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July 30, 2007

Farewell, Tom Snyder, you were awesome

I missed the man's heyday, and will always remember him as being so unhip he was cool.

 

He was my inspiration on at least one occasion. 

Posted by LYT at 10:43 PM | Comments (0)

USA Today, today's issue, page 5D

One of the guys in that photo looks familiar...

Posted by LYT at 7:01 PM | Comments (9)

July 28, 2007

Y'all do know I'm still blogging, right?

• I'm Comic-Con blogging here.

Ran into Harry O.G. Martini181 down here. Have to say his "Murdered JonBenet" outfit is the cutest damn thing.

Posted by LYT at 10:42 PM | Comments (4)

July 27, 2007

new stuff

I did a theater review this week. A bit different, but I hope you like it.

 

Also a review of the movie Moliere.

 

Comic-Con blogging continues HERE

Posted by LYT at 2:27 AM | Comments (2)

July 26, 2007

Comic-Con blogging

It's all gonna be at the OC blog.

Posted by LYT at 8:12 AM | Comments (0)

July 25, 2007

Latest screen forays

If anyone was waiting on a set report for my latest acting gig, here you go.

Posted by LYT at 12:08 AM | Comments (0)

July 24, 2007

Unhappy Endings

My Voice colleague Nathan Lee recently wrote a defense of his occasional propensity for spoiling endings, in the NYT.

I'm curious what readers think about this. The only time I've ever had someone ask me to spoil an ending is when they're fairly certain they will never see that particular movie. This seems to be more or less how Nathan operates too -- if he thinks a movie isn't worth your time, it's okay to spoil. 

The final point, that a review by definition spoils some of a movie, is valid, but I think a bit diversionary. Much of the public, and I know this from having worked at a theater, want to know what the movie's about, but they don't want to know the ending, although if it's an action movie, yes, chances are the good guy defeats the bad guy for the climax. 

My general rule of thumb, inherited from my former editor Andy Klein, is that in most cases, I don't reveal anything in the second half of a film. Exceptions might include something like AUDITION, which gets so suddenly and graphically violent at the end that one feels obliged to warn viewers who may have thought it was a restrained drama, or THE WAR ZONE, which doesn't reveal itself to be about incest at first. Documentaries are also exceptions, though there are some it's best to discover yourself -- I think SICKO's finale in Cuba would have greater comedic impact if it were a surprise, but unfortunately Michael Moore can no longer work in secret, and everyone already knew about that part.

If you're writing a scholarly book, you discuss the whole film. If you're writing  what is essentially a reader's guide to a film that hasn't come out yet, I favor restraint.

But I respectfully disagree that I have the right to spoil something just because I don't like it. I know critics who hated SEVEN and FIGHT CLUB, and I'm really glad I didn't see those endings coming. If I see Uwe Boll's POSTAL early, I will not reveal the ending. I was freakin' dying to give away the ending of JOSHUA because of how utterly stupid it reveals the kid's master plan to be -- but I have not.

What say you, readers?

Posted by LYT at 10:22 AM | Comments (7)

Don't worry...

My favorite coworker Derek took me to some awesome bars tonight. I did okay.

Posted by LYT at 12:09 AM | Comments (1)

July 23, 2007

Won't anyone have dinner with me tonight?

It's my birthday.

Todai sushi/seafood buffet gives you a coupon for a free meal on your birthday PROVIDED you come in with at least one other paying customer.

I like seafood and sushi.

Must I eat alone? 

Posted by LYT at 4:26 PM | Comments (2)

July 22, 2007

Dream the impossible dream

How many of you thought I'd never have female company at a wrestling event?

 You were wrong.

Posted by LYT at 11:24 PM | Comments (4)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I just got done reading the book. It was pretty good, the most epic one.

I look forward to seeing the final battle realized on the big screen in a couple years.

OH NO! I GAVE AWAY THAT THERE'S A FINAL BATTLE! 

Posted by LYT at 1:40 AM | Comments (0)

July 19, 2007

Death all around us

Is it just me, or has this been a heavier year for the reaper than normal?

