Confessions of an Angry Loner

Angry Loner's Netflix® Haiku of the Week

2010-04-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

Every Thursday, I recommend a movie that I missed in the theater but ended up being worth a spot in my Netflix® queue.

Since I wholeheartedly agree with Shakespeare's axiom that brevity is the soul of wit, all of my reviews are submitted in haiku form. Without further adieu, here's today's pick:

The Men Who Stare at Goats (War/Comedy, 2009)

George Clooney leads a
Strong ensemble cast in this
Quirky, off-beat farce

NOTE: While I receive no compensation for endorsing Netflix®, I believe they provide an excellent service at a reasonable price. And I appreciate that. Especially in this economy...

Elementary School Performs _Scarface_

2010-03-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

I couldn't wait for the next installment of "Viral Sickness" to get this clip up on my site. It is simply too funny. Whoever adapted Scarface for the elementary school crowd really captured all of the subtle nuances in Oliver Stone's original screenplay...

I'm not sure what school supported this idea but I suspect that the Max Fischer Players were somehow involved.

Angry Loner's Viral Sickness

2010-03-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

Every weekend, I scour the internets to find and post what I deem to be the "sickest" viral video on the web. Think of it as a condensed, 21st Century version of America's Home Videos, without the studio audience.

I cast a wide net this week and hauled in a number of choice viral videos.

Fresh off his Zombieland cameo, we saw Bill Murray tending bar at the SXSW Festival.

As well as the latest offering from the brilliant web comic Cyanide & Happiness, featuring the continuing adventures of an animated barbershop quartet.

Today's finalists both hail from the nation of Japan, home to so many bizarrely entertaining internet clips. I'm affectionately calling today's runner-up "Panda Follies." It contains what appears to be a spot-on ursine imitation of "Star Wars Kid."

However, this week's champion proved to be unstoppable. Videos don't get much stranger than this:

I don't know what they're selling but I'm not buying it!

Angry Loner's Netflix® Haiku of the Week

2010-03-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

Capitalism: A Love Story (Journalism/Editorial, 2009)

Michael Moore is back
Confronting Wall Street fat cats
And corporate crooks

NOTE: While I receive no compensation for endorsing Netflix®, I believe they provide an excellent service at a reasonable price. And I appreciate that. Especially in this economy...

Angry Loner's Viral Sickness

2010-03-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

Every weekend, I scour the internets to find and post what I deem to be the "sickest" viral video on the web. Think of it as a condensed, 21st Century version of America's Home Videos, without the studio audience.

It was slim pickins' this week in the world of online video. But that doesn't mean there weren't a few that were well worth watching.

We can always count on The Onion for quality, short-format entertainment and this scathing satire skewering the 24 hour news cycle is certainly no exception.

And, because I strongly believe that Zooey Deschanel is the most beautiful woman in Hollywood (as well as a very talented singer), I thoroughly enjoyed the latest She & Him video. Its production value, especially art direction and wardrobe, are exceptional. I also highly recommend their latest album, Volume Two.

However, nothing beat this montage featuring living legend Bob Barker. While I admit that some of Barker's remarks are borderline at best, what's the point of hosting your own game show if you can't flirt with the occasional, "pretty little" contestant?

Until next time, this is Angry Loner reminding you to help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered!

Angry Loner's Netflix® Haiku of the Week

2010-03-10T19:48:00.000-08:00

Dead Snow (Horror/Comedy, 2009)

Like Evil Dead with
Norwegian Zombie Nazis
But no Bruce Campbell

NOTE: While I receive no compensation for endorsing Netflix®, I believe they provide an excellent service at a reasonable price. And I appreciate that. Especially in this economy...

Angry Loner's Viral Sickness

2010-03-07T16:42:00.000-08:00

Every weekend, I scour the internets to find and post what I deem to be the "sickest" viral video on the web. Think of it as a condensed, 21st Century version of America's Home Videos, without the studio audience.

I had to slog through a lot of vapid videos this week, but luckily, there were a few veritable diamonds to be found amidst the rough.

For instance, I had the good fortune of stumbling upon this jaw-dropping footage of Lost's Michael Emerson (who plays Ben Linus) starring in a 1992 prison orientation video. As you can see, he was just as creepy then as he is now.

Today's runner-up, and it was a very close race, goes to "Symphony of Science;" a clever and inspiring mash-up of quotes by famous scientists (Hawking, Sagan and Neil Degrassi Tyson, to name a few) enhanced with trinoids voice-effect and played over a Postal Service-esque beat.

