finding cain

I was feeling blue for no good reason so I thought I’d cheer myself up by watching "No Hard Feelings" with my wife. I know that in all likelihood it will be dull and unimaginative, but I’m giving it a chance to entertain us.

This is from the 1995 CMA Awards. I'm not a huge fan of country music and I wasn't a huge fan of that show…but I couldn't resist Shania Twain singing Any Man of Mine.

I'm not sure why I liked the movie as much as I did. It might have had something to do with the soundtrack and how captivating Anya and Thomasin McKenzie were.

I should have better things to do—but I have to admit to splurging an excessive amount of time and attention last week on an Italian confection strangely titled Baby . It's about a bunch of kids in Rome who deal with domestic strife and school bullies by selling drugs, getting really wasted and "seducing" older men with their youthful beauty. Baby gives you the perpetual, skin-crawling reminder that you're sitting and staring at young women's bodies, enjoying the way you can set foot into their lives and then turn away when the scenes do not interest you any longer. Oh my god. Chiara. Chiara is so hot. The series has a contagious misery, and may remind you of your younger, brasher, more energetic self. Here's another fact: It was inspired by the real-life Baby Squillo (Baby Prostitute) scandal, in which a group of young girls became involved in a prostitution ring. In many of the episodes, sex and teenage romance get mixed up without much effort and I never s...

I am not, nor have I ever been a fan of The Pretty Reckless — not that there's anything wrong with the band, just, what's to like about their music? Wait, is there something to like? But I do have a serious thing for Taylor Momsen. I like her face and hair, her attitude and her sexuality and because she played the role of Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas .

Do You See What I See tells the story of David Dees, who started out working for Disney, Hanna-Barbera, and Sesame Street and eventually became the artist-in-residence for internet truthers. Short of the Week's Chelsea Lupkin has a review of the Brad Abrahams-directed documentary. A film that will frustrate, enlighten, and enrage, Do you see what I see? is an unsettling, yet empathetic portrait of the "notorious" illustrator, his beliefs and his eye-catching, yet problematic works of art. The spread of misinformation is now so commonplace the issues Do you see what I see? raises are certainly not to be ignored. Presenting a glimpse into the psyche of someone who has gone so far down the rabbit hole they are living in an alternate reality, Abrahams’ short provides a chilling word of warning for us all. I don't really know what that was about, but that, uh, that was intense. Anyway, here's the video:

It's about freaking time — Bad Robot's iconic logo is finally getting an action figure treatment. That's right folks, J. J. Abrams' production outfit has partnered with Mattel Creations to make a really cool toy. Standing 7.25-inches-tall, the die-cast and plastic figure has twenty-four points of articulation and even includes a removable panel on the back of its head to reveal the robot's true inner workings. The Bad Robot Premium Action Figure is now available for pre-order ($100), but won't ship out until February 2022. Some more info while I start manufacturing bootlegs to sell to desperate nerds: The head, torso, legs and feet are made of heavy die-cast metal. The packaging design is inspired by retro comic mail-in ads. Comes with a plastic display base and a certificate of authenticity. Packaging Dimensions: 6.75" wide x 4" deep x 10" tall.  

I know you've probably seen the second trailer for Denis Villeneuve's Dune by now but I was out for a late night walk and missed it so we're all going to watch it together all right? Possibly the greatest science-fiction novel ever written, Dune is even more relevant now than when it was first published. It's a political saga. It's a technological thriller. It's an ecological drama. If you've never read Dune , do pick it up.

I'm not happy unless my blog has a little Wes Anderson on it from time to time. Here's the trailer from Bottle Rocket , his feature-length directorial debut. As a teen, I owned — and come to think of it, still own because it's in a storage box here somewhere — a VHS copy of this movie. I'm not sure why I bought it. I guess I just love to watch funny, obscure films.

Dua Lipa helped make 2020 a little more tolerable, and her latest album, Future Nostalgia , will definitely get you through the many traffic jams you have to endure this week.  Here, the 25-year-old British singer talks about her decision to leave home at a young age to pursue a music career; how her lyrics reflect her growing confidence as a young woman in the industry; and how she came up with the next best thing to a world tour during the pandemic. Somewhere Donna Summer is dancing.

Those of you who are interested in The Queen's Gambit will be thrilled by this. The rest of you just skip to the next post.

I've been much enjoying Delilah Montagu's In Gold EP recently. A quick listen to Loud should give you a fairly good indication of whether you will feel likewise; I can't imagine that you will not but then again not everyone shares my taste in music. Enjoy.

