Armchair Commentary

Vote for Your Favorite Movie President, Round 3

We're now into round three! Please check out our Amazon Election page to vote for your favorite movie president. In this bracket is our idealistic/visionary presidents--you know, the ones you wish actually existed to run in real life. You contributed to the final list of contenders, and now you can make your voice heard for the winner! Pick from:

Jeff Bridges as President Jackson Evans in The Contender
Geena Davis as President Mackenzie Allen in Commander-in-Chief
Michael Douglas as President Andrew Shepherd in The American President
Kevin Kline as Dave/President Bill Mitchell in Dave
Martin Sheen as President Jed Bartlett in The West Wing 

Tune in Tuesday for a new round of voting. -- Ellen

We're now into round three! Please check out our Amazon Election page to vote for your favorite movie president. In this bracket is our idealistic/visionary presidents--you know, the ones you wish actually existed to run in real life. You contributed to the final list of contenders, and now you can make your voice heard for the winner! Pick from:

Jeff Bridges as President Jackson Evans in The Contender
Geena Davis as President Mackenzie Allen in Commander-in-Chief
Michael Douglas as President Andrew Shepherd in The American President
Kevin Kline as Dave/President Bill Mitchell in Dave
Martin Sheen as President Jed Bartlett in The West Wing 

Tune in Tuesday for a new round of voting. -- Ellen

Best DVDs of October 2008: "Ladies And Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains"

What it is: Originally in theaters in 1982, this release has been long-anticipated (and much-requested by Amazon customers via First to Know), and is finally available on DVD for the very first time.

Why it's significant:   Some movies just stumble towards cult, mythic status; Ladies and Gentlemen,  The Fabulous Stains is one of those magnificent accidents. Besides in-fighting, the few previews shown to the public were unanimously panned, Paramount was at a loss as to how to market it, and the movie had never been available on DVD (or VHS, for that matter). This has just compounded its status as a "lost" film, with the few people who have seen it being evangelical in their gossip about this pseudo punk 'n' roll documentary. Now that it’s here, was it worth the wait? Does it hold up over time? You bet it does. Orphaned girls (Diane Lane, Marin Kanter) along with their cousin (Laura Dern) channel their frustration into a band, The Stains. After a few gigs, the media picks up what they consider a novelty. This leads to a tour with The Looters--idealistic punks from London--and the Metal Corpses (headed by Fee Waybil of the Tubes in a perfectly oblivious performance). Head Looter takes head Stain under his wing, only to become disillusioned as he watches the American media, and by extension American teens, chose popularity over talent (as he sees it). Despite their differing views about how the movie should be handled, both the message of girl empowerment (screenwriter Nancy Dowd) and the idea that all great ideas become co-opted and watered-down (director Lou Adler) resonate throughout the film. The performances, while not uniformly great, work so well within the context of the documentary style that they have their own charm. And Diane Lane, as Stain leader Corinne "Third Degree" Burns, is simply outstanding, simmering with angst that bursts out at all the right points. A young Ray Winstone turns in a fine performance as the lead singer of the Looters, showing both contempt and sensitivity towards the fledgling Stains. Adding to its cult credentials, the rest of the Looters are played by Steve Jones and Paul Cook (Sex Pistols) and Paul Simenon (The Clash). With audio commentaries by not only director Adler, but stars Lane and Dern, this movie is not only great for any fans of Times Square and Rock 'n' Roll High School, but it’s a great addition to any library of music films in general.

Watch the preview:

--Jordan Thompson

Swinging Again ... But Now I'm Worried About Sarah Connor

I already had a thing for Bravo, but now I love it even more -- looks like the network is going to pick up my summer favorite, Swingtown, and give the show's 13 episodes another run starting in October. Yes, Bravo made it very clear that they're not planning to produce new episodes at this time, but at least the show's getting a chance to shake its groove thing one more again. Maybe that whole "popular demand" notion can do its work. (You can also cast your vote, as it were, by checking out Swingtown here.)  And accompany your viewing with some nice Rosy Perfection Salad (see episode 3, "Double Exposure").

Meanwhile, the Fall TV ax is already swinging and FOX's Do Not Disturb has the honor of being the first cancelation casualty. And apparently Amazon Video On Demand favorite Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles (SO not an 8 p.m.show) is not looking so strong on the broadcast front (a situation likely to get worse once it starts facing genre competition from Chuck, which begins its second season tonight). I wasn't busted up about the demise of Do Not Disturb, but I'd really miss Sarah Connor, which I think is off to a strong second-season start (melty metal Terminator! yay! -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, TV Demander

Best DVDs of October: "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"

What it is: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is about two college roommates who have 24 hours to make the ultimate choice as they finalize arrangements to meet a black market doctor for an illegal abortion. What follows is their harrowing descent into a world in where danger, darkness and tragedy lurk around every corner.