In the end, however, this "Zoobooks" re-dub was just too funny to resist. What can I say? I'm a sucker for irreverent takes on my old, childhood favorites:

The narrator's voice sounds suspiciously like Bruce from Family Guy.

Rival Spring Picks

2010-03-06T00:10:00.000-08:00

Apparently the California sun has caused my friend here to omit a few choice picks. So for my first collaborative contribution let me present the following in no particular order:

Under the Great White Northern Lights. Making some indie rounds but basically straight to video.

Repo Men. Minority Report meets Johnny Mnemonic meets... well you know. Not to be confused with the classic but hey, it stars Jude Law, Forrest Whitaker, Liev Shrieber and RZA. Too good to be true?

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I dont know whats it about. Just trusting the Swedes on this one.

Greenberg aka Reality Bites II by the guy that brought us the Squid and the Whale. I think he needs work on naming his movies.

Iron Man 2 is also my #1 pick. Happy watching.

Yours Truly,

Coup Deville

Angry Loner's Netflix® Haiku of the Week

2010-03-03T16:07:00.000-08:00

Breach (Drama/Spy Thriller, 2007)

Chris Cooper turns in
A bone-chilling performance
As Robert Hanssen

NOTE: While I receive no compensation for endorsing Netflix®, I believe they provide an excellent service at a reasonable price. And I appreciate that. Especially in this economy...

Angry Loner's Viral Sickness

2010-02-28T18:11:00.000-08:00

Every weekend, I scour the internets to find and post what I deem to be the "sickest" viral video on the web. Think of it as a condensed, 21st Century version of America's Home Videos, without the studio audience.

I spent a long time deliberating about this week's winner, since there were so many worthy contenders.

While I generally frown upon featuring clips from television shows in these posts, there are always exceptions that prove the rule. This week, there were two: a hilarious Daily Show interview with comic Tracy Morgan as well as a house full of down-and-out, possibly drug-addled musicians duking it out on Judge Judy.

I also couldn't resist recognizing this clever Legend of Zelda rap video. And, since I'm a sucker for amusing animal footage, I had to include this clip of one cat massaging another cat's back.

Macabre, revisionist, historical fiction was a definite theme this week as both Gone With the Wind and the life of Abraham Lincoln were re-imagined as Vampire epics. Now that's what I call Southern Gothic!

If those remakes weren't offbeat enough for you, we also saw how 80's screwball comedy Weekend at Bernie's might look if directed by Tim Burton. Even more bizarre still was actress Kirsten Dunst's harajuku cover of The Vapors' "Turning Japanese."

As entertaining as every single one of these offerings were, I felt one video stood apart from the rest. This week's grand prize goes to my old colleagues Dem Neistat Boyz (or one of them, anyway) for this well-produced, scientific study of internet video messaging service Chatroulette:

chat roulette from Casey Neistat on Vimeo.

Neistat's presentation was so clear and concise, the Democratic Party should hire him to make a commercial for health care reform!

Angry Loner's Movie Madness

2010-02-26T17:05:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been frustrated with the lack of quality cinema emerging from Hollywood. So, I spent an evening or two perusing upcoming movie trailers across the internet. What I saw was actually enough to get excited about. There is hope on the horizon, my fellow moviegoers!

In my opinion, the five most promising films coming out in the next few months are:

5. Hot Tub Time Machine (March 26)

4. Green Zone (March 12)

3. Date Night (April 9)

2. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (April 23)

1. Iron Man 2 (May 7)

Angry Loner's Netflix® Haiku of the Week

2010-02-24T18:37:00.000-08:00

The Hurt Locker (Action/War, 2009)

This Iraq War film's
Tense, documentary style
Grabs you by the throat

NOTE: While I receive no compensation for endorsing Netflix®, I believe they provide an excellent service at a reasonable price. And I appreciate that. Especially in this economy...

Angry Loner's Viral Sickness

2010-02-21T12:02:00.000-08:00

Every weekend, I scour the internets to find and post what I deem to be the "sickest" viral video on the web. Think of it as a condensed, 21st Century version of America's Home Videos, without the studio audience.

This week, the elderly were represented extremely well on the internets. We saw Boston's "Fightin' Granny" fend off a would be robber as well as His Holiness The Dalai Lama engage The White House Press Corps in a playful snowball fight.

Today's runner-up is an amusing animated short produced by the publishers of Cyanide & Happiness, a very clever web comic that one of my closest friends introduced me to.

However, since I'm a sucker for stop-motion animation, this Suday's grand prize goes to the inventive and ambitious endeavor of baking cookies with Adobe's renowned Photoshop® software:

Adobe Photoshop Cook from Lait Noir on Vimeo.

