gdp's Comments

Big Hollywood : USA's Quirky 'Psych' Returns Tonight to Bolster Cable TV's Case Against Broadcast Fare

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 07:34:44 +0000

Great to see this article. I have been a fan of Psych since day 1. I love the interplay between Shawn and Gus and enjoy it more now that Shawn's cocky. almost boorish behavior has been toned down a bit. USA has done a brilliant job of cornering the market on the classic "breezy" fun mystery shows that were a staple of network tv in the 70's and 80's: The NBC Mystery movie with Banaeck and McMillian & Wife; 80's shows like Simon & Simon, Riptide (where are the DVD's for this?), and Matlock, and continued into the 90's with Diagnosis Murder. USA has a great rotating lineup of White Collar, Psych, Burn Notice. I love the more serious shows, like Mad Men and Justified, but as USA shows there is definitely a place for a nice easy going mystery show. I'd say only Castle really fits that bill on network tv. NBC could take a note or two and look to a show like this to appeal to a wide audience and maybe dig themselves out of ratings hell.

Big Hollywood : 84th Academy Awards Open Thread

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 01:27:18 +0000

I laughed when they made a comment it is the biggest show in the world. My first thought was, but we had the Super Bowl last month! It's time for the inanity to begin!

Big Government : Adbusters Tells Occupiers to Take to the Streets of Chicago a la 1968

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:31:24 +0000

I am so glad I decided not to live in Oakland (the area around Jack London Square is quite trendy) and moved out to one of the outlying cities. I'm shocked but not surprised that Mayor Quan is still in office. If she had any honor and dignity, she would have resigned over the weekend. While I don't hold her responsible for the actions taken by the "protestors", I do hold her and her entire staff accountable for letting it get this far by coddling them in the beginning and empowering them through those actions. Now its gotten out of control and you have an unruly mob against an unprepared and mismanaged police force. Its only going to get worse. Glad most of them can't drive

Big Government : Martin Luther King’s Family Halts Occupy Event at Atlanta Memorial Center

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:12:26 +0000

Except that this isn't a First Amendment issue for two reasons: 1.) If this is considered private property, part of the bundle of rights that a property owner has is to limit what activity occurs on their land. This includes "gatherings" such as this. 2.) If we want to stretch this to a broad definition of "public property", this is still a legal and valid action because the Supreme Court allows content-neutral restrictions, i.e. the government can set time and place restrictions. Which by the way will come back to bite the various local governments that allow these "protestors" to violate existing rules and ordinances. I also enjoy your inference that because they didn't allow them to use the site as a prop, that they must not agree with them. Way to project there. It could be that they agree, but don't want to sully or associate with this particular group. So good effort trying to tie these vagrants to the civil rights movement, but your argument is invalid.

Big Hollywood : Matthew Sweet's 'Girlfriend' at 20: Power Pop Packs Nostalgic Punch

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:23:11 +0000

wow, can't believe its been 20 years. I have always loved Matthew Sweet, the way he hit that perfect double with Girlfriend followed by Altered Beast. It was the Girlfriend video that caught me. As I was just getting into anime and that video was hit me square between the eyes. Glad to see he still has the love and passion for his music. Hope he goes back out on the road one more time so I can catch him live.

Big Hollywood : Matthew Sweet's 'Girlfriend' at 20: Power Pop Packs Nostalgic Punch

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:16:50 +0000

How great you mention that CD too! A compilation of Alt Rock artists of all stripes doing renditions of 60's,70's,80's cartoon themes. Besides Sweet's Scooby Doo, another favorite is the Ramones version of the Spider-Man theme. And FYI, Sweet also did the theme for the most recent Scooby Doo series, which I highly recommend. An interesting twist to all the "monsters" they keep finding.

Big Hollywood : ReelzChannel Names 'Top Ten' Controversial Movies

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 07:12:52 +0000

Two more movies to think about would be Citizen Kane and Dogma. Kane if you recall was extremely controversial and Hearst used all his power to try and destroy that film. And if you recall with Dogma, the openings were protested by various Catholic groups believing that the film was portraying Catholicism and Christianity in a negative light. However, I thought it generated some good discussion on what religion really means and asking whether you really adopted the teachings and meanings or got caught up in worshiping the rituals and not the ideals.

Big Journalism : 500 Tea Party Protesters Storm a Government Building, Take Hostages

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 05:19:12 +0000

My favorite part of this story is that this not an issue of non-Union vs Union or right to work. This union is made because the owners chose a different union to use. So these are union jobs, but because the "right" union wasn't chosen, they decided to commit felonies. Unions continue to self destruct via their actions, but we must take control of the narrative. Show the people that they are not protecting rights, but out-dated and exclusive privileges that almost no other worker get. If we can do those two things they won't have a chance because they can't change who they are.

