11/14/04--The all too rare---double edition!!

Yes, I'm back....what a shitty weekend.  Both ND & the Vikings lose games in the final seconds on field goals.
"Serenity now!  Serenity now!"

Anyway, I forgot to mention last week's premiere episode of the Simpson's, which was naturally a classic.  They did a great spoof on the movie "From Hell", where Lisa was searching for the "muttonchop murderer" and had to go into an opium den.
The suspect (Homer, natch) starts running away from her, throwing people in front of her to help him escape.
"Please do not throw the addicts!" cries denkeeper Moe.
Hilarious.
They also did a great spoof of the old Raquel Welch classic "Fantastic Voyage", where they shrink the family to go into Mr. Burns body and rescue Maggie (don't ask).  That was also some good stuff.
This week, Bart begins to read "Playdude" magazine, and opens his own version of the "Playdude" mansion---complete with a visiting James Caan (just like the real one.)  There was also a great movie spoof at the end of this one involving a tollbooth
that finished with Caan saying, "next time I'm just going to fly."  ****

I've been watching season # 3 on DVD, and its loaded with great episodes.  Included in what I've seen so far are "Flaming Moe's", where Homer helps Moe invent a drink that starts packing them in at Moes--including a visit from Aerosmith!
Do you remember what the secret ingredient was?  "Like Father, Like Clown" introduced us to Krusty the Clown's father, Rabbi Krustovski (a hilarious Jackie Mason).  Krusty's real first name?  Herschel.  And the episode where Burns sells the nuclear power plant to a German corporation, lead by a crewcutted, stout German
"who might remind you of that loveable Sgt Schultz".  Any espisode that references Hogan's Heroes is alright by me.  They were really beginning to hit their stride here, and since season # 4 is coming out on DVD next month, I better hurry and finish.

Finally, I was perusing the new issue of EMPIRE (greatest film review mag on the market) and had a couple of things catch my eye.  Their list of:
Top 10 Worst sequels of alltime (let's think about that for a moment):
10) The Matrix Reloaded & Revolutions (so included because the producer insisted that they are basically two halves of one movie---huh?)
 9) Alien:  Resurrection
 8) Trail of the Pink Panther (Peter Sellers is dead--let's make a movie using other characters and outtakes from the other films.  OMAN!)
 7) Hannibal (maybe the death-by-pig had something to do with it, huh?)
 6) Babe:  Pig in the City  (wouldn't be on my list by a long shot)
 5) Superman IV--The Quest for Peace
 4) Speed 2 (let's stop the runaway cruiseliner that's doing--12 MPH!!)
 3) Jaws:  The Revenge (this is the one where the shark FOLLOWS Brody's wife to the Bahamas--no, seriously.  It tracks her while she's on vacation.)
 2) Highlander 2:  The Quickening
 1) Batman & Robin (Was it George Clooney as Batman or Arnie as Mr. Freeze?)

And while you're chewing on that list---EMPIRE also offers their own list of top 10 performances of Robert DeNiro (YIKES!  You could go 20 deep there)
10) Heat (I would've had this one higher)
 9) Greetings (never heard of it actually)
 8) Goodfellas (more of a supporting role)
 7) Midnight Run (hilariously profane)
 6) The Deerhunter (awesome!  A personal favorite)
 5) Taxi Driver (Reportedly the whole "You talkin to me?"---Improvised by DeNiro)
 4) The King of Comedy
 3) The Godfather Part II
 2) Mean Streets
 1) Raging Bull (EMPIRE calls it "possibly the greatest performance ever committed to celluloid")

Their choices for the 5 WORST performances of his career:  (no particular order)
Stanley & Iris
Frankenstein
Flawless
Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle
Showtime

Food for thought.

Later,
Jeff