Now if we could only get those cookies in 3D...

Angry Loner's Netflix® Haiku of the Week

2010-02-17T15:15:00.000-08:00

Cape Fear (Psychological Thriller, 1991)

With Hitchcock's prowess
Scorsese and De Niro
Do Southern Gothic

NOTE: While I receive no compensation for endorsing Netflix®, I believe they provide an excellent service at a reasonable price. And I appreciate that. Especially in this economy...

Angry Loner's Viral Sickness

2010-02-14T07:32:00.000-08:00

Every weekend, I scour the internets to find and post what I deem to be the "sickest" viral video on the web. Think of it as a condensed, 21st Century version of America's Home Videos, without the studio audience.

First off, honorable mention goes to a clever piece I've dubbed "Snowpocalypse Now" for its inventive use of time-lapse videography.

Moving on, today's finalists include a pair of Japanese felines as well as a montage of, and homage to, one of the most notorious horror movie clichés in cinema history.

In the end, as strange and intriguing as the Tokyo Zoo's escaped tiger drill was, unbridled cuteness won out.

This Sunday's grand prize goes to a video, which possesses that rare combination of amusing animal footage, overly enthusiastic narration, hilarious sound effects and in-your-face graphic design:

I'm just going to call it "Super-extra-special-wonder-kitty!!!"

Angry Loner's Top Five Date Movies

2010-02-12T22:48:00.000-08:00

In honor of Valentine's Day, I'm posting my top five, all-time favorite date movies. These are the kind of romantic films that I like to show a girl on the first or second date, to let her know what I'm all about.

5. Last House on the Left

4. Straw Dogs

3. Blue Velvet

2. Natural Born Killers

1. True Romance

These films will demonstrate to your partner what a sensitive, sensual lover you are; guaranteeing that your Valentine's Day lasts well on into the night. And maybe even the next morning...

Angry Loner's Netflix® Haiku of the Week

2010-02-10T13:13:00.000-08:00

The International (Action/Thriller, 2009)

Shootouts, car chases
A tense, globetrotting thrill ride
Clive Owen kicks ass

NOTE: While I receive no compensation for endorsing Netflix®, I believe they provide an excellent service at a reasonable price. And I appreciate that. Especially in this economy...

Oceanic 815: Side by Side

2010-02-09T00:15:00.000-08:00

To celebrate the latest installment of the Lost saga, airing tonight, I posted this video I recently found on YouTube. It's a comparison between the opening sequences of the pilot episode and last week's Season 6 premiere, "LAX:"

Spooky, right? I'm really liking this season's Donnie Darko-esque, tangent universe theme.

Angry Loner's Viral Sickness

2010-02-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

Every weekend, I scour the internets to find and post what I deem to be the "sickest" viral video. Think of it as a condensed, 21st Century version of America's Home Videos, without the studio audience.

Over the past few days, the internets yielded everything from hot, drunk chicks eating cinnamon to new footage of two Starfleet Captains. Yes, last week we saw Sir Patrick Stewart riffing on modern technology (awesome) while William Shatner lent his vocal talents to WWE Superstar entrance theme s (bizarre).

However, in honor of today's big game, the grand prize goes to Slate.com for their brilliant piece, "If Filmmakers Directed the Super Bowl:"

My prediction? Saints 35, Colts 27 in a shoot-out.

Epic Passages

2010-02-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

I've been looking for a way to incorporate books into this site and finally came up with "Epic Passages." Every so often, I'll be posting an excerpt from one of my favorite novels that I find especially salient. Today's pick:

Libra by Don DeLillo

"This was the year he rode the subway to the ends of the city, two hundred miles of track. He liked to stand at the front of the first car, hands flat against the glass. The train smashed through the dark. People stood on local platforms staring nowhere, a look they'd been practicing for years. He kind of wondered, speeding past, who they really were. His body fluttered in the fastest stretches. They went so fast sometimes he thought they were on the edge of n0-control. The noise was pitched to a level of pain he absorbed as a personal test. Another crazy-ass curve. There was so much iron in the sound of those curves he could almost taste it, like a toy you put in your mouth when you are little.

Workmen carried lanterns along adjacent tracks. He kept a watch for sewer rats. A tenth of a second was all it took to see a thing complete. Then the express stations, the creaky brakes, people bunched like refugees. They came wagging through the doors, banged against the rubber edges, inched their way in, were quickly pinned, looking out past the nearest heads into that practiced oblivion.

It had nothing to do with him. He was riding just to ride."

