Tolkien Professor,” Corey Olsen, where he fields a number of questions. This was evidently well received enough that they did another one, which I kinda like more: There’s also an explanation about all the different peoples and creatures of Middle Earth. So there you have it. A lot more Tolkien information…
A holiday tradition for many people is cookie making, which is all well and good, but what to do about all those cookies once they’re made? Here, we learn from the undisputed master of cookie eating.
Earlier this week, I mentioned doing the sort of my biennial favorite films list. My favorite film for a few years back in the pre-Internet era (well, pre-Netscape Navigator for sticklers) was the experimental, non-narrative film Koyaanisqatsi. Technically a documentary, I suppose, but really more of a visual essay. It uses a variety of slow-motion, time-lapse, and regular speed, but breathtaking, cinematography resulting in a film unlike anything I had seen before. It may also…