Big Journalism : ESPN Moves to Silence Golf Analyst Who Criticized Obama *UPDATED: ESPN Ignores Political Tweets of O

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 16:54:01 +0000

A couple of items. Like most, I understand that it is not what he said, but the apparent double standard going on at ESPN and that this double-standard gives of the appearance of wanting to protect its access to the President and the White House. However, in the USA Today story, there is a link to ESPN's social media policy. It is dated as of August 2011 and has a file name of v2, meaning it is version 2 or a revision from the previous policy. To be fair to Mayne, Schefter, et al (as much as that might pain me) we need to compare if their tweets violated the previous version of the social media policy. The August policy may be in reaction to what Mayne and Schefter have been spewing. The telling thing will be to watch their tweets and other ESPN personalities moving forward. If they continue to post tweets criticizing Palin, Republicans, etc. then we have conclusive proof that ESPN has a double-standard that leans to the left. What I find disappointing is that the main sports blogs/sites that love to tweak ESPN, Awful Announcing, Deadspin, The Big Lead, Sports by Brooks, etc. have been 100% silent on the issue. Sadly, I am not surprised. Lastly, how is Craig James still employed at ESPN? The negative publicity he brought with the Leach/Texas Tech situation is appalling. He actually brought in a PR firm to push his story and get a coach fired. And yet he is still at the network doing college football? Not to mention his alleged involvement in the disappearance of 5 ladies of the night during his time at SMU. To paraphrase Hugh Hewitt's view of John McCain: Craig James is a lousy analyst, horrible Republican, and a terrible human being. Please Texas, do not let this man become the Republican candidate for Senate.

Big Journalism : Politico Stands Behind Its "Biden Terrorist" Story

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:08:59 +0000

What I love is the fact that this shouldn't be a big story, but it is becoming one precisely because of the actions taking by the MSM and administration. I'm not surprised that Biden referred to his opposition as terrorists in a personal moment, letting the passion and rhetoric carry him away to say something idiotic. If he issues a mea culpa and apologizes for getting caught up in the moment, it dies, MSM can ignore it and we move on. Instead the denials and refusal to acknowledge, coverup if you will, has kept the story alive and will only grow now that Politico feels the need to defend itself. Instead, because the left and liberals have created this labyrinth of rules that one must follow they constantly get themselves tangled in situations like this. Since they believe that ends justify means, they continue to ignore and rationalize away their behavior as the cost of acquiring power. Unfortunately, 8-12 months from now we will look back on this thinking, "remember when liberals used to only say we were just terrorists." I shudder to think of the slurs and falsities that will hurled at us in this election cycle.

Big Hollywood : Janeane Garofalo's 'Racist Dogwhistle' Tells Us Herman Cain Doesn't Have a Mind of His Own

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 08:18:11 +0000

This is beyond offensive. Obviously, no one has shown Ms. Garofalo Herman Cain's book that he wrote 5+ years ago that shows the same ideas and beliefs that he has now. I had the opportunity to hear him speak then and his story was one of hope, achievement, and love for this country and the opportunities it afforded him despite growing up poor. He is truely an amazing self-made man whose accomplishments make Obama wilt in comparison. For her to float these ridiculous ideas, even as a joke (which it might be since she is incredibly unfunny) is beyond the bounds of decency and respect. Alas, this is what the loudest liberals are like today and sadly this is what the campaign is going to look like. I hope Herman can stay in the race as long as possible and spread his story and his message to as many people as possible. If one person is inspired to be like Herman, then I will call that a winning campaign, whether or not he wins.

Big Hollywood : 'Red Eye' Sets the David Mamet Attack Clock

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 05:25:01 +0000

And don't forget he wrote "Wag the Dog", one of the best, smartest satires on politics and media manipulation in the last 20 years. Every time it is on I have to stop and watch. And every time I see a political stunt, I think of that movie. I think he will weather it just fine. He seems to be made of sterner stuff than his detractors. I only hope that it gives him inspiration to write a great critical piece exposing/satirizing progressives and liberals. In fact, I would love to see him write a story based around Wisconsin. How great that would be.

Big Hollywood : Countdown to the Oscars: Top 10 Oscar Snubs of All Time

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 04:58:46 +0000

absolutely! I still remember going to see it on a whim the first week it came out. I was originally planning on seeing "The People v Larry Flynt". The theater didn't get its print in time so I went to see LA Confidential. It was so engrossing and "simply complex". You have this wonderful, multiple thread story weaving through fantastic visuals and excellent acting and you get to the final act and it all makes sense and you can trace everything back. I was initially taken by Titanic, but over time the story holes became too large to ignore along with Billy Zane and his gun waving antics. I don't bother with Titanic, but always pause when LA Confidential comes on.