Angry Loner's Netflix® Haiku of the Week

2010-02-03T14:44:00.000-08:00

Extract (Comedy, 2009)

Director Mike Judge
Of Office Space fame is back
Jason Bateman shines

NOTE: While I receive no compensation for endorsing Netflix®, I believe they provide an excellent service at a reasonable price. And I appreciate that. Especially in this economy...

Angry Loner's Viral Sickness

2010-01-31T13:16:00.000-08:00

Every Sunday from now on, I'll be posting what I deem to be the "sickest" viral video of the week. I envision this feature as sort of a condensed, 21st Century America's Home Videos, without the studio audience. It was a tough choice this week and there were many strong contenders, from a French house cat fending off a garbage-eating bear to break-dancing, Korean stormtroopers.

The grand-prize, however, goes to Funny or Die for their hilarious send-up (reminiscent of HBO's seminal, cult-comedy gem Mr. Show) of the Supreme Court's recent decision to allow unlimited, corporate, campaign contributions:

Don't Sell Out, America! from Jordan Peele

The "Buy Mennen®!" tag at the end really sealed the deal for me.

Farewell, Poor Echo, We Hardly Knew Thee...

2010-01-30T08:15:00.000-08:00

Last night, at 9:58pm, Joss Whedon's Dollhouse quietly passed into the annals of television history. The cause of death was an acute lack of interest in the show and its characters, even among the Whedon faithful (myself included). And I doubt many will mourn its loss.

In football there's a concept known as a "play that took too long to develop;" a good idea in theory that didn't work so well when applied in practice. I believe this term accurately describes Dollhouse, as well.

When the show was first announced, I was understandably excited and enthusiastic. I've been a fan of Eliza Dushku since her break-out role as Faith on Whedon's Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. And Wrong Turn has become one of my favorite B-horror movies. So, when I heard she was teaming up with Joss again, it sounded like a can't miss prospect.

However, the first season was a disorienting mash-up of self-contained, one-off, Bionic Woman retreads and convoluted conspiracy drama that made the X-Files seem lucid. After briefly giving it another chance, I gave up on the show a few episodes into season two because I had absolutely no idea what any of the characters' motivations were.

When I tuned in a few months later, after its imminent cancellation was common knowledge, I was taken aback at how intense the show had gotten. The plot actually made sense and the narrative was finally building toward something. And therein lies the problem. By the time Dollhouse finally hit its stride, the network had already pulled the plug.

I've heard a lot of complaints that Fox tampered with the show to the point of ruining it. But that shouldn't surprise anyone, least of all Joss. Not after they famously aired the episodes of his last series, Firefly, out of order.

This is, after all, the same network that canceled Family Guy only to resurrect it three years later as one of its flagship franchises. Giving up on modern cult-classics like Freaks & Geeks, Undeclared, Arrested Development and the aforementioned Firefly before they found their respective audiences probably wasn't the smartest move either, in my opinion.

While I'm a huge fan of his work, I have to call Whedon out on the questionable decision to enter into another deal with Fox after the Firefly fiasco. There's something to be said here for the old axiom, "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."

At it's best, Dollhouse was riveting. At it's worst, it was mediocre. That's better than most shows ever get. Unfortunately, in the 21st century, you can't afford to take very much time getting to the fireworks factory.

Angry Loner's Netflix® Haiku of the Week

2010-01-27T12:56:00.000-08:00

Every Wednesday, I recommend a movie that I missed in the theater but ended up being worth a spot in my Netflix® queue.

Since I wholeheartedly agree with Shakespeare's axiom that brevity is the soul of wit, all of my reviews are submitted in haiku form. Without further adieu, here's today's pick:

District 9 (Sci-Fi/Action, 2009)

Like Pan's Labyrinth
Breathtaking special effects
But what a downer

NOTE: While I receive no compensation for endorsing Netflix®, I believe they provide an excellent service at a reasonable price. And I appreciate that. Especially in this economy...

"A Man Like Putin"

2010-01-25T20:10:00.000-08:00

This is the hottest track in Moscow right now. I like what it implies about the average Russian male:

The hard techno beat only sweetens the deal!

Diggin' In The Crates

2010-01-22T15:31:00.000-08:00

"Diggin' in the Crates" is a new feature on this site that I'm proud to announce. Every so often, I'll be profiling an album from my moderately extensive record collection. Today's pick is:

London Calling by The Clash (1979)

London Calling isn't so much an album as it is a manifesto announcing the arrival of a bold, new form of rock music rooted in, but transcending, the punk aesthetic.