Former ECW tag-team champion John Kronus was found dead recently. I interviewed Kronus back when he was wrestling for XPW in L.A. He was totally in character,a  tough guy who thought falling into barbed wire was "a rush." Someone later told me he was retarded, which I thought was just an insult, but then another industry source said that he actually was mentally handicapped -- his wife had to sign all his contracts and legal papers. [UPDATE: Kronus' sister and mother respond in comments below. He had a learning disability, it seems. What I wrote is what I was told by coworkers of his, but they are presumably less in a position to know than family]

Kronus may have died as a result of blood clots following knee surgery, which is the same thing that killed Chris Candido, a wrestler I interviewed around the same time.  Both men seemed like decent, stand-up guys.

In other death news, Sherman Torgan, manager of the New Beverly theater in L.A., died suddenly  while riding a bike. The NewBev showed double-features every night, of movies that ranged from classic to campy, and many unavailable on DVD. I first saw TROMEO AND JULIET there.

I won't gloss things over here -- Sherman and I did not get along. Though he was unfailingly nice to customers, he could be downright mean to newspaper employees if he felt that his theater's showtimes weren't listed in the correct section of the paper. I endured a few phone tirades from him at New Times LA back in the day, and imitated them on a DVD commentary track once that I think is now thankfully out-of-print.

But he was true cineaste, and a much-loved fixture of the LA movie-going scene. The revival of Grindhouse movies owes a lot to the NewBev and Sherman. He was also pretty funny in his acting role in a bunny costume in the '70s 3-D porno THE LOLLIPOP GIRLS IN HARD CANDY (I have gotten more website hits from writing about that movie than any other).

I may not have gotten along with the guy, but he'll be greatly missed, and his contributions will not be forgotten. I hope his family finds a way to keep the theater alive -- as I understand it, it was mostly a one-man show. Tarantino was a big fan -- maybe he can buy the place.

Posted by LYT at 9:55 PM | Comments (14)

Ready for next week?

My San Diego Comic-Con preview is online now. If you're familiar with the event, there isn't a lot that'll be new to you...I'm trying to win new hearts and minds.

You don’t even have to care a whit about comic books to enjoy the thing. If you like movies that are even vaguely fantasy, sci-fi, horror, or comedy; if you play video games; if you enjoy cartoons, adult-oriented or otherwise; if you collect toys, miniatures, or fantasy card games; if there’s some cheesy TV show from the ’70s you remember fondly and think no one else does; heck, even if you collect edged weapons, there’s something here to please. Not to mention appearances by some of the biggest stars in the world, from cinematic celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger (who’s most likely a little too busy to attend this year) to living legends Ray Harryhausen and Ray Bradbury.

People who have never been to Comic-Con have a number of misperceptions about the event. The old stereotype of a hall full of nerds in Spock ears who desperately need to get a life is mercifully dying out, but newbies still frequently underestimate the scope of the thing.

Read it all if you want an idea of the panels I'm most likely to attend. And be sure to check the OC blog every day starting next Wednesday.

 

UPDATE: There's breaking news on the Comic-Con lineup. 

Posted by LYT at 8:00 PM | Comments (0)

July 17, 2007

I don't usually read Huffington Post...

...but it's nice to see them expanding their breadth of writers.

Posted by LYT at 11:56 PM | Comments (1)

Nerd Fight!

It was inevitable that someone, someday, would beat the shit out of Andy Dick.

 

But who knew it would be Jon Lovitz? 

Posted by LYT at 9:20 PM | Comments (7)

July 16, 2007

Lego-style Optimus Prime that transforms

It's officially licensed, too, but expensive, being a Japanese import and all. Check it out.

 

I was just thinking the other day that we needed Lego Transformers. The store shelves are empty of the movie toys in most places I go. 

Posted by LYT at 5:09 PM | Comments (1)

July 15, 2007

This picture will not be added to my online personal ad

Posted by LYT at 10:43 PM | Comments (3)

What's going on with beer?

