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About Adam Steiner

Adam Steiner is a contributor to Armchair Commentary.

Posts by Adam Steiner

2012 Emmys - Just a couple opinions

Emmys

There is some really great television out there right now. The drama category is rich with content and there are some original and quirky comedies that are allowing truly funny people to strut there stuff. But....I'm not sure the Emmys are really hilighting those things. Even still, great TV and you should probably check out all the nominees and winners here.

Where's the Parks?

Yes, Modern Family is funny. I get it. But watching it towards the end of last season it felt as if it was already becoming stale. Go ahead, boo now if you wish but there's just better work being done. The omission of Parks and Recreation is just wrong. Again, no problem with Eric Stonestreet or Julie Bowen being recognized, they are both great. However, the total ensemble on Parks is unmatched on TV today.

 

Homecoming

OK, I guess the point is to celebrate the excellence and apparently we are to understand that Homeland is the best show on tv. Up for debate of course but congratulations to Damien Lewis. Whether you would have voted for the show or not you can't deny the difficulty of his performance. And Claire Danes, how do you not like Claire Danes? The answer is, you don't not like Claire Danes. I do have to say once again though..where the hell is Sons of Anarchy? I guess I'm in the minority but I think FX tends to get a bit overlooked.

AaronpaulMeth Wins!

With all the false modesty and self congratulations that comes with award shows it's nice to see some real surprise. I think the photo of Aaron Paul kind of sums it up. This was one of the best moments of the night with a guy who you can tell is truly shocked. He's just out of his mind that he's a part of this and it's great to see. I mean look at that face and the embrace with Giancarlo Esposito was just genuine, very cool. Although it does break my heart a bit to not see Peter Dinklage receive another award for his work on Game of Thrones, I can't disagree with the fervor that Breaking Bad has garnered. 

 

JuliaReturn of the 90's

NIneties superstars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Kevin Costner back...in...da...house! Nice. Makes me want to listen to some Gin Blossoms or Faith No More. Did you ever think that of the cast of Seinfeld that Elaine would have the most succesful career post show? You did? Liar.And so good to see Costner doing something that receives critical acclaim in this century. OK, I'll give you The Company Men, great movie but not really a Costner vehicle. I'm more concerned with the list of flops prior to that, Swing Vote anyone? Didn't think so.Well done from one of the elder statesmen of Hollywood.

Nic3Show idea. Cage Match. Nicolas Cage enters a ring with another actor. They do readings of famous scripts to a celebrity panel of acting judges. The judges vote on who delivers the best audition. Nicolas Cage wins every week. We celebrate his greatness. The end.

 

--Adam

 

 

 

 

Nicholas Stoller, A Brief Note of Appreciation

5yearI suppose that the title of this blog entry would make for a good film title too but the intent is to give an armchair shout out to writer/director Nicholas Stoller. I felt compelled to do this after recently watching The Five-Year Engagment. This is not intended to be a deep, intensive, critical analysis of a dealing with life's issues comedy. It's just a note of thanks to the writer/director of a film of which after I watched it....I just felt good.
The dialogue and situations keep you laughing consistently throughout. The chemistry between Jason Segel and Emily Blunt is fantastic, not in a "oh wow, I bet they're hookin' up on set" kind of way, instead it spotlights a couple actors who show incredible comedic timing and sensibility. You will fall in love with Emily Blunt as I do every time I watch her on screen. Someone that beautiful shouldn't be that talented. The entire cast does justice to the fantasic comedic wrting of Stoller and Segel. Alison Brie is equally fantastic and what I will refer to as the "Sesame Street" scene with Brie and Blunt is gold.

 

For those unfamiliar with Nicholas Stoller, he previously directed Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek, also personal favorites. So, clearly there is a trend here. He also collaborated with Segel on The Muppets. Again, awesome. Do yourself a favor and watch his work. Finally, Mr. Stoller, thank you for the laughs. In a cinematic landscape flushed with bad book adaptations and hit or miss superhero movies or just crappy horror shot with a shaky handed digital camera, it's nice to watch a movie where you laught from beginning to end and just simply makes you feel good.