The first time I heard Clash frontman Joe Strummer defiantly declare that "phony Beatlemania" had "bitten the dust" on the record's opening, title track, I knew I was listening to history being made.

Strummer's songwriting on the album runs the gamut from inspired anthems of working-class solidarity ("The Guns of Brixton," "I'm Not Down") and seedy tales of drug abuse ("Hateful," "Koka Kola") to thoughtful ballads like "The Card Cheat" and "Spanish Bombs," a romantic reflection on the partisans' quixotic struggle against Franco's fascists during the Spanish Civil War. And, to this day, I still find myself humming "Lost in the Supermarket" whenever I'm wandering the aisles in Ralph's or Vons.

You don't see that kind of range very often any more, especially in popular music. Genres are too narrowly defined these days. And most contemporary, "indie" or "art" rock sounds like it's been castrated. That's the problem I have with bands like Death Cab for Cutie, Decemberists or Arcade Fire. There's no energy. If they're not going to shred any sick guitar solos, they should at least compose coherent, meaningful lyrics about experiences I can relate to.

None of those bands come even close to matching The Clash's energy, intensity or conviction. Strummer was unapoligetically passionate about his music and that fervor resonates with me, even through the record. Instead of whining about his ex-girlfriend or waxing philosophical, he's winning over hearts and minds.

Listening to London Calling takes me back to a time when rock music still had balls. Once it was dangerous. Once it had the potential to change the world. Now it just puts me to sleep.

Angry Loner's Netflix® Haiku of the Week

2010-01-20T11:26:00.000-08:00

I'm proud to announce a new feature that will appear weekly on this site. Every Wednesday, I'll be recommending a movie that I missed in the theater but ended up being worth a spot in my Netflix® queue.

Since I wholeheartedly agree with Shakespeare's observation that brevity is the soul of wit, I'll be submitting my recommendations in Haiku form. Without further adieu, here's today's pick:

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (Comedy, 2009)

Jeremy Piven
Leads a strong ensemble cast
Much laughter ensues

NOTE: While I receive no compensation for endorsing Netflix®, I believe they provide an excellent service at a reasonable price. And I appreciate that. Especially in this economy...

Zucker Punch

2010-01-17T11:50:00.000-08:00

As an entertainment blogger, I would be remiss not to comment on the civil war currently winding down over at NBC. I've been waiting for the dust to settle before weighing in on this debacle, which threatens to disrupt, if not destroy, the network's late night line-up. At this point, I've read, heard and seen enough to reach the following conclusion: Conan got a raw deal.

Last year, when the network first announced its plans to broadcast The Jay Leno Show five nights a week at 10 p.m., I was skeptical to say the least. At the outset, many pundits hailed NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker's decision to devote the network's entire 10 o'clock hour to a glorified talk show as a bold attempt to remake the face of network television. To me, however, it always seemed like an epic blunder. And while the show's low production value did cut overhead costs (compared to the scripted dramas traditionally aired during that time slot) its ratings were abysmal, night after night, week in, week out.

The weak lead-in Leno's show provided resulted in lower ratings for the 11 p.m. newscasts of NBC affiliates across the nation, who threatened to revolt if the network didn't make a change. Zucker's grand experiment turned out to be an unmitigated disaster.

Since I vehemently opposed Zucker's move from day one, I'm enjoying some quality schadenfreude at his expense now that he's taken the plunge from industry wonder boy to corporate pariah. My smug sense of self-satisfaction is dampened, however, by the revelation that Conan O'Brien will no longer host the Tonight Show.

I've admired Conan's work since his days as a writer/producer during the early years of The Simpsons. Over the years, I've eagerly anticipated the day when he'd step up to take the Tonight Show reigns from Leno, who I never found particularly funny. O'Brien did things the right way, paying his dues and focusing on his Late Night program while patiently waiting in the wings for Leno to relinquish the spotlight. Then, after finally earning the opportunity to sit behind the Tonight Show desk, NBC unceremoniously pulled the plug on him after less than eight months. That's a bush-league move by Zucker & Co.

The network's original solution called for Leno to return to the Tonight Show at 11:35 p.m. and Conan to be bumped to 12:05 a.m with Jimmy Fallon bringing up the rear at 1:05. However, due to his reverence for the Tonight Show as an institution, O'Brien took a principled stand by refusing to accept that proposal. As he put it in his prepared statement regarding the issu e, "the Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show."

One could argue, as Zucker recently did, that Conan brought this upon himself by underperforming in the ratings department. While that seems like a reasonable argument, it fails to account for the dreadfully weak lead-in Conan's Tonight Show received from the affiliates' local newscasts which, in turn, suffered from Leno's dismal ratings during the 10 o'clock hour.