It's getting weird.

 7-11 has some stuff now that's a mixture of Budweiser and Clamato in a can. Miller has a new beer that's supposedly "Mexican-style," which is to say it has lime-and-salsa flavoring added, something I've never encountered in an actual Mexican beer.

At the OC fair I had a beer made from passion fruit. Crazy, but good.

 

Meanwhile, I have a brand new presidential poll up on the message board. 

Posted by LYT at 3:33 PM | Comments (4)

July 13, 2007

Art Appreciation, Dave White-style

"And it went on, the question-yelling, and it went on, the parental ignoring of the child and the questions. And each moment that passed made me more and more pissed off that this adult was actually in a position to have his child snatched away from him by just about anyone and he was lucky that I was just a run-of-the-mill non-child-abductor who only wanted to enjoy art and I didn't really blame the kid although he was totally in my way and I wanted to suddenly shout, 'FUCKIN' KID! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY FUCKIN' WAY! I FUCKIN' HAVE TO ENJOY THAT RICHARD SERRA RUST INSIDE THAT FUCKIN' PIECE OF ART! FUCK!'"

...The whole story is HERE

Posted by LYT at 11:09 AM | Comments (0)

Most Unexpected

I just saw CAPTIVITY, and really liked it.

I imagine that's no surprise to some of you, but all the word-of-mouth I'd heard was terrible.

Total SAW rip-off, but a well-done one. 

 

As you might expect, no nudity from Elisha. They have her naked at one point blurred in the background while changing clothes, but that's all. 

Posted by LYT at 2:50 AM | Comments (0)

July 12, 2007

Hogs and Piggies

I finally got to see WILD HOGS tonight. There's a bargain theater close to my home that shows movies for $1.75 (a buck on Tuesdays), and that's better than most DVD rental fees. Sound and picture are not perfect, and the place is so understaffed they're not gonna listen to any complaints. But it's still a big screen, and if I'm curious about something but unwilling to waste a Netflix rental on it, the price is right.

WILD HOGS isn't what anyone in their right mind would call "good," but there are things I liked about it. Most notably, that Martin Lawrence is playing a real human being for the first time I can remember, rather than a grinning idiot goon who is somehow perceived as the coolest guy in the room even though he is not. The man has talent, but he mostly uses it for evil. Here, he genuinely, actually keeps it real. Though speaking as someone who had to sit through both BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE movies, REBOUND,  and that godawful movie with Steve Zahn, I have to admit I loved seeing him get launched into the air by a pissed-off bull.

There's also an occasional genius line of dialogue, like when Martin's eldest daughter describes her younger sister as being like "a car alarm that shits." Brava. I also liked the way Ray Liotta and whatshisface, Mr. Friendly from LOST, portrayed the asshole bikers.

Didn't care much for the nonstop barrage of gay panic jokes (I don't consider them "homophobic" because they don't imply gays are lesser beings, but tittering at "manly men" being uncomfortable with ambiguous potential come-ons gets old real fast). The midlife crisis thing was done much better in CITY SLICKERS, but there are moments when Tim Allen's performance hits a nerve. William H. Macy ought to be the acting MVP of this group, but he's saddled with way too many gags involving nudity to really show off. Travolta looks to be in great shape, but methinks he doth protest too much when he freaks out about Macy's excessive affection.

 I think Allen could really show something if he were used correctly. Dunno who the director is to achieve that in live-action (Buzz Lightyear remains his most enduring character for a reason).

And then there's Michael Moore's SICKO.

It's tough to talk about it without revealing more than I feel at liberty to discuss right now, but it hits me pretty hard -- I may become very intimately familiar in the upcoming year with the American and French health care systems as relates to someone very dear to me. Some of you can and will read between the lines, but it's premature to really discuss publicly in any detail, so please don't.

 When it comes to the film itself, this is less abstractly political than Moore's last couple of film, and more like ROGER & ME in the way it focuses on real individuals with real problems not being addressed. One thing that drives me nuts is when "indpendent" or "libertarian" pundits try to make moral equivalences and say "Oh, you've got Ann Coulter on the right and Michael Moore on the left." That is horseshit.

