Books were semi-randomly chosen, following the "better with" links from book to book. Suggest others!

We need some film ASINs, not just books - B00005JN4W,B000634DCW,B00003CXAA,B00009V7OI,B00006FDCJ,B00003CXA4,B00005U124

can we get some titles with those?

Done

The whole Godfather collection, Aaman? Even #3?

Well, not watching #3 means you'll never know what happened to Michael after he started to put the family on the straight and narrow, and his failure to change as a person, in the end.

I see #3 as a requiem for the 1980s

also, not watching number 3 means you odn't have to be embaressed when folks are yacking about god, how sucky was godfather 3, and then someone else goes "oh, but it wasn't that bad. i mean what about..." and then you have to sit out the rest of the conversation. Watch it, and then you can yack confidentally about how much it sucks.

oops, i mean Watching Number 3, not Not Watching

I've seen it. It sucks.

Okay, it has moments. And frankly, it might even be better than your average movie. I mean the bit with the assassin and Sofia and the screaming and, well, some parts are quite good. Pacino is always good.

But overall, compared to the first two, it sucks. Why? Because of who wasn't in it. Andy Garcia? Where the heck did he come from? Gimme all the same characters! :-)

I liked the part when the helicopter gunned down all those mob people. But, compared to the first two, it sucks.

The third movie in trilogies always suck compared to the first two.

what ever happened to John Landis?

What ever happened to C Thomas Howell?

I thought the third Back to the Future film was better than the second, but then again, that was an unusual situation.

Yep, I agree the Phillip. I rank the Back to the Futures as follows:

#1 - Great / classic
#2 - Terrible / boring / muddled
#3 - Pretty good

Okay people: What's your take on the top sitcom of the 1980s?

I'm thinking Family Ties and The Cosby Show have to be making a strong place for the #1 slot.

My Dark Horse candidate: The Facts of Life. You've got a young George Clooney making guest appearances, and you've got Tootie. What more do you want there? Ah, the most compulsive theme song of all time.

Proof: I'm playing it in your head right now...

Cheers. That gets my vote for top sit com ever. Great characters making classic jokes. I'm loving the series even more as the seasons come out on DVD.

Yeah, Cheers could certainly qualify as top 80s comedy. Was it on more in the 80s or the 90s though?

Nonetheless, I've always had mixed feelings about that show, and realize I'm likely in the minority for writing that.

I think Cheers is a well written, well acted, and at times interesting sitcom, but I rarely laughed (or laugh) when watching it. I actually think the romantic tensions between Sam and whoever were the main reason it was so popular. Woody was pretty good too, I have to admit.

Never laughed while watching Cheer! That's sacrilege in my neck of the woods. What I love about the show is that the characters all have their places and the comedy works off of them. Like Norm is the lazy beer guzzling guy, Sam the womanizer, etc. Situations arise and even though you know where the jokes are going to come from, they are still 10 times better than anything you could think up.

Like I said, they were really really good characters and because the writing was good, the show was often entertaining and interesting. I just never found it that funny. If a sitcom actually makes me laugh, I'm usually astounded and amazed. The version of The Office actually brought a few laughs out of me which leads me to believe it's a very strong comedy already.

Well, what then? Cosby had some great moments, but died a slow death after the Simpsons hit its timeslot.

Family Ties was also great, but suffered from everybody growing up.

Anybody remember Small Wonder? Terrible show about a family with a robot girl. Trick was they didn't want anyone to know she was a robot. With Edie McClurg as the nosey neighbor.

Alf anyone?
Mr. Belvedere?
Night Court?

Hello there! Ive been out of touch of blogcritics for a year now...so can someone help me out here? Im just wonderin where i could submit a NEW post...ive been searchin the entire site...and all i get are comments to posts already made...

I remember Small Wonder. I think she slept in a closet. Half the humor was her doing everything literally. Like, when she was told to keep an eye on the door, and she'd cram her face on the door (or something of the like). Weird show.

What about that show where the girl was the daughter of an alien? It was probably called Out of This World.

This is probably in the wrong thread. If so, please tell me which is the correct one. Thanks.

How come in Japanese anime and manga all the characters except the villainous, stupid, or comedic ones have western features: big, round eyes, little tiny pointed noses, fair skin? I've seen this long before Princess Mononoke: the hero and women all looked like anglos, while the non-heroic men all had orientalized features, but I have never been able to get any kind of answer as to why this is. Kinda strange, isn't it?

Much about manga is strange -- including that. :-)

If you are interested in Manga or Anime, there is probably a site that has a comprehnsive history. All I know about it I learned from one of th special features that I believe was part of the "Animatrix" DVD. In short, before WWII the original Japanese animators were influenced by Western cartoons, primarily Disney, and starting using that style. After WWII, the style bcame part of the Japanese film and animation industry.
I am not much for Manga, so much of it is porrly done and predictable, IMO, but there are some standouts, like Miyazaki. I am waiting for CGI anime to become mainstream, I am surprised it has taken this long.

