KPBS Film Club reviews “Shutter Island,” “Red Riding Trilogy,” “Une Prophet,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “Ghost Writer” and Oscar
March 10th, 2010 by Scott Marks
I don’t think the bookworm liked me.
Jerry Griswold, the director of SDSU’s National Center for the Study of Children’s Literature, was on to talk about the differences between Lewis Carroll and Tim Burton. Instead of giving me a vacation, Griswold came out swinging all because I nice things to say about the 3-D version of “Alice in Wonderland!” Made for grate radio!
My favorite shows are when Beth and I disagree on everything and today was one such example. Beth didn’t even like the Oscars and her thoughts on “Shutter Island” made me shudder!
If I seem more hurried than usual you have Marty to thank. Wanting to ensure that we didn’t go over and bump the “Shutter Island” review, I tried my best to be brief. So did our producer Angela Carone who kept the segments flying at a brisk pace in order to allow time to pay my respects to Him. The three listeners who actually put stock in my opinions needed to hear them.
Filed Under KPBS Radio Shows
Random thoughts on Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Richard Nixon and “Il Divo”
June 26th, 2009 by Scott Marks
Last month my computer died. This month, my new computer caught a virus. It’s in the shop, as they say, and I should get it back by Tuesday. AAARGH! If I’m gone over the next few days, you will know why. In the meantime here are a few random thoughts concerning movies and names in the news.
For those of you living in San Diego, Paolo Sorrento’s “Il Divo,” my vote for best picture of the year (until “Shutter Island” arrives) opens today at Landmark’s Ken Cinema, It’s a whopping tale of a stagnant leader the likes of which I haven’t seen since Bertolucci’s ”The Last Emperor” and at 105 minutes it’s tied with “Land of the Pharaohs” as one of the shortest epics on record. Unless you are an expert on Italian politics, this will require a second, third and fourth viewing.
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An earlier tape finds Bob wishing Mr. President a Happy Birthday
News arrived earlier in the week that fresh excerpts from the Watergate tapes were going to be released. I sat through an hour of Anderson Cooper to find one 30-second clip concerning Nixon’s thoughts on abortion read by the host.
Thursday I was all fired up when Chris Matthews took to the airwaves with actual audio portions. First thing out the gate, Bob Hope, right here!
Hey, Bob put in a call to the Oval Office and he and President Nixon talked briefly about the 1973 release of POWs:
NIXON: You know, it makes—you know, after all the business that you and I have taken through the years, it makes you feel pretty good, doesn‘t it?
BOB HOPE: Oh boy. Oh, it‘s just—it‘s (AUDIO GAP) a thrill. It‘s just a thrill.
NIXON: And the main thing is, apart from—apart from the personal thing, Bob, it‘s so good for the country. The country could not lose this war.
(INTERFERENCE)
NIXON: We had to win it.
HOPE: What they did for this country, you know, this—and it emanates from you, your strength and how right you were.
NIXON: Our enemies respect us. Our allies now trust us.
HOPE: Isn‘t that something?
Minutes after this tape was broadcast, Michael Jackson was dead.
A source close to RH2 Entertainment, who begged that his name not be divulged, told EC that Mr. Hope was reluctant to let this news leak out. In light of that “commie punk Obama’s” efforts to undo George W. Bush’s fine work, Mr Hope felt that if this information were to fall into the wrong hands it would bring about a speedier resolution to the war.
Hope needed a diversion. Instead of bringing down another public landmark and risking the lives of thousands of Americans, Ol’ Ski Nose put out a hit on the Gloved One.
Bob was there to meet MJ at the Pearly Gates. The two shook hands and as Bob patted Jacko on the shoulder he leaned in and whispered in his ear, “I thought it would be a good career move for you.”
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Was there a greater, more subliminally seductive masturbatory aid in the 70s than this poster. (Look carefully and you’ll see the word “S-E-X” airbrushed into Farrah’s locks.) Farrah Fawcett did for hair what James Dean did for red jackets and John Travolta mechanical bulls.
She was beautiful, but sadly forgettable. I never watched more than a few minutes of “Charlie’s Angels” and her film career wasn’t much to speak of. (The only two Farrah features I own are “Myra Breckinridge” and “Cannonball Run 2.”) Her beauty made such a strong impact that she remained in the headlines throughout her career. Sadly, the last decade was marked by news of scandal and sorrow in her relationship with Ryan O’Neal. She was the textbook example of what happens to a starlet once they lose their looks. Megan Fox take heed.
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So many people asked me why the Academy decided to up the stakes from 5 best picture nominees to 10. It’s so obvious. There are still a lot of fans out there that insist on seeing every best picture nominee. Since the industry has fallen on hard times Sid Ganis and the boys at Oscar, Inc. decided to boost attendance by doubling the amount of nominees. Don’t buy into this nonsense that the Academy was pressured into expanding the field by those who believe the best picture should be the biggest blockbuster. They could nominate 50 films and “The Dark Knight” would still not take home the gold.
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See you next Tuesday, unless they fix my computer sooner.
Tags: 10 best picture nominees, Academy Awards, Bob Hope, Farrah Fawcett, farrah fawcett dead, farrah fawcett dies, il divo, Michael Jackson, michael jackson dead, Oscar, Richard NixonFiled Under Rants
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