Caught the season finale of Big Love tonight. Overall, it was a good season. Not as good as the first, but still really good. The finale was filled a lot of character decisions that push the boundaries of "suspension of disbelief" and was fairly lackluster all things considered. Part of the problem with the finale is that it doesn't leave you craving for season 3. In the end, the status quo is maintained. Bill is still fighting Alby, they still have Weber Gaming, and Ben is still going the polygamist route. Disappointing. Here's hoping the show doesn't take a precipitous dive in quality next season.
Hollywood scored a record $4 billion dollar summer. Not surprising considering the insane amount of tent pole franchises that were released this year. Holy crap were there a lot of big name movies! More than I can remember during any other year in recent memory. Here's a prediction: Next year will be seen as a major disappointment. There isn't a whole lot of huge films coming out next year. Indiana Jones 4 will be big, but I don't see it making anymore money than what Spidey 3 did this year. 10,000 B.C. is going to be a major flop, I think, as well as Speed Racer (does that film even sound appealing to anyone?). Iron Man will do some bank, but will probably end up with a high first weekend and then drop off considerably, tailing off around 200 million. The Dark Knight is my "sleeper" pick to be the box office champ next summer. I think most people will be thinking Indy 4, but I think Batman Begins is fresher in peoples' minds and I think the whole Joker aspect will drive people to the theatres in droves. But really, there isn't a whole lot of big stuff coming out next year, which is going to lead to the inevitable drop off in box office receipts and you'll no doubt be reading many articles about how the sky is falling and Hollywood executives are pissing their pants trying to make the audiences come back. Yawn. Hey Wolgamott, didn't I tell you?
One film that is getting zero buzz and that I'm most curious about is the apparent remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still. It's supposedly going to be released next May, and yet I have seen next to zero info about it. No trailers, no news, no anything. It's the most mysterious thing about next year's movie lineup, even moreso than "Cloverfield". At least that film has some damn teaser trailers and enough news to keep people guessing! Still, I'm eagerly hoping to hear something about this film. Maybe they are planning on revealing some badass trailer upon an unsuspecting public with the release of I am Legend?
I hate technology. Mostly because it always fails when I'm around it. But there are some advances that I greatly appreciate. Take the vending machine where I work, for example. In the "old days", popping in a couple quarters and pressing the buttons for your desired candy was a scary thing. Maybe one out of every 10 times, you'd get a machine where the the steel spiral thingymabobs that held the candy would be off by a little bit. It would spin, you'd watch your Reese's Pieces come forward, only for it to become "stuck" because the spiral moved its set length and your candy didn't happen to be in the correct position. Usually, you'd start cussing and try shaking the machine. Always a bad idea if the Darwin Awards are to be believed. Anyhow, we have a new vending machine where I work and the same damn thing happened to me. The spiral spun. The candy was stopped right before it could drop. I cussed. Then a strange thing happened. The machine paused for a few seconds and then spun again until the candy fell. Turns out, the machine has a sensor at the bottom that reacts to the candy hitting it. So, if it doesn't sense anything, it auto continues to turn until the candy falls. You're guaranteed not to lose any money because the machine won't stop until it gives you your item. Why the hell didn't they of this for the last 40 years?
My mom surprised me today with a copy of the final issue of Weekly World News. This magazine was an integral part of my childhood (and probably explains quite a bit now that I think of it). I moved a lot as a kid and every time I made sure I knew where the closest gas station was so I could head over each week and pick up the latest issue. I was with Bat-Boy from the beginning and I was there with Ed Anger bitching and moaning about America. I wanted to write for this magazine and would come up with ridiculous storylines so I could feel as "cool" as the writers at WWN. Ah to be a kid again! I haven't bought an issue in years, but I would still make a point to check out the cover every time I went to the grocery store and if it was particularly good, I'd pick up an issue and thumb through it while waiting to check out. I'm sad that I'll never be able to read about Satan appearing in a U.F.O over New York ever again and even sadder that there will be one less time I smile while at the grocery store. Apparently, they are continuing the website but that's just not the same, you know? Weekly World News, you will be missed!
20 more favorite films in no particular order:
61) House on Haunted Hill
62) Rosemary's Baby
63) Night of the Living Dead
64) Ace Venture, Pet Detective
65) The Shawshank Redemption
66) The Truman Show
67) Raiders of the Lost Ark
68) The Neverending Story
69) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
70) Freaks
71) The Clash of the Titans
72) Karate Kid II
73) Matinee
74) The Burbs
75) King Kong (1933)
76) The Ten Commandments (1956)
77) Contempt
78) Safe in Hell
79) The Mouthpiece
80) Night Nurse
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