Month: September 2013

Posted in Televison, Uncategorized

Faux Ode to Breaking Bad

Posted on by D. Parker

bb1Are you the viewer drawn toward us?

To begin, take warning, we are far different from what you suppose;

Do you suppose you will find in Walter White ideal?

Do you think it so easy to have become a Pinkman?

Do you think the familiarity of Hank would be unalloy’d satisfaction?

Do you look toward the Skyler when death is on the breath of life?

Do you see no further than a pink teddy bear façade, a smooth and tolerant manner?

Do you suppose money advancement toward a real heroic man would last?

Do you suggest the whities could have been tightier?

Have you no thought, O dreamer, that actions have consequences, this is all illusion breaking into bad?

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With a little contravention of Walt Whitman I say adieu to Breaking Bad. Like any good morality play, the lessons were many. I bet you can easily figure out what each character personified.

 Breaking Bad reinforced that two wrongs or many, many wrongs don’t make a right.

All actions have consequences, good and bad.

Doing the wrong thing for the right reasons still doesn’t make it right, right?

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While we will miss the show, the cast is brilliant and already on the move:
Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle, X-Files, Family Guy, Seinfeld – ‘Hey Denty!’)
Anna Gunn (Deadwood, ER, Six Feet Under, Seinfeld)
Aaron Paul (X-Files, Big Love, Bones, Family Guy)
Dean Norris (Under The Dome, X-Files, Lost, Castle)
Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte, Bob Odenkirk,
Giancarlo Esposito, Jonathan Banks,
Laura Fraser, Jesse Plemons…

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Creating, writing, directing, and producing the AMC drama series Breaking Bad was a masterstroke from Vince Gilligan, X-Files (Note the cast).

Hard to believe it and Heisenberg will soon go gently into TV history.

So long.

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Posted in Televison, Uncategorized

Goodbye Dexter

Posted on by D. Parker

dexter4Dexter is sort of the Jiminy Cricket of this millennium.

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Dexter let his conscience (or Harry as his conscience) be his guide, but it was telling him to kill people. It’s an ambiguous thing, the conscience, depending on who owns it. Dexter Morgan is both hero and villain, the grey area of this show is everything. Dexter is doing all the wrong things, but for what he feels are the right reasons.

The world not only accepted a serial killer warmly into their homes, but also embraced him, worried about him, felt his pain. Why?  Maybe in some strange way his Dark Passenger made people feel a little safer in a world where bad guys often seem to win, where sometimes the police themselves are the bad guys, and where justice can seem elusive.

No spoilers. I liked the ending of the series. To me, it harkened back to the early days of Dexter. So much has happened, so much has changed and yet in the end, nothing changed.

Various macabre cast & gory guests include: dexter3

Michael C. Hall,
Jennifer Carpenter,
James Remar, Desmond Harrington,
Julie Benz, David Zayas, C.S. Lee, Aimee Garcia,Geoff Pierson, Mos Def,
Yvonne Strahovski, Erik King,
John Lithgow, Lauren Vélez,
Keith Carradine, Colin Hanks,
Edward James Olmos, Jimmy Smits, Sean Patrick Flanery, JoBeth Williams,
Peter Weller, Julia Stiles.

I can’t wait to see what Michael C. Hall does next, his acting has changed a lot since his days on Six Feet Under and even the early days of Dexter.  As he said to Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, he believes actually playing the part has changed him.

So the world moves on to the next show, the next news story, and we have only blood-splattered memories…

I hope people see the point of Dexter, he’s a representation of what can be done to children, to people if they are not treated with dignity and respect…if they are damaged.

Remember the Monsters?

Posted in Televison, Uncategorized

OHHHH NOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Posted on by D. Parker

  I love Saturday Night Live and despite it’s many downs, but I believe there are more ups so I stay with it.Image

There are so many things to love:

Landshark, mrbill1
Two Wild and Crazy Guys,
The Church Lady,
Beep in a Box, Ed Grimley,
Canteen Boy, Spinal Tap,
Mary Katherine Gallagher,
Father Guido Sarducci,
Matt Foley, Goth Talk,
Sarah Palin, Pat,
Celebrity Jeopardy!,
Sprockets, Wayne’s World,
Stuart Smalley,
Larry the Lobster,
Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer,
Mr. Peepers, Weekend Update,
Samurai Tailor, More Cowbell,
Toonces the Driving Cat,
The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise,
Synchronized Swimming,
Chippendale’s Auditions,
Schweddy Balls,
Chronicles of Narnia (Lazy Sunday) –
I could go on and on, believe me, I could, but there’s a special place in my mind for Mr. Bill.

Mr. Bill is the clay figurine clown created by Walter Williams (sent to SNL as a Super-8 reel  as part of SNL’s request for home movies) to parody children’s shows. First aired in 1976, 2 years later Williams became a writer on SNL and yahoo, more Mr. Bill.

As a funny, both strange and amusing side note, Mr. Hands, the man seen only as a pair of hands, but who does most of the damage to poor Mr. Bill was played by Vance DeGeneres, the older brother of Ellen DeGeneres, he was also a correspondent on The Daily Show years ago.