I've never seen Coulter stick up for anyone besides herself. Her writings tend to be about how her ideological opponents should either shut up, be imprisoned, or be killed.

As for Moore -- do you think he needs health insurance? He's rich. He'll be fine. But he's speaking out for those who won't be fine. I've never seen Coulter do anything to that effect (correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think I am).

And Mike makes me want to leave America. I've never felt that way before. 

This isn't about not having insurance, so spare me the arguments about how I could afford it if I made do with less (I have benefits with my job now, anyway). It's about how people with insurance get screwed by insurance companies who are determined to deny as much as possible in order to maximize profits. I won't describe the individual cases, because it's kind of like spoiling the plot to do so.

Points are also well taken about how tying insurance to employment benefits big business, because it makes people less likely to quit no matter how badly they're treated. Never really thought of it like that. 

No-one has been successful yet in denying any of the facts in the film. The criticisms you can make involve cherry-picking and grandstanding. 

Clearly, Moore is comparing some of the worst-case examples from the U.S. with best-case scenarios of Canada, France, and the UK. That's what happens when you ask people to email their horror stories. Still, those best-case scenarios from overseas...do they correlate to situations involving anyone you know? If you answer "no," ask yourself why that is. If you lived in those countries, guaranteed you would. I don't think Mike found the only anomalies to the system ever.

And as for Cuba -- early on, we see a list that shows the US to be #37 in overall health care, and Cuba's BELOW it, at #39, which kind of belies points made later in the movie, when he takes a group of 9-11 rescuers with health problems to Guantanamo Bay, and then Cuba proper.

Now, obviously he's grandstanding in that segment. No way is anyone gonna sail into Gitmo Bay, yell out stuff on a megaphone, and get treated like a hero. The conclusion is foregone. The reason he does this is to add entertainment to what is a deeply sad subject. His point here is debatable, but it's amusing to watch, and that's why he does it. 

But then, when he takes his crew to Cuba, and asks that they get the same care that regular Cubans would get, one has to be dubious. Anyone who knows they're being filmed is going to be more on their toes than usual, especially if they know that the end product will make their ideological foes look bad. Regardless, it's great that Moore could help these people with their health problems, but I don't think it really proves anything one way or the other about Cuba.

But that's beside the point, no? The real question being asked is how we can consider ourselves so advanced and so pro-family when society is set up to make the sick suffer so much? Would Jesus approve? Would Lincoln? People ask me sometimes why I think the sick shouldn't have to pay half their annual salary, as I did to get my toxic appendix removed. I respond, as does Moore, that it's the same reason I shouldn't have to hire a private police force if I'm robbed, or a private fire department if my house burns down. Why should my taxes fund your rescue from a burning building if I'm responsible enough to not burn down my own house? Because in a society, we need to protect each other.

It's a depressing as hell movie, that's for sure. Time to think about marrying a Canadian. The women up there are gorgeous and actually seem to like me, so why not?

 

Oh yeah: Painfully cold winters. But our friends on the right are working on that. 

Posted by LYT at 1:43 AM | Comments (8)

July 9, 2007

It's my birthday in two weeks

This is what I want. Available for around $60 at most comic book shops, which is kinda pricey for one person. Maybe two or more people can combine forces.

Posted by LYT at 6:28 PM | Comments (7)

July 7, 2007

My Grandfather's Column (really interesting one, this)

Positive and Negative

Long ago I met for the first time a woman who tried to persuade me to join one of those chain letter scams which promise great wealth to the participants for a very small outlay. For a time I despised her because of this; but she taught me how wrong I was - not that I learned to approve of chain letters, which I still think despicable but because in our discussion of the matter she told me: "You can always learn something from those with whom you disagree." I believe she was so right about this that I've done my best ever since to live up to her teaching on that point.