Why it's Significant: This Romanian film, winner of the 2007 Palme d'Or and unfairly overlooked at the Oscars, was #1 on several critics' best-of lists. Our own reviewer called the film "extraordinary," "decidedly bleak" and "intense, discomforting, and intensely riveting." Directed by Cristian Mungiu, 4 Months was a stark contrast to the year's other unwanted pregnancy film, the light and happy Juno. (I don't exactly recommend pairing the two as a double feature, though). Watch the trailer below.    -- Ellen

Best DVDs of October: This American Life Season One

This American Life

What it is: Old favorite Chicago Public Radio show in a new format.
Why it's significant: Are you disgusted by reality TV saturation on TV? Are you sick of a small whinny population of L.A. and Orange County residents getting a disproportionate amount of air time related to their actual contribution to American culture? Then, This American Life is for you. Not quite reality TV, not quite documentary, This American Life Started as a Chicago Public Radio Show in 1995 and debuted in 2007 on Showtime as a new TV series. Long time listeners might ask why?  However, after watching the first episode, it’s easy to understand that the TV version allows the audience a new way of identifying with the person in the story. As it turns out, these people with their astonishing stories are just the opposite... ordinary. Despite how peculiar, outlandish, or eccentric their narrative, we can see that in fact they are quite normal people. Second, the visual format allows for a new depth of understanding. Something that we miss by just listening, the story teller’s environment, choice of clothing, hairstyle, manner of speaking, and hobbies all help to shape and tell their story.
For people who have never heard the radio show, This American Life is difficult to explain because the subject, the location, and even the format are slightly different between episodes. One episode is about how people experience God the next is about how the camera crew reacts to one of their unusual assignments. Engaging and interesting, each episode presents different perspectives and solutions to what sometimes seem to be common problems.  Watch the first season of This American Life and it’ll make you laugh, it might even make you cry, but most importantly it’ll make you think.  --Mike

IRON MAN --> BLU-RAY

Cold. Cold. Warm. WARM. Cold. WARM. HOT. VERY, HOT. STINGING ACID BURNING PLASMA IN YOUR EYE HOT--Iron Man has made it to Blu-ray, streeting September 30th.

What do you get? Well, the movie. TrueHD surround sound. And with BDLive you can quiz other people watching the film. Other coolness allows you to test out three different Iron Man suits. No, you don't actually wear them.

As you may have heard, there was a recall on the first Blu-ray print of this release by Paramount, causing me "The High-def guy" some annoyance, updating otherwise perfectly placed campaigns on the Amazon Blu-ray site.

But Paramount, you know what? You've eased my open metaphoric wounds with the salve of your iron reluctance to let a mishap like this destroy your biggest release of the year, by burning some new and working Blu-ray discs. Lots of them. So yo, you got the green light from Amazon.

And this song is still awesome.

--Rich

Remembering Paul Newman, 1925-2008

A quintessential leading man in every sense of the word, Paul Newman was an actor, a director, a producer, a philanthropist, and one-half of Hollywood's longest double-star marriage. Now gone at the age of 83, we lose yet another one of film's icons. Newman had reportedly been battling cancer for years, but would only respond to inquiries with "[I'm] doing nicely."

His filmography is well known; his two partnerships with Robert Redford (in The Sting and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) defined "buddy movie"; the pair always hoped to reunite once more but never found the right project. He fit well into the role of antihero in films such as Cool Hand Luke, The Hustler, and Hud; the '70s and '80s saw him working with directors such as Martin Scorsese (The Color of Money, for which he won his only Oscar in addition to two honorary ones), Sydney Pollack (Absence of Malice), Sidney Lumet (The Verdict), and even the Coen Brothers (The Hudsucker Proxy).

In the last decade he took smaller roles, with his final on-screen appearance as the father of Daniel Craig in Road to Perdition. His last screen credit was voicing Doc, the cranky aging former champion racer in Disney's Cars, a natural fit for the racing enthusiast who competed as recently as last year.


The man with the famous ice-blue eyes got his start in theater, studying at the Actors Studio with Marlon Brando, James Dean and Karl Malden. Through the stage, he met actress Joanne Woodward, whom he married in 1958 (he had two daughters and one son with his first wife, Jacqueline Witte; his son died in 1978 of an accidental overdose of alcohol and valium). Woodward and Newman have three daughters, and he directed his wife to an Oscar nod in the film Rachel, Rachel. He famously told Playboy magazine he had no intentions to stray from the marriage.: "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?"