--Adam

Exclusive Interview with The Dictator

Dictator

We here at Armchair Commentary are extremely pleased to bring to you, the faithful reader, an exclusive interview with "The Dictator" himself, Admiral General Aladeen. Fresh off his tour of promoting the movie about himself and eagerly anticipating the DVD and Blu-ray release, the exulted one took the time out to answer a few questions.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions of Admiral General Aladeen are his alone and do not reflect the views or opinions of anyone associated with Armchair Commentary, any other blog or any sane person anywhere in this world or another alternate universe either real or created solely for the purpose of a science fiction story.

 

 

 

General Aladeen, clearly you are in favor of a complete dictatorship as a political ethos but if you had to choose a second option, what would it be and why?

Firstly, please use my correct title – it’s actually Admiral General Aladeen. In fact my full title is Admiral General Aladeen, Supreme Leader, Chief Ophthalmologist, Invincible and all Triumphant Beloved Oppressor of the People of Wadiya and Excellent Swimmer (Including butterfly). I also have 118 PhDs. And a diploma in spray tanning from Qatar Community College. And I am 7 ½ feet tall. Sorry, what was the question? Ah yes, a second option other than a full dictatorship... I think democracy, but with a few provisos: one, there would be elections, but only every 500 years, two, I would be the only person who could vote, and three, my name would be the only one on the ballot paper. The last one makes a lot of sense – it would completely eliminate the chance of electoral fraud.

 

Other than “The Dictator” itself, what was your favorite movie of the past year? And secondly, what is your favorite movie of all time?

Apart from The Dictator, my favorite movie of last year was that clip on YouTube of the talking dog being teased by his owner about food in the refrigerator... I love that film! My favourite film of all time would either be one of the great fantasy movies, like Lord of the Rings or Schindler’s List, or the grainy Super 8 footage taken of JFK in Dallas in 1963.

 

Beatles or Stones?

That’s a tough one – I have tortured people using both of them: feeding prisoners beetles is probably more enjoyable than covering them with stones, although occasionally you get someone who actually likes the taste and that ruins it.

 

What are your ideas for how we should deal with the continuing global climate change crisis in both the short and long term?

I have personally done my bit to reduce global warming by building a personal ski resort in the Wadiyan desert - not easy, as the average daily temperature is 118 degrees. It uses 20 billion bottles of Fiji Water per day to make the snow. That is not the only way my country has gone green - all our torture implements are now solar powered and we don't just dispose of western journalists, we recycle them – in fact for every one I behead, I plant a new one in the ground. Alive. Also I’m very diligent about trying to reduce my uranium footprint.

 

Who is your favorite Muppet and why?

I like the one who has no eyes – he inspired me to perform a similar procedure on some of my political opponents. And of course I love the fat talking pig, simply because the thought of her is so repugnant to the my enemies.

 

What was your relationship like with your mother and father?

I never knew my mother. She was an Air France Flight Attendant who tragically died in childbirth – of strangulation. My father also left me early and died when I was just six. He was a very loving parent though and I have very fond memories of the short time we spent together – I recall just after my fifth birthday playing Lego with him: together we built a full sized gallows with it and then he let me watch as his Prime Minister was hanged.

 

Just what was your father hunting on that tragic day he was killed?

My father was hunting traditional Wadiyan wildlife – you know, jackals, camels and Kurdish rebels. Although officially his death was accidental and he died after being hit by 97 stray bullets and a stray grenade, there are rumors that he actually committed suicide. I personally hope that this was the case, as it would mean he died doing what he loved the most – killing people.

 

With the Olympics having just passed, it’s natural to wonder when the great competitors of the Wadiyan Spring Games will compete in the Olympic Games. When will that happen?

Firstly, I must say that it is an outrage that Wadiya was banned from the London Olympics and I do not know if we will be welcome at Rio. Even though our athletes did not attend this year, I still sent some “representatives”. I cannot say what they will be doing in Britain, but let’s just say that the biggest fireworks display in London this year will not be the one at the Opening Ceremony.