Big Hollywood : Today's Open Thread: #50 Glenn Ford

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:18:49 +0000

Wanted to mention that a previous contributor, Bosch Fawstin, finally has his full length graphic novel, The Infidel, now out and available. The art looks fantastic. As a refresher, it is about 2 brothers, both muslim, who take different paths after 9/11. He is supposed to be on The Daily Show this week to promote it. Can't wait to see him deal with Jon Stewart. Here is a link to a fair review from a non-conservative: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/02/22/review-the... I hope that BH can invite him back and give him some much needed publicity as I remember previous articles talking about this book. This with the Hudnall/Lash toons will make libs heads explode.

Big Hollywood : Today's Open Thread

Mon, 6 Sep 2010 01:05:17 +0000

I agree with your viewpoint up until the final 10 minutes of the film which I thought was unnecessary. There were plenty of other ways to show how broken and ultimately lonely he was without choosing the blunt, cliche method that PT Anderson did. To my view, it is the final reel that probably cost this movie the Best Picture Oscar. The opening is as good as anything ever put on film. Daniel Day Lewis gives a tremendous, nuanced performance and the cinematography is as good if not more sweeping that No Country For Old Men. But that ending? Blecch!

Big Hollywood : Taking Back Tinseltown: How the Money Works -- Final Chapter

Sat, 4 Sep 2010 20:51:19 +0000

I think Michael Douglas' statement is interesting to think about in today's context. It may have been true 15 yrs ago that "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest" couldn't be made then because there was still the necessity to utilize the studio apparatus. However, with the decreasing costs to make a movie through the use of digital filming and editing techniques along with a more established small/indie film market I wholeheartedly believe such a film could be made today. Now whether you could put together the quality of talent in front of and behind the camera is a different story. I agree that it would have to bypass the normal studio channels and be made and financed independently. At that point it becomes who you know and how little they will charge for their services up front. Like most industries there are some great advances in film today and there are horrible trends. The problem is that those poor trends are what is driving the overall market.

Big Hollywood : WE LOVE PIXAR: The Pixar Rules

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 04:17:14 +0000

One other point: (I hope this comes up in a more detailed post), One other element that has made the Pixar films sucessful is the voice acting and directing. Whereas other studios will get a big name and use him regardless of his ability to voice act, Pixar puts in as much time in finding the right voices as getting the story right. Craig T Nelson was pitch perfect as Mr. Incredible. Tim Allen and Tom Hanks are Buzz and Woody because the personalities match so well. And it's not just the main characters. Peter O'Toole was the jaded, tired food critic and when he tastes the joy that is Remy's cooking, you can feel as well as hear it in his voice. It is the attention to detail and care in finding the right voices that adds another crucial element in making these films great.

Big Hollywood : WE LOVE PIXAR: Top-Five Greatest Pixar Films of All Time!

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 04:15:34 +0000

Have to defend the list here. With the exception of moving out Finding Nemo and replacing it with WALL-E, this is my list. I am a huge Brad Bird fan (looking at the Iron Giant one-sheet poster above my computer right now) and The Incredibles is not only the most entertaining Pixar film for me, but the best Superhero movie, period. Both Brad Bird films are examples of what was discussed in the prior Pixar thread, he makes films, not cartoons or kids films or whatever term people use to delegitimize animated works.

Big Hollywood : For Conservative Movie Lovers: John Woo, Chow Yun-fat, and ‘Hard Boiled’ Part 3

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 18:53:13 +0000

Actually that is why he accepted the Alan Quartermain role; because as he put it, he didn't understand the stories and turned them down and they became hits. He didn't understand LOXG either but based on past history, he didn't want to pass it up. And he was the perfect casting for Quartermain, but as for the script, well I still don't understand why they couldn't film the comic book. And having to add Tom Sawyer so the American audience had some they could relate to, ugh. It changed a main dynamic in the source, the relationship between Mina and Alan; the two relatively sane, 'normal' people among a sea of insanity. I need to stop now before I start gnashing my teeth over how bad they screwed this up.

Big Hollywood : For Conservative Movie Lovers: John Woo, Chow Yun-fat, and ‘Hard Boiled’ Part 2

Sat, 5 Jun 2010 15:59:21 +0000

Another great series of articles! I've been a big John Woo fan since being exposed to "The Killer". It really was my gateway to the HK and Asian action films. His sense of style, the visual display, and the honor of his heroes, are what consistently draw me in. As to his American films, "Broken Arrow" was one of the first films I bought when I got a laserdisc player and must have watched it 50 times. While lacking some of the heart and impact of his HK films, it is still a fun watch. Travolta really has fun as a villain and I think it is one of Slater's better performances. And I think "Face/Off" was his big attempt to meld the HK style with American filmmaking and for me he pulls it off. I remember walking out of the theater just blown away by what I saw. So many great action scenes, and perfect roles for Cage and Travolta. I hope he makes another attempt to craft his style of action film. We can't have enough John Woo shootouts!