I. Another Black Friday came and went.I only ever give a shit about buying movies anyway, so I made out with the following, the whole shebang for about $30:
Brother
After being exiled from Tokyo, a yakuza gangster (Takeshii "Beat" Kitano, Fireworks [Hana-Bi], Sonatine) arrives in Los Angeles with a big bag of money and a really bad attitude. He hooks up with his half-brother, the leader of small-time drug ring, and together with a local street hustler (Omar Epps, Love and the Basketball), the brothers declare war on the other local drug traffickers, and igniting the bloodiest and dirtiest power struggle the mean streets of L.A. have ever seen.
Life and Death of Peter Sellers
HBO Films presents The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, a kaleidoscopic look inside the unquiet mind of Peter Sellers (Geoffrey Rush, Pirates of the Caribbean). Despite his phenomenal success as an international film star, his comic virtuosity belied a troubled private life plagued by self-loathing, insecurity and abusive behavior. The film peers behind the facades of his many characters to expose the one that the legendary comedic actor never revealed to the public, himself.
The Ninth Configuration
In an experimental government center for troubled Vietnam veterans (Ed. note: Are there any other kind?), the inmates run the asylum. One works on an adaptation of Shakespeare... for dogs. Another fancies himself a caped superhero. Still others masquerade as frogmen, nurses, nuns, pirates, doctors. Yet the psychiatrist in charge eyes all with a stoic reserve. Maybe too stoic: there's a mystery here. And its final resolution is like a thunderclap.William Peter Blatty, the Academy Award winning writer of The Exorcist, provides a Golden Globe winning screenplay (from his novel, Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane) and directs the stellar ensemble cast of this multi-layered spellbinder.
Patriot Games
Harrison Ford stars as Jack Ryan in this explosive thriller based on Tom Clancy's international best-seller. His days as an intelligence agent behind him, former CIA analyst Jack Ryan has traveled to London to vacation with his wife (Anne Archer, Fatal Attraction) and child (Thora Birch, American Beauty). Meeting his family outside of Buckingham Palace, Ryan is caught in the middle of a terrorist attack on Lord Holmes (James Fox, The Russia House), a member of the Royal Family. Ryan helps to thwart Holmes' assailants and becomes a local hero. But Ryan's courageous act marks him as a target in the sights of the terrorist (Sean Bean, Ronin) whose brother he killed. Now Ryan must return to action for the most vital assignment of his life: to save his family. Co-starring James Earl Jones (The Hunt for Red October).
Shutter Island
Academy Award winning director Martin Scorsese once again teams up with Leonardo DiCaprio in this spine-chilling thriller that critics say "sizzles with so much suspense that it's hot to touch." When U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) arrives at the asylum for the criminally insane on shutter island, what starts as a routine investigation quickly takes a sinister turn. As the investigation unfolds and Teddy uncovers more shocking and terrifying truths about the island, he learns there are some places that never let you go.
The Woods
Falburn Academy is a prestigious all-girls boarding school nestled deep within the forest. Its newest student, Heather Fasulo (Agnes Bruckner), isn't like the others - she hears voices. Left by her parents (Bruce Campbell, Emma Campbell) under the menacing watch of headmistress Ms. Traverse (Patricia Clarkson) and her eerie staff, she quickly realizes that nothing at Falburn is what it seems. When her classmates begin mysteriously dissappearing into the forest, Heather uncovers a horrifying secret - and receives an education in terror. At Falburn, the biggest lesson to be learned is that there's no escaping The Woods.
Then, two TV season sets:
Friday the 13th: The Series – The Second Season
The Fugitive Season 2 Vol. 1
II. 2B2O3
“For example, let's say you're jumping Donkey Kong through a particularly difficult level. Die eight consecutive times and a pop-up screen will ask if you want to activate Super Guide. Once initiated, you can then watch a computer-controlled doppelganger navigate the level for you. At any time, players can regain controls with the push of a button -- or what the heck, just let the guide finish the level for you.” [more]
III. A Practical Guide to Better Pentadactyl Living
So did you hear about the dude forced to eat his own beard?
Must ... resist ... hair pie joke ...
IV. Synesthesia
Added to the list of entertainers whose appeal I just don’t get – along with such luminaries as Chris Hero and Sarah Silverman – is Jedi Mind Tricks rapper Jus Allah.
I was revisiting the album “History of Violence” by JMT, on which a lot of hype was placed because Jus Allah had returned to the fold after a two year hiatus with the group. While the beats are still pretty good – up to the usual JMT standards, at any rate – and most of the work done by Vinnie Paz is phenomenal (“Trail of Lies” is a particular favorite), Jus Allah’s work is lazy, redundant, and, ultimately, boring.
Here’s a quick game, kinda like a Mad Libs, you can play to come up with almost every rhyme that Jus Allah drops on “History:”
“I am the (violent occupation)/
I am your (derogatory adjective) (noun)/
The (noun) that (verb) (plural noun)/
I (violent action verb) the (adjective) (noun).”
Now, repeat that shit for 12 more bars. Hey, any of our followers that want to play along here at Cue Up the Searchlight, get a friend to play Jus Allah Mad Libs (minus the other 12 bars … I had to listen to that shit on the album, I don’t want to read about it here) and post up in the comments your results.
I noticed, over the course of said album, that Pazienza’s rhyme style seems to be dragged down by his association with his old pal Allah. It’s interesting to juxtapose “Violent By Design” against “History of Violence,” because the work of all the emcees on the former seems light years ahead of the latter, and if you didn’t notice the distinct aged quality of their voices, you’d swear that “History” was made in rap’s waning period during the nineties. In fact, after this album Paz would release his solo joint, which I’ve heard is a solid effort; I wonder if he abandoned Jedi Mind because he didn’t have the heart to tell his old partner that he’s fallen off. (Ed. note – Nope; JMT comes back in 2011 with “Violence Begets Violence.” And yet no word on a new Dilated Peoples joint … this fucking world, man.)
V. Tales from the Cortical
I think it’s time for either TNA or WWE to cut their losses on the concept of booking “eras” and go to a season based outline. Whether it’s sports-style seasons or episodic television-style seasons is irrelevant. Pick a major show to be the starting point, a major show to be the endpoint. Be off TV for three months. Come back strong. I’d bet that the fanbase would still be there, dying to know what happened at the end of last season. Plus, the ratings for shows would probably increase.
If this idea works for CHIKARA, it can work for anyone.
VI. The Perfect Fifth
I bring you Botchamania 151.
If film clip won’t embed, follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFYo5tz9Ghc
V. “If there's a God left up there to believe in. My father who art in heaven you've a made a jack ass out of me for years. Neville's God, that's the God I believe in! You see what you want you take. You take it! And I am going to do just that!” – Paul Jenson (Leslie Neilsen, 11 February 1926 – 28 November 2010), “Day of the Animals” (1977)
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