Over the years Mr. Bill has been used to advertise products, as answers in shows, in skits, movies, games, teaching about the environment and in anti-drug campaigns – he pops up everywhere.  But always with the same pattern. Things start off well for Mr. Bill and those unfortunate enough to be around him like Sally and Spot. That doesn’t last long. Things go badly for Mr. Bill when Sluggo and Mr. Hands show up. Mr. Bill suffers terrible humiliations that escalate quickly to his ultimate demise with his shrieking in a high-pitched voice, “Ohhhh noooooooooooooo…” . ImageIs it wrong to think it’s funny? Perhaps. Is it funny? Yes. Very much yes.

Posted in Televison, Uncategorized

THOSE MAD, MAD MEN

Posted on by D. Parker
madm1
“What you call ‘love’ was invented by guys like me. To sell Nylons.” – Don Draper

I was ready to say goodbye to Don Draper.
I would miss his greasy hair and blackened lungs.
I would miss watching the slow destruction of his life.

I was ready to say a groovy goodbye to mini skirts,
pillbox hats and Easy Baked at the office by noon.

I was prepared to let them go, Peggy, Joan, Megan,
Henry, Ted, together until the avocado-colored end.

I was all set to say a plastic farewell à la mode
to Betty with Eugene, Sally and Bobby – how quickly they grow.

I was primed to Etch-A-Sketch a copasetic goodbye.
Knowing Roger would keep having heart attacks but never die.

Goodbye to drinking, smoking, mulah-making masters.
Farewell to the scorecard-needing affairs.
Goodbye to not letting women or minorities get ahead.
Farewell to that big, big hair.

I was ready to say goodbye to those Mad, Mad Men
When AMC pulled a fast one to jerk their skinny tie along,
deciding to bogart seasons until Spring 2014 and Spring 2015.
So now I don’t have to say goodbye, so Aloha Don!

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Posted in Uncategorized

SIZE MATTERS

Posted on by D. Parker

Apparently stelomere3ize does matter and even more so, length. At least with telomeres, an area of repetitive nucleotide sequences at each end of a chromatid, which guards the end of the chromosome from deterioration or from blending with adjacent chromosomes or rearranging.

Scientists, yes, like the ones here in Canada protesting massive cuts and muzzling by our government, those smarties, with education and brains, with all kinds of information, not just rhetoric and ideology, discovered something cool.

In a San Francisco study scientists found telomeres don’t have to shrink away as we age, they can stay long or even grow. telomere1

Published in The Lancet Oncology, the study suggests that a plant-based diet, moderate exercise, and stress reduction showed an increase in comparative telomere length – so Ponce de León, a few centuries too late for you buddy, but this is the part of chromosomes that affects cell aging.

Think of this as a shoe lace, the telomeres are like the aglet (little plastic piece at the end) that stops it from fraying.  Telomeres protect our chromosomes, keeping them secure.

So go out and eat plant-based foods, exercise and yes, because this part is soooooo easy, reduce stress.  Look it up and put down that Twinkie!

Posted in Movies, Political, Televison, Uncategorized

Wag the dog

Posted on by D. Parker

wagthe4This is the incredible invisible film.

It’s as though acknowledging Wag The Dog means we have to admit we let our politicians, their cronies and yes men run our countries into the ground and maybe, just maybe we should do something instead of just complaining.

A dark comedy with a magnificent cast to match.

Amazing work by:

Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche, Denis Leary, Willie Nelson, Andrea Martin, Kirsten Dunst, William H. Macy, John Michael Higgins, Suzie Plakson, Woody Harrelson, Michael Belson, Suzanne Cryer, Jason Cottle, David Koechner, Craig T. Nelson (uncredited).

Directed by Barry Levinson.

This is about how politicians and their spin doctors distract the electorate from scandals, poor performance, and sometimes general incompetence.

It’s rather macabrwagthe2e and quite disturbing and sadly, these sorts of things happen too often.

Fav scene is wagthe3always Kirsten Dunst, an actress portraying an orphan, running holding a bag of Tostitos in front of a blue screen and when you see it later she’s running holding a kitten through the war-torn streets of Albania.

Do we even know what the truth is anymore or just what we’re fed?

I know the truth is out there, but where?

If you haven’t seen this movie you should never watch the news and even then…

Posted in Movies, Televison, Uncategorized

EXCUSE ME, I BELIEVE YOU HAVE MY STAPLER…

Posted on by D. Parker

offices7Nothing mocks and understands work like the 1999 comedy, Office Space. Written and directed by Mike Judge, it focuses on a group of people horribly dissatisfied with their jobs.offices1

OS is for anyone who has ever worked in an office or any job they hate. Viewers recognize the despair, the defeat, the boredom, and can almost smell the regret and unfulfilled dreams in the recycled office air.

Best irritating boss portrayal in the history of movies goes to Gary Cole as Bill Lumbergh.

Best creepy, obsessive (don’t touch his red Swingline stapler), mumbling worker goes to Stephen Root as Milton, actually, Office Space is based on Judge‘s Milton cartoon series.

offices9Ron Livingston is perfection as Peter Gibbons, a discontented computer programmer. Also, Mike Judge as Stan, manager at Chotchkie’s restaurant giving Jennifer Aniston’s character a hard time, as well as David Herman, Ajay Naidu, Diedrich Bader, John C. McGinley.