But no tribute is complete without mentioning his charitable contributions, including a camp for children with cancer and the company Newman's Own, which has donated more than $175 million as of last year. As former co-star Sally Field said upon learning of his death, "Sometimes God makes perfect people. And Paul Newman was one of them."

We leave you with Newman's closing arguments in The Verdict, one of his finest film performances ever. -- Ellen

The Best 'Bad' Movies (The First in a Series)

There are movies I watch because of the plot brilliance (The Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption ). There are movies I watch because of the actors or directors (Joel & Ethan Coen or Tim Burton, and clearly, anything with Johnny Depp).

And then there are the movies I have no idea why I watch. But I watch them ---repeatedly--for no reason. They’re not even good movies. I own them all, but even if they pop up on cable on a Saturday, there I sit, taking in the atrocity and enjoying every minute of it.

So began my list of the best ‘bad’ movies of all time. They are movies that got two stars or less (on my cable TV rating), did not make a lot of money in theaters or on DVD and have not achieved “cult” status like Heathers or Better Off Dead. (Except in my mind.) I am almost embarrassed to share these, but here goes nothing .

First on this list is Airheads. I love this movie. And it’s horrible.  It’s about three idiotic musicians that take a radio station hostage in order to get their song played on the radio. It features everyone from Judd Nelson as a money-hungry record exec, to Michael McKean with a bad, fake ponytail, and even Michael Richards in a pre-Kramer haze, crawling around air ducts and perfecting his soon-to-be famous pratfalls.

But, the true gems of this train wreck of a movie are the trio of main characters consisting of Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, and Adam Sandler. The casting director must have been stoned, but it’s fantastic to see Buscemi and Sandler together in one of the weirdest buddy pairings ever. They play brothers. Not kidding. And oh! Did I mention that we even get a small appearance from David Arquette as the typical idiotic radio station employee?

To top it off, there are some great ‘quotable’ moments in Airheads.

How do you tell if someone is a cop or a record producer? Ask him the following:

Chazz (Brendan Fraser) - “whose side did you take in the big David Lee Roth-Van Halen split? 
Chris Moore (Harold Ramis): What?
Chazz: whose side did you take: (Van) Halen or Roth?
Chris Moore: ...Van Halen
Ian: (Joe Mantegna) HE'S A COP!

Or this one!

Chazz: Who'd win in a wrestling match, Lemmy or God?
Chris Moore: Lemmy.
[Rex imitates a game show buzzer]
Chris Moore: ... God?
Rex: (Buscemi) Wrong, d*ckhead, trick question. Lemmy *IS* God.

 

Ahh, the beauty of the cheesiness is never ending.

So check it out. I recommend having a few adult beverages first (if you are of age, of course). And tell me what your ‘best bad movies are.’ Remember the criteria:

1. Two stars or less on a 5-star rating scale
2. Not a ‘cult’ hit like Better Off Dead or Spinal Tap
3. Somebody beside you has seen the movie multiple times.
4. Not a box office hit – didn’t make a lot of money upon release to theaters.

Stay tuned to see the next horrible ‘gem’ of a movie on my list.

Mr. Monk and the Amazon Interview

So I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Tony Shalhoub, the Emmy-winning star of Monk, aka the show that helped establish the USA network as the enjoyable "characters welcome" place it is today. He talked about reaching the 100-episode mark with Monk this month (and how it's different from hitting 100 episodes of Wings), how the show gets cool guest stars like Stanley Tucci (hint: personal connections help) and the future of the series, which will return from its midseason break next year but has yet to be renewed for an eighth season. See the latest episodes here, and enjoy the conversation. -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, Amazon TV Demander

Why You Won't Find Michael Moore's New Movie in Theaters

Michael Moore, ever the subversive character, released his new movie, Slacker Uprising, today. But it's not in theaters. It's only available online (including at Amazon Video On Demand). Oh, and it's free (not unlike the ramen and clean underwear Moore famously gave out to said slackers to motivate them to hit the polls). The movie follows Moore on a tour of swing states in 2004, and as I watched it I kept thinking of Titanic. Not because Kate Winslet plays Moore's love interest (wouldn't that be interesting), but because we know how this "Get John Kerry elected!" story ends (I guess that makes Karl Rove the metaphorical iceberg). Anyway, here's Moore's official quote on the whys and wherefores of this film: "This is being done entirely as a gift to my fans. The only return any of us are hoping for is the largest turnout of young voters ever at the polls in November. I think 'Slacker Uprising' will inspire millions to get off the couch and give voting a chance." -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, Amazon Video On Demand