Cheers and Only Fools and Horses hit the comedic sweet spot for me during the 80s!

The Apprentice finale seems to have sunk without a trace - must be the Sith at work.

Oh well! Sith happens.

I thought every Sith master like Donald needed an apprentice.

Hey has anyone heard of Andy Milonakis? I found his site the other day and wathed his videos on there...Pretty funny stuff haha

http://www.whoisandymilonakis.com/

A simple joke does not equal satire whether funny or not. Satire has a much finer tradition.

Please if you are going to post a satire piece it needs to be given the Culture: Satire subcategory.

Also there is a place for those short almost thoughts that should not be separate posts at blogcritics. That place is the open comments thread under each section - http://www.blogcritics.org/culture / music / books etc.


Thank you. Temple

There's not been an open comment in a while, but this seemed appropriate:

I was flipping through the channels last weekend and ended up watching the last 10 minutes or so of Chris Farley in Beverly Hills Ninja. I found it surprisingly funny.

Anyone seen the whole thing?

I'll admit: I'm a Farley fan, particulary in Tommy Boy and his SNL work.

I just bought a copy of that!
I thought it was pretty funny, not as good as Tommy Boy, but still a worthy watching on a goofy evening.

I had about the same read, Chris -- thanks. It looks better than Black Sheep, anyway, which I found to be fairly disappointing despite some funny moments.

I didn't care for Black Sheep either, and that last one with Matthew Perry, ugghh....

Farley was in a movie with Matthew Perry?

Another fave Farley role -- as the bus driver in Billy Madison...

what's a URL?
I'm serious.

I said i was serious...what more do you want? Just answer my freakin question!

TODAY!!!!

please?
ok look. i'm a respectable person in this site so i can't really use my real name because it would be very embarrasing.

That's certainly an attitude not to have your question answered, dumb ass.

ROMAN HOLIDAY.

da -- No one would think less of you for not knowing what a URL is.

thnx eric! i appreciate it. i will not bother anyone again.

da -- It's no bother... just try to ask nicely, okay?

howz this: please tell me what the
'da--' before your comments means

i was wondering wat the longest thread is?

Halle Berry to play Foxy Brown in one of her upcoming movies! Wow, Halle, that is a big accomplishment. PAm Grier is a hard act to follow. From acting ability, and physique. Good luck!

Is there no other actresses of African American descent to play Foxy. I love Halle but I am interested in seeing how this is going to work out?

I've got a good topic, but it's about something NEW. It's a short film I made called "Zombies in my Neighborhood". It's 7 minutes long and it's about as sarcastic as you can get. I'm trying to spread the word on it but I'm not sure where to do that, so if you wanna see it, check it out here:
http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2677439

Oh, and let me know what you think. I've got much bigger and better stuff in the works - Larry

nice...
Farley was in a movie with Matthew Perry?

Another fave Farley role -- as the bus driver in Billy Madison...

saw wicker park a capla weeks ago. must say it is one of the ost twisted movies i have seen in a long time and loved the soundtrack and the directors way of potraying the movie.

any one feel me in this?

Instead of sticking any old dvd just for "background" at a party, there's a definitely cooler alternative to show off that plasma screen at your next bash... Instead of coffeetable books that gather dust, < a href="http://blogcritics.org/mt/mt-comments.php?mode=red&u=http://www.digitalclout.com/insidefly/email.html ">FLY magazine is an interactive dvd that fuses film, music and fashion. Perfect when you just need to zone out in front of the tv and see some eye candy:

Not sure if this is the right thread, but I thought I'd bring a superior blog to the attention of the Blogcritic community.

Alex Epstein is a screenwriter based in Montreal whose blog, Complications Ensue, looks at the process of creating TV and features.

It's not a critique of the products so much as an insider look at the process.

Alex was head writer on "Charlie Jade" and "Naked Josh". This guy knows his stuff and he shares it, insightfully and entertainingly.

Heads up everyone. The government has had the Corporation for Public Broadcasting cut funding for the television station PBSYOU. The station will cease to exist Dec 15, 2005. This educational station provides a source of online classes for long distance learners and other educational programming. They think they can sneak this one by and are about to succeed unless everyone makes a lot of noise about this real fast. Call your Representatives or local PBS stations and say no to the elimination of PBSYOU.

url really? universal resource locator, if you're serious. uhm, sitcoms, someone said Cheers, for me even better was the spin off FRasier, which has to beone of the of the best, if not the best, sitcom ever ever ever....

Noah's Arc has yet to be renewed for a second season on LOGO. Other than signing web petitions, emailing LOGO, and just waiting, what else can we viewers do to get this ground-breaking series to return? If you haven't seen it the program is presently in repeats.