And, as Jay himself admitted in an interview with Tavis Smiley last August, "Whoever has the job goes through this...It's all part of the growing pains. [Ratings go] down for a while and then [they come] back up again. And I don't think it's fair to judge Conan on what's happened....I got beat up for four or five months." Leno should try explaining that to Zucker.

As far as I can tell, the big winner in all of this is CBS's David Letterman, who's been cleaning up in the ratings since the disaster at NBC began unfolding early last week. In my opinion, Letterman has always been the undisputed King of Late Night Comedy, regardless of what the Nielsen numbers say. Considering NBC spurned him for Leno back in 1993, the network's current calamity must provide a certain degree of satisfaction for Letterman, in addition to the aforementioned ratings bump.

Several years from now, when Conan hosts a thriving late night show on Fox that dominates the coveted 18-49 year old demographic, I suspect NBC will regret its decision to let him go. Meanwhile, after Leno finally retires, the network will be be faced with an awkward decision about whether to promote current Late Night host Jimmy Fallon to the Tonight Show desk or hire outside the company, once an unthinkable option. If these predictions hold true, it shouldn't surprise anyone. After all, long-term planning for his network's future clearly isn't Zucker's forte.

Parks and Rza?

2010-01-14T16:29:00.000-08:00

As a huge fan of NBC's brilliant Thursday night comedy Parks & Recreation as well as the rap group The Wu-Tang Clan, this clip pretty much blew my mind:

Parks and Recreation is the Wu-Tang of Comedy - watch more funny videos

Much respect to ?uestlove and the people over at Funny or Die for producing this as well as my friend DP for putting me on to it.
New episode of Parks & Rec airs tonight @ 8:30, don't forget to tune in or set your DVRs!

Yellow Fever

2010-01-12T12:17:00.000-08:00

Sunday night Fox paid tribute to its biggest, and most unlikely, success story. To celebrate The Simpsons' 20th anniversary, the network commissioned documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me, 30 Days) to chronicle the show's far-reaching influence around the globe and proliferation into all aspects of popular culture here at home. The result was both insightful and entertaining.

When it debuted in 1989 as a spin-off from Fox's The Tracey Ullman Show, few expected The Simpsons to last more than 13 episodes let alone two decades. However, the animated comedy reflected an upheaval in our culture, offering an irreverent look at the changing dynamic of the traditional American household. The fact that its' characters were four-fingered and yellow just made it easier, sometimes even cathartic, to laugh at them and their antics.

As a 9 year-old kid from a dysfunctional, lower-middle class family, I identified with the Simpsons' plight from episode one. Growing up, my personality was basically half-Bart and half-Lisa, the former being a trouble-making prankster and the latter a frustrated intellectual. Over the years, my connection to the show only grew stronger.

For instance, when his family couldn't afford the expensive video game that all of his classmates had, Bart was faced with the temptation to shoplift it. I understood that dilemma because I'd lived it. Or when Lisa faced widespread derision for becoming a vegetarian and later a Buddhist (both changes I've undergone). Or when Homer broke his jaw and later tore the Anterior Cruciate Ligament in his knee (both injuries I've sustained). All of these shared experiences taught me an important lesson: it's much easier (and healthier) to laugh at one's misfortunes than to cry or complain about them.

The Simpsons has given me something to look forward to every week for the last 20 years. I love the show because it's become an integral part of who I am. It's in my DNA, for better or worse. At this point, I have to face the fact that the most successful, long-term relationship of my entire life is with a TV show. And I'm shockingly okay with that.

Avatar: Just FernGully With a Bigger Budget

2010-01-08T12:01:00.000-08:00

In all of the hype surrounding James Cameron's new blockbuster, Avatar, the film's plot has largely escaped scrutiny. I've read review after review raving about the Avatar's groundbreaking, breathtaking, 3D, digital effects. Yet, in many of these assessments serious criticism of the story itself was conspicuously absent.

As someone who prefers complex narratives with well-developed characters to watching a director show off his expensive new toys for nearly three hours, I find this oversight disturbing. Perhaps, we've been inundated with so many vapid, special effects films (Transformers, G.I. Joe and the new installments of the Star Wars franchise come to mind) that we don't even expect a movie to have a coherent plot anymore.