There are so many fantastic lines and scenes, just see the movie, bask in its ingenious satire.

When the co-workers are having to look up money laundering in the dictionary, that’s when you fully realize how pathetic they truly are.
This movie wasn’t a hit, but it’s so hilarious and showed people Judge was more than just Beavis and Butt-head.

And who hasn’t wanted to do exactly what they did to the photocopier.offices10

Bob Porter: Looks like you’ve been missing a lot of work lately.
Peter Gibbons: I wouldn’t say I’ve been ‘missing’ it, Bob.offices2

Posted in Movies, Televison, Uncategorized

YOU’VE GOT MAIL

Posted on by D. Parker

ImageYou’ve Got Mail is allegedly a romantic comedy, but to accept that you have to ignore the obvious point that both main characters are in serious relationships when they meet first in a chat room online then later in person.  Granted, both break up with their respective partners before they enter a physical relationship, so I guess it’s not actually infidelity.  Still, what could have been a delightful love story seems a little emotionally bankrupt because their partners are unaware of the other people involved in their relationships.

Then there’s the title which is total product placement for AOL, sigh.  Great cast including: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Parker Posey (amazing in well, everything), Jean Stapleton (All in The Family), Greg Kinnear, Steve Zahn (Ever see Happy, Texas? You should), Dave Chappelle, Dabney Coleman, Sara Ramirez  (unknown then, now Dr. Torres on Grey’s Anatomy), Jane Adams, John Randolph, and Michael Badalucco (The Practice).  I’m conflicted because I really do like the movie itself. Image

Quite entertaining updated version of the 1940 Jimmy Stewart, Margaret Sullivan classic, The Shop Around The Corner, both based on the play Parfumerie (Miklos Laszlo).

The adorableness of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan do make it work.

It never hurts to have your script by Nora and Delia Ephron, mistresses of witty repartee.

And it’s about books. What could ever be bad about books?Image

Posted in Books, Movies, Televison, Uncategorized

The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy

Posted on by D. Parker

HHgttg don't panic2The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams  (Del Ray)   

I can still read this and laugh so hard it hurts. Contains one of the best scenes ever written, in the tea house with the biscuits, I’m giggling just thinking about it; if you haven’t read it, read it just for that. What am I saying, if you haven’t read it?

One of the most entertaining books ever written and apparently inspired by a drunken evening in Austria with a Hitchhikers Guide to Europe in his pocket, sounds about right. 

Adams also wrote and acted briefly in Monty Python and wrote a few Doctor Who scripts. HHgttg don't panic6

Worked on video games.

I have no words.

A delight to the gray matter and darn you Douglas Adams, you’re one of the reasons my laugh lines are so deep! No, I forgive you and miss you. HHgttg don't panic4montyp3In this case as entertaining as the on screen offerings of this have been, the book is so much better. All 4 (or 5 depending on your belief system and the hour of day) books in the trilogy are fantastically mythically rereadworthy.

Although Adams left too early at 49, his written works, his activist causes and his understanding of absurdity of it all remains to entertain and amaze us.

And don’t forget a towel is one of the most useful things you can carry with you on your journeys so celebrate towel day May 25th.

Douglas Adams‘ present location: Highgate Cemetery, Highgate, United Kingdom

Posted in Movies, Televison, Uncategorized

TAPEHEADS

Posted on by D. Parker

I guess most would duImageb this 1988 comedy a cult classic as it never enjoyed mainstream recognition. I saw Tapeheads at one of those movie houses that showed cool films, ones you couldn’t see in mainstream theaters; before the internet let you see anything and everything.

Directed by Bill Fishman, and starring:

John Cusack,

Tim Robbins,

Sam Moore and Junior Walker,

Mary Crosby (Dallas);

Doug McClure (when I hear his name I think, I’m Troy McClure, you may know me from PSAs such as…);

Connie Stevens; Don Cornelius; Courtney Love; Doug E. Fresh; Bob Goldthwait (credited as Jack Cheese);

Fishbone  (also performs the incidental score);

Lords of the New Church singer Stiv Bators;

Ted Nugent;  Xander Berkeley;

King Cotton;

“Weird Al” Yankovic;

and Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra, in a cameo as an FBI agent.

You can see producer, Michael Nesmith briefly as a bottled water delivery man (don’t blink).

Need I say more?

Two best friends turn their hard luck story and others misfortunes into a better life with lots of bizarre hijinks and weird fun. ImageA must watch, at least once.

Soundtrack includes: Devo, Fishbone, Bo Diddley, King Cotton, Swanky Modes (Sam Moore and Junior Walker) and “Repave America” written and performed by Tim Robbins, credited as Bob Roberts (another awesome and underenjoyed film) 4 years before that movie was released (not on the soundtrack). “Repave America” was altered to “Retake America” on the Bob Roberts soundtrack.

And once you’ve heard the Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffle song, it will be in your head, lurking, waiting to be hummed.