I am deeply concerned by the fearful disagreements there are among my Christian brothers and sisters, even within our own Church of England. The latest bit of awfulness is the idea of a covenant which would bind all members of the Anglican Communion to go along with some agreed and probably ultra-conservative statement of doctrine based on Holy Scripture, probably as interpreted by conservative fanatics like our Bishop of Carlisle, who appaerntly believes that global warming is due to homosexual practices.

What I have to do in the light of my earlier remarks is to see what positively good things there may be in such ideas. I confess I find this very hard but if I damn my fellow Christians because they seem to me grossly illiberal and stuck in the mud then I am as bigoted as I think they are. The greatest glory of the Church of England has always been that any Christian could belong to it, whatever their attitude to the Bible or tradition might be. Our aim has always been to be inclusive. In some people's eyes that makes us wishy-washy. The positive thing about this stance is that from it one can easily love and accept those with whom we disagree. There is of course a positive side to bigotry, which is zeal. I need to be zealous in seeking to enlarge liberal opinion and inclusiveness. I may not like what the bigots say but have to admire their courage and zeal in promoting what to me is a counter-christian dogma.

-Peter Graham

Posted by LYT at 2:15 PM | Comments (2)

Darth Unicron

Who should do the voice -- Orson Welles or James Earl Jones? [yeah, yeah, Orson's dead, but if he weren't...]

Posted by LYT at 1:00 PM | Comments (2)

July 6, 2007

Tidbit of plot info on SAW IV

I got some pretty good indication today that the movie will focus on one of the few recurring characters who didn't die yet -- SWAT officer Rigg, played by Lyriq Bent, who appeared in the second and third installments.

Tobin Bell is also returning, and Shawnee Smith hinted she has a cameo. How that's going to work narratively is anyone's guess at this point.

Posted by LYT at 11:41 AM | Comments (1)

Oh dear lord

This seems like an incredibly terrible idea.

All I can figure is that Jason Lee's kid must be at that age where terrible, terrible cartoons seem entertaining.

Posted by LYT at 2:08 AM | Comments (5)

July 4, 2007

Happy birthday America!

To celebrate, check out Ultimate Warrior on Hannity & Colmes.

Posted by LYT at 12:23 PM | Comments (11)

July 3, 2007

it's Prime time...

Hey, check out my review of TRANSFORMERS in this week's LA WEEKLY (and OC WEEKLY too, but the LA version went online first).

Here's a sample:

Essentially, what we’ve got here is a whole lot of maneuvering designed to facilitate a massive robot brawl on the streets of downtown L.A., which is pretending to be another city (“Mission City,” or something like that — it’s not important). Above all, Transformers is the biggest-budget kaiju movie of all time, which, for those who don’t speak Japanese or Nerd-ish, means one of those Godzilla Versus Other Monster-Suit Guys Trashing Mini-Tokyo flicks. Only with robots, and what’s not to like about that?

Perhaps a few things, if you’re a stickler for any semblance of reality, but director Michael Bay seems to have realized that there wasn’t any point in playing things too seriously — he has an Aussie-accented blond bombshell (Rachael Taylor) and Anthony Anderson playing the world’s greatest hackers, which sorta tells you what kind of tone to expect. There’s a Chihuahua named Mojo who wears a cast on his leg, and in one scene, Bumblebee actually takes a leak all over John Turturro.

whole thing HERE.

And remember, because this is important -- if you like seeing me in the Weekly, or if you hate my being there, let them know about it.

Posted by LYT at 7:44 PM | Comments (5)

July 2, 2007

Complete LAFF-LYT coverage

It's all over, and if you missed any of my daily dispatches, they are all collected HERE for your convenience.

More pressing things on my mind now. A family thing I can't really talk about at the moment is preoccupying my thoughts. Hope it'll turn out to be nothing, but we just don't know at the moment. I'm not looking to milk sympathy; just explaining why I may be a little distracted for a while.

Posted by LYT at 6:49 PM | Comments (1)

Happy birthday, Lindsay Lohan!

She's 21 today.

Finally able to have her first taste of alcohol!

Posted by LYT at 12:09 PM | Comments (5)