Earlier this week, I cited NY Times columnist David Brooks in a post on my political blog, Armchair Firebrand. Today, Brooks became the first critic I've read to focus his review of Avatar exclusively on its asinine plot. Comparing it with similar films such as Dances With Wolves, Pocahontas and The Last Samurai, Brooks identifies Avatar as the latest example of an insipid cultural trend he calls the "White Messiah" formula,

"It rests on the stereotype that white people are rationalist and technocratic while colonial victims are spiritual and athletic. It rests on the assumption that nonwhites need the White Messiah to lead their crusades. It rests on the assumption that illiteracy is the path to grace."

Brooks rightly identifies this dynamic as offensive to both whites and their "colonial victims." The former is demonized while the latter is caricatured, patronized and condescended to. However, the review's coup de grace comes when Brooks points out that, despite all of its preachy, anti-corporate rhetoric, Avatar boasts a lucrative, promotional tie-in with McDonald's, perhaps the most corporate of sponsors.

So, to George Lucas, James Cameron and Steven Spielberg (et al.), stop choosing style over substance! Go back to your roots and rediscover what got you here. After all, digital effects and massive budgets are no match for a good script at your side, kid.

The Sopranos on Wheels

2010-01-03T16:05:00.000-08:00

I've been a fan of veteran character actor Ron Perlman ever since City of Lost Children back in '95. So, it's especially satisfying for me to see him leading the superb ensemble cast of FX's biker-themed drama, Sons of Anarchy. I had my doubts about the show early on, expecting it to fall victim to the genre's usual Easy Rider cliches. As it turns out, I seriously underestimated series creator Kurt Sutter.

With Sons of Anarchy, Sutter has developed a complex, testosterone-fueled, character-driven, thrill-ride that's riddled with almost as many Shakespearean allusions as bullets. Throughout the first and second seasons, Sutter deftly manages to elevate the genre's "booze, bikes, brawls and bitches" formula to new heights without making the material seem stilted or contrived. That is certainly no easy task. In fact, the only other series I can think of that's accomplished this feat so successfully is HBO's The Sopranos.

In some ways, I even prefer Sons of Anarchy to its Mafia-saga precursor. I always found The Sopranos' psychoanalytic aspect to be a bit pretentious. And while the show had its share of interesting characters, they were all little more than caricatures of themselves. With SOA, I feel more invested in the narrative. The audience is thrown into the action rather than passively observing it through the eyes of the protagonist's psychiatrist, who constantly analyzes and interprets his actions for us.

Regardless of their respective pros and cons, the bottom line is that both of these shows are great. And SOA will be lucky to age as gracefully as its forebearer. But when the time comes, let's hope Sutter comes up with a more satisfying conclusion to Sons of Anarchy than Sopranos' creator David Chase did for his series.

Pretty Much The Best Thing Ever...

2009-12-31T20:09:00.000-08:00

I stumbled onto this gem via Benjamin Sarlin's column @ The Daily Beast. If you haven't seen it yet, you're in for a real treat:

Apparently, it's the brainchild of a Milwaukee-based filmmaker named Mike Stoklasa. Keep in mind, this is only the first installment of a seven-part, seventy-minute series and focuses solely on how pathetically weak the characters are. I have actually seen the entire thing and, believe me, it's well worth watching (assuming you like Star Wars).

In a way, the frustration and disappointment expressed in Stoklasa's film reflects the collective frustration and disappointment many of us feel towards the last ten years in general; an over-hyped decade that most would agree sucked even worse than The Phantom Menace. And I don't say that lightly.

Parks and Recap

2009-12-30T15:03:00.000-08:00

In honor of NBC's Parks and Recreation mini-marathon, here are my top five moments from the four episodes that aired last night:

5. Leslie Knope (as portrayed by Amy Poehler) kicks off Season Two by performing an a cappella version of the DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince classic, "Parents Just Don't Understand:"

4. Leslie inadvertently performs a gay penguin marriage (no, that's not a typo) in a misguided attempt to promote the Pawnee Zoo, igniting a city-wide controversy:

3. While cultivating a community garden, "master horticulturist" Tom Haverford (played by perennial scene-stealer Aziz Ansari), facetiously tells Leslie that he knows every plant's Latin name. Only, he substitutes the vegetables' monikers with those of various rappers, resulting in such comic gems as "Souljaboy-tellums," "Diddies" and "Bone, Thugz and Harmonium." Watch the full-episode below:

2. While serving as a judge in Pawnee's annual beauty pageant, Haverford accurately guesses the bra size of each contestant, leading him to pose the question, "32A, how'd you get in here?"