The ban is also a personal tragedy for me since I am my country’s number one athlete and fastest runner. In the recent Wadiyan Games I won the 100Meters Gold after my closest rival retired in the Semi Finals suffering from a badly ruptured uncle. Of all my sporting acheivments though, I would have to say that my proudest is probably the threesome I had with the Williams sisters.

 

Can't Recall Being this Totally Excited

Totalrecall1 For a lot of guys in my age bracket Paul Verhoeven's Total Recall is a seminal movie. If you were an Arnold (pronounced Aahh-nuld) fan (go ahead and admit it, it was a different time), Total Recall was the zenith of his awesomeness. And my dad took me to see it when I was too young for an R rated movie. It came after Commando, Predator, The Running Man & Twins. It was the right movie at the right time for any action/adventure loving movie goer. Total Recall was full of humor, memorable quotes and for the era, great sci-fi design and special effects. It seemed like such a BIG movie and for at least this one movie geek, it would became one of the most referenced films ever.

So now, of course, the upcoming "re-imagining" Total Recall (2012) directed by Len Wiseman (of Underworld fame) is making me feel like a kid again. Scanning the google looking for updates or new photos, hoping for an Arnold cameo, anything to feed my excitement. Anyways.....this time around we've got Colin Farrell in the Arnie role. Which, I can get on board with. He's versatile and sometimes brilliant as is evident in the far too unwatched In Bruges. Then the cast really gets good. Kate Beckinsale in the Sharon Stone role, AWESOME! Jessica Biel as Melina, SWEET!! And to top it all off Bryan Cranston as Cohagen. AWESOMELY SWEET!!! Oh wait, as if that wasn't good enough, how bout' they throw in a little Bill Nighy, John Cho and some Ethan Hawke. MIND BLOWN!! One more bonus, Shia LaBeouf is not in it. Just a powerhouse group! Totalrecall2What's next, Robocop with Daniel Craig? We can dream.

It's OK if you're smiling right now thinking of some mindless action fun. Let yourself go back to that place when you were younger and going to the movies was so much more exciting. We didn't need no stinkin' 3D! We just needed absurd fight scenes and enough of the F word to make us feel a little bit dangerous while we watched. Thanks Paul Verhoeven, thanks Arnie and now thank you Len Wiseman and Columbia Pictures for bringing back this classic. Yeah, I said it, c-l-a-s-s-i-c.

Nicolas Cage vs. Nic Cage

Nicolas-cage   VS    Nic cage

Dear Nicolas Cage,

What happened? Where did it all go wrong? When did you go from a sometimes brilliant actor who chose quirky and original scripts to the guy that starred in The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans? (Side note - one of the worst titles ever thought of) It's a rare feat for someone capable of onscreen gold like Raising Arizona and Moonstruck, to almost completely derail their own legitimacy and relevance in the lexicon of popular film, by their own hand.

Sure, there are occasional blips on the radar that still give us hope like your super hero potrayal in Kick-Ass but the past decade has been a whole lot more unwatchable than it has been inspiring. Have you yourself been subject to some sort of mind altering occurence that has split you into some sort of Jekyll and Hyde character? Is there a epic, bloody battle for dominance being waged inside your soul  that has spanned the last 25 years? That's what I'd like to think, that there are truly two of you. One, Nicolas Cage, the man who made us laugh in Honeymoon in Vegas and broke our hearts Leaving Las Vegas and then, Nic Cage, the evil side vying for supremacy over your soul and obviously......winning. He who is responsible for Drive Angry and Bangkok Dangerous. Please stop him. Please. If I had to divide your filmograhy up into good and bad, I'd be willing to give you Faceoff, Conair, heck, I'm even throwing in The Weather Man and The Family Man, cause I'm a sucker. But The Wicker Man, Ghost Rider, Windtalker? Come on!!!! Maybe you should have kept your name Coppola. Perhaps that would have allowed you to make better choices.

Sorry, I got a bit angry but it's only because I love ya man. You can be so great, so fun to watch. So come back to us Nicolas. Take pleasure in guttin' that other side of you, the evil Nic. You used to be like....unbeatable.

Sincerely,

A confused fan.....kind of...but not really anymore

P.S. Is it too late to stop the inevitablility of the Ghost Rider sequel? Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengenance, really?

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