Watched Kung Paano Siya Nawala last night for the fifth time. So why have I seen it so many times? I think it's because I like it a wee bit more with each viewing, which doesn't happen with many Filipino movies. Ang ganda ni Rhian, and she is so darn good in it that she forces you to love the character she's playing. The casting of JM De Guzman in the lead role is also superb. Lio (De Guzman) has prosopagnosia, commonly called face blindness, which means he has trouble recognizing familiar faces and learning to recognize new ones. He walks right past his officemates, his friends, his girlfriend, without being able to recognize them. I first learned about face blindness in 2012, when I watched a report by Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes . It can be embarrassing, and it can offend people. Unfortunately, there are no widely accepted treatments. Although prosopagnosia is described as "blindness", it has nothing to do with sight, but rather with a diminished ability to cre...

Sean Connery is dead. He left us on Saturday at the age of 90. I still think people pay too much attention to his James Bond flicks. That's fine but I'm more impressed by the multitude of other acting jobs this man had. A very good overview of his long, glorious career can be found here . While his death is deeply felt, we must also celebrate his sheer grit and passion. Here's a clip from one of my favorite Sean Connery movies.

My childhood musical obsessions were Sesame Street songs ,  Queen's Greatest Hits  ,  and the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of the 1985 film The Goonies , which is also the first movie I ever remember seeing in a theater. See Mikey? That's how I wore my hair every single day in grade school. Those were the good times, but I was too busy waiting for the future to arrive.

I saw a lot of great performances by Tom Hanks in a lot of real good movies. My favorite was easily Philadelphia . I hope this film by Paul Greengrass would be as good (or better) than the trailer.

My favorite Tears for Fears album is The Seeds of Love . I want to make a movie so I can use it as a soundtrack. A couple of factoids: * The album was released in September 1989, entering the UK Album Chart at no.1 and would be certified Platinum by the BPI within three weeks. * In the US, the album peaked at no.8, and was also certified Platinum. Here's a previously unreleased version of their song Standing on the Corner of the Third World , taken off of the super deluxe edition of The Seeds of Love . The four-CD+Blu-ray reissue (out October 9) includes 22 unreleased tracks from demo sessions, live jams, studio sessions along with a definitive set of B-sides, and rare mixes. If you're a fan of Roland and Curt, you'll probably want to add this box set to your Christmas wish list.

I remember watching Fast Times at Ridgemont High when I was 12, and there were two things from that movie that I will never forget: Phobe Cates' jaw-dropping scene and The Go-Go's signature song We Got the Beat , which was used in the opening sequence. Beauty and the Beat , the group's first studio album, was one of the most successful debut albums of all time. It stayed on top of the Billboard charts for six straight weeks, earned them a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, and made music history as the first album by an all-female band to hit No. 1. Their story is being told in a new documentary feature simply called The Go-Go's , directed by Alison Ellwood and premiering on Showtime next month. Ahead of the film's release, the band will drop their first new recording in 19 years, Club Zero , out July 31st. Check out the trailer below.

During the heyday of MTV, when the channel actually stood for Music Television, there was an edgy animated sitcom called Beavis and Butt-Head . Created by Mike Judge, the show premiered in 1993 and featured a pair of teenage dimwits. They became pop culture icons, and the show spawned a big-screen spin-off. In 1997, after four years and 209 episodes, the original series went off the air. But Beavis and Butt-Head survived. There were reruns and a one-season revival back in 2011. Just recently, Judge signed a deal with Comedy Central to bring them back to television. Details of the new series are few right now but, according to The Hollywood Reporter , the King of the Hill director will write, produce and voice a reimagined version of the show for two seasons. "Beavis and Butt-Head were a defining voice of a generation, and we can't wait to watch as they navigate the treacherous waters of a world light-years from their own," said ViacomCBS' Chris McCarthy. Plus, ...

Superman fans, particularly those with tons of money, are in for a treat. The cape worn by Christopher Reeve in Superman: The Movie is being offered by Julien's Auctions, and it could fetch up to $40,000. The auction house is also giving you chance to own a space suit from 2001: A Space Odyssey and a yellow hazmat garb worn by Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad . To crazy rich film enthusiasts, original movie props and memorabilia are priceless treasures. The black Givenchy dress Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast at Tiffany's was sold for $807,000 at a 2006 auction, while Marilyn Monroe's iconic white dress from The Seven Year Itch fetched $4.6 million in 2011.