1. During an office-wide contest to see who can dig up the most dirt on their co-workers, Haverford discovers that his boss, the manly, straight-laced Ron Swanson, moonlights as the sax player in a smooth-jazz trio that performs monthly to an audience of middle-aged women at a club called Cozy's in nearby Eagleton. Check out Duke's website below, his albums are definitely worth a look:

http://www.dukesilver.com

If you're not watching this show, do yourself a favor and tune-in Thursday nights @ 8:30, right before The Office. It's the best network comedy I've seen in years. New episodes return January 14, 2010.

Office Politics

2009-12-28T12:10:00.000-08:00

In honor of this year’s recently-aired Christmas episode, I’m proposing a radical new theory regarding the direction The Office is taking this season:

Much to the delight of TV audiences across America, the employees at declining paper distributor Dunder-Mifflin’s Scranton branch have suffered under their incompetent, sophomoric boss, Michael Scott, for over five years now. During that time, Scott served as a fitting parody of America’s own incompetent, sophomoric boss, former President George W. Bush, right down to their mutual penchant for malapropism. All the while, Dunder-Mifflin’s exasperated staff yearned for a more mature, practical and intelligent commander-in-chief, as did a significant percentage of the American public.

Then came 2009, a year that saw both the inauguration of Barack Obama and the promotion of Jim Halpert to Co-Regional Manager (in my wildest dreams, I never thought I’d be equating those two events). Both newly-minted leaders enjoyed brief periods of popularity out of the gates (based largely on the collective relief that their bumbling predecessors were no longer in charge). Neither of these honeymoon periods lasted very long, however.

Much like Republican obstructionists in Congress, Jim’s nemesis, Dwight K. Schrute, engages in a Nixonian campaign of dirty tricks and disinformation to undermine and discredit Jim’s leadership. Using fellow salesman Andy Bernard as a proxy, Dwight indirectly proposes that Jim boost morale by implementing an Employee of the Month program. Jim agrees but balks at the idea of a cash prize, saying only that “in an ideal world” the company would offer such an incentive. Dwight proceeds to hang Jim with his own words by soliciting twenty dollars from each of his co-workers, claiming that, “Jim thought it would be ideal if we all pitched in.”

Next, Dwight devises a scoring system for the award that ensures Jim and his wife, former secretary and current salesperson Pam, will finish at the top of the list. Finally, he accuses Jim of gross malfeasance by imitating several of his co-workers in a series of voicemails, each one as hilarious as it is fraudulent, left for beleaguered Dunder-Mifflin CFO David Wallace.

Eventually, Dwight’s rabble-rousing pays off, culminating in a scene where Jim must awkwardly explain to his staff how he ended up with the money that they all contributed, a sum that amounts to $250 (or, as dowdy accountant Angela puts it, “a tidy quarter of a thousand dollars”). Before he even knows what hit him, Jim is back on his heels being mocked and derided as he frantically attempts to reassure the office that, “this isn’t some elaborate scam.”

As anyone who’s followed the debates on health care, global climate change and/or the economy can attest to, the most vocal elements of the radical-right (Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, I’m looking in your directions) stubbornly insist that the Obama Administration’s policies on all of these vital issues amount to an “elaborate scam.” And lately, the President, like Jim, has been backpedaling, forced to defend his agenda against a wave of accusations as ridiculous as they are baseless (“death panels,” anyone?).

Even usually mild-mannered salesperson Phyllis gets in on the action, claiming to Jim that, "in your perfect world, only you get money.” This accusation sounds strikingly similar to the kind of fuzzy-logic charges leveled at Obama during the right-wing "Tea Party" protests and Sarah Palin rallies promoted by Fox News.

Thus, by whipping his co-workers into a frenzy of misguided “populist rage,” Dwight successfully spins Jim’s well-intentioned effort to boost morale into a full-blown office scandal in much the same way that Republicans stoke the anger of their lunatic fringe by making dubious (and erroneous) claims about Obama and his policies while offering no evidence or feasible alternatives, respectively. In other words, Dwight isn't concerned with “boosting morale” any more than his conservative counterparts care about sound policy-making, he just wants Jim to fail so he can seize power (sound familiar?).

Maybe I’m reading too much into all this, or maybe I just watch too much TV (or, most likely, both). But maybe, just maybe, the writers of TV’s best network comedy are more politically savvy than I've previously given them credit for.

Greetings!

2009-12-28T12:09:00.001-08:00

Contrary to what its name implies, Confessions of an Angry Loner isn't home to the incoherent ramblings of a loud-mouthed malcontent. Rather, it is an informal, accessible forum dedicated to the enjoyment and discussion of all forms of entertainment, be they high, low or middle-brow.