Someone may have just figured out a way to get me to watch Boston Legal - Michael J. Fox is going to be on it.

Yeah, I saw that Temple. I'll watch Boston Legal just to see how Michalel is holding up. Man, Spin City had some hilarious moments, until the blond chick showed up at any rate...

heather locklear. Well she was Ok, but just her injectionmeant the show was running out of steam.

Saw Fox on that ass-kiss interview show on Bravo. Was really good to revisit with the Fox man.

On another subject does anyone know the career history of Sharon Stone. I saw her on a Magnum PI episode episode recently and she was already listed as "special guest star." She played multiple personalities of seduction and ended up killing herself.

This would have been 1984ish at the very very latest,

what's this conversation about . ??

(like someone would answer)

...

It's nice to see we have at least one review of a mid-season replacement. Out of curiosity, is anyone preparing a review of Emily's Reasons Why not? As a fan of Sex and the City, thought this show waws great!

"#55
Temple Stark
URL
January 7, 2006
09:38 PMSomeone may have just figured out a way to get me to watch Boston Legal - Michael J. Fox is going to be on it.


#56
Bennett
January 7, 2006
09:49 PMYeah, I saw that Temple. I'll watch Boston Legal just to see how Michalel is holding up. Man, Spin City had some hilarious moments, until the blond chick showed up at any rate...
"

Too bad you guys can't appreciate the only 100% legal/courtroom drama on TV.

Don't even mention any L&O show because, at best, it's only 30 minutes of legal/courtroom stuff (and all criminal). Shows like SVU/Criminal Intent routinely have eps with far less than 30 minutes of legal/courtroom stuff, more like 10-15 tops.

I just saw a really good new documentary called Favela Rising at a pre-screening at Tia Chucha's Café in Los Angeles.

The film is about the conflict in Brazillian slums between citizens, drug armies, and the police. There are no absolutes in the film, as many individuals overlap in categories of the warring parties.

The film really finds it heart by following a former member of the drug army who uses Afro-Brazilian hip-hop music to provide an alternative to violence in the slums of Rio. It artfully shows that there are other ways of solving conflicts without being spitefully political like many anti-Bush war films. I think we all could take a lesson from that.

Anybody that liked City of God or Bus 174 would love this film.

There's some other screenings coming up in big cities, and I heard it's going to get a theatrical release at some point.
I recommend it to everyone: www.favelarising.com

Anybody else seen it?

Anybody else got obscure docs to recommend?

We need an updated Grey's Anatomy Blog! I don't know about you, but I love this show. The two-part episode that concluded this week was great. Anyone else love it too?

I am pretty excited to watch the trainwreck that is the American Inventor show. It can be so good but right now its soooo cheesy.

There's some great commentary and discussion of "Did American Inventor suck" at AmericanInventorSpot.com.

We need an updated Grey's Anatomy Blog
I know! I'd love to - but I'm committed to Jack Bauer. *sigh*

oh, if i had room for one more thing on my plate i'd love to do that....

Lawsuit Spun Off
Of O.J. Simpson Case
Could Be A Movie
LOS ANGELES (CN) ? In a Superior Court lawsuit that reads like a B movie, Olin Hyde claims Andrew Bakalar defamed him and interfered with his project to make a film from a book written by the man accused of being hired to kill Nicole Simpson on behalf of O.J. Simpson. The unpublished book, ?We Only Kill Our Friends,? was written by William Wasz, ?a violent convicted felon? who wrote it in prison before being released in August 2004, the complaint states. Wasz became partners with Elizabeth Luster, who was to provide $250,000 for the film. They hired Hyde to try to make a ?documentary film? from the book. In the course of seeking a producer, Bakalar allegedly horned in and persuaded Luster to fire Hyde. Meanwhile, Wasz, who had ?an unfortunate history with illegal narcotics,? died of an overdose after embezzling $150,000 from Luster, the complaint states. Hyde claims Bakalar used the embezzlement as the final straw to induce Luster to break her contract with him. Represented by Ray Gallo, Hyde seeks punitive damages.
***********************************************


Anyone interested in Hearing about this???????

Mario G. Nitrini 111

Hey Temple, how bout we spilt Boston Legal finale? Be interesting to see your take. As for blonde, mean "Melissa?" She should be off by end of finale, has new show to work on.

Tell me someone got Law And Order finale last night.

i was browsing the web the other day and came across an interesting site/company. that site is http://www.jumptv.com and it offers LIVE streaming television from countries around the world. having moved from spain to the united states a few years ago, i havent been able to watch any of the stations from spain that i loved when i lived there. now i can thanks to JumpTV. i suggest everyone visit their site [Edited]

Does anyone happen to know the highest grossing indie film?

Off the top of my head I would think Brokeback Mountain--but as I'm pretty young, my knowledge is limited. And it's hard to look through IMDB for only independent films.