The Good...the Bad...the Beautiful #30

THE GOOD:



Good to see the man who directed arguably the greatest movie ever made got work later in life. THe couple sitting at the table with him deserve Oscars themselves for being able to keep a straight face through the entire thing.

Bad and Beautiful on the flip side...



THE BAD:



Who doesn't love the Final Countdown? Possibly me after watching this buffoon butcher it.

THE BEAUTIFUL:



Just when you think R. Kelly has run out of ideas, he hits you with something that defies words. No matter what I say, I can't do this justice. Oh, and a language warning. R.Kelly likes to keep it real, and in doing so, he has to use some pretty raw language. You've been warned.

Links of Interest 8/21

Have a need to buy a corpse? Hey, I don't judge. At least I don't judge anyone that feels the need to buy a corpse. See what other strange items you can buy here.

I have hated Blockbuster since high school. I even wrote an essay on how the company encourages censorship (yes I realize it's not true censorship - call it social censorship). So, to see their CEO have (alleged) bewilderment as to why people like Netflix is very enjoyable to me.

Though not as exciting as it sounds once playing the video, apparently there's been a rumor that an extra exposes himself in the movie Teen Wolf. Judge for yourself.

As I went down the list of bizarre delicacies from around the world, I asked myself whether I would try it. I don't think I could do number 1 - at least not alive like they describe it.

The Good...the Bad...the Beautiful

New post series (at least I hope I can sustain it - all signs point to not likely) about videos I find on the web. each post will have 3 videos, that I obviously find "good," "bad" or "beautiful." Assume the definitions of those words will be used liberally.

The idea came from the cliff diving video I linked to yesterday - that would fall under the "beautiful" category. The Quincy theme song video would fall under the "brilliant" tag, which is why it will never make it into GBB. Anyway, enough of this...on with the show.

THE GOOD:



Here's what happens when you leave teenagers unsupervised. You get "Ron's Slip n Slide Extravaganza." I'd love to meet the Neil Armstrong of the group, and ask what was going through his head that first time down. I'm still not sure I could try it - the consequences for a failed slide are catastrophic. That's why I tip my hat to you, Ron.

THE BAD:



Here's what happens when not-so-smart teenagers are left unsupervised. I can only imagine myself as a young buck trying something similar to this. I'm sure had I lived close to an awesome, unsupervised water park that was easy to break into during the offseasson months, I would have been included with this group. But I'd like to think I have the common sense to bring a lot more inflatable inner tubes.

Of course, you can tell we're not dealing with the smartest bunch - one person has to be told repeatedly to get out of the way of the filming; another person seems to run toward the insufficient pile of inflatable inner tubes in a bizarre act of possibly catching the victim. It's unclear. But I will give the group credit for having the foresight to bring a video camera with them.

THE BEAUTIFUL



C'mon - you thought you could get away from Battle of the Network Stars? I'll shoehorn that show into anything if you let me.

Links of Interest 8/19

I've always loved Robert Wagner. And after reading a few details about him and Natalie Wood, I love him even more. He almost shot Warren Beatty!

Ok look. I realize that lists of no value other than to spark debate, and I also realize a website called TV Crunch is not the authority on much, but still, this list of the top 25 worst game shows is atrocious. Never mind that they included Legend of the Hidden Temple, a children's game show that is adored by many, but Supermarket Sweep? Are you kidding?

We here at The Popcorn Trick, love Michael Gross. If you've never seen this, or this then I don't know what to tell you. Regardless, this news will have our DVRs humming during the afternoon.

Want to read about why a woman might head into high class prostitution? Here you go. Though I don't think the author does a real good job of intertwining her experience into the article. A lot of sizzle, but not a lot of steak at the end.

A video of cliff diving that is just so much more than that. It might have inspired a new series here at the Popcorn Trick. I live its weirdness and non sequitors.

Links of Interest 8/14

An old link, but one I hadn't seen before. And I'm surprised how well the grass-fed beef fared.

It amazes me, that for one of the most important jobs in the U.S., this kind of incompetency runs rampant. It wouldn't take much to organize the campaign, either.

After reading this new trend of people guerilla gardening in L.A., I wish someone would guerilla mow my lawn.

I'm always willing to help out the paranoid.

A list of "disgusting flavors." I would by X-13D Doritos everyday if they were currently available. Sadly, it seems there not. But that still doesn't mean they should be lumped in with the rest of these.

Links of Interest 8/12

Time to get sexy...or watch music people get sexy.

Want to keep up to date on the medals being won by individual countries? Check out this cool interactive map.

You know how you might stumble across a link promising something that sounds too good to be true? And then you click on it and it just lists a couple vague things you already know? Well this is not one of those. I won't promise it works, and I take no responsibility if you try, but at least there was something you can sink your teeth into here.

A nice little review of some cheap beers.

Most of the time Sesame Street gets it, and it's awesome. But when they don't, it's even more awesome.

Links of Interest 8/7

After checking out this list, I'll now keep my eyes open on my way to the post office, because you never know.

For all the problems and issues that people gripe about in the United States (and I'm not belittling them by any means), reading something like this puts things in perspective.

Don't have NBC (I'm not sure if that's even possible, but whatever)? Here's a handy guide about how to watch the Olympics online.

Once the no leg pushups came on, I knew this guy had skillz.

Links of Interest 7/23

Not that I feel I'm ever going to commit a crime worthy of prison, but I've seen The Fugitive enough to know that nothing is guaranteed when it comes to innocence. Therefore, I'm appreciative of this guide.

Sure, on paper it's wonderful to have R.E.M. do a guest stint on Sesame Street. But then it happens, and you subject millions of tykes to that which is the appearance of Michael Stipe. As an adult, it's easy to overlook his appearance and respect his talent; as a four year old, it's nothing more than seeing a nightmare personified.

Michael Caine sounds completely down to earth and completely insane all at the same time. And I love him for it!

In this age of instant gratification and jump cuts, we are quick to label. Take this essay about M. Night Shyalaman. Sure, I agree with a lot of the author's points, but that doesn't mean he has lost any talent, or didn't have any talent to begin with. I know we need labels so we can move on, but I'd rather judge him either on a movie by movie basis, or at the end of a long career. Apologies for the Andy Rooney moment.

I love me a good space conspiracy like this one!

Links of Interest 7/17

Though I'm not sure being compared to William Friedkin is such a bad thing, maybe M. Night should get a hold of things before starting his next movie.

Some movie quotes no one ever gets right.

Rock of Love 3? Sign me up! We'll definitely be on top of it here at The Popcorn Trick.

Stuff you can't see using Google.

Rogue NASA scientists creating their own rocket? Fantastic.

Links of Interest 6/24

Grace Jones is an enigma to me. This article doesn't do much to dispel that. I do wish she was working on a follow-up to A View to a Kill.

When people start talking about the possibilities of living longer, the debate about whether people want to always comes up. And I don't understand why - I want to live longer, and would have no problem living until I'm 1000. If I ever had enough, I could take myself out.

Beck is one of those guys that does new things and doesn't care too much about what other people think. His new ideas sometimes work, and sometimes fail, but i have to give him credit for trying out new ideas. This is a "trailer" for his new album.

Here's a new art exhibit of top secret spy satellites...something tells me there are people in Washington that aren't thrilled with this idea. Think this guy can sell some cool ideas to the...well whoever doesn't like the Americans?

A part of me died a little while watching this...so of course I'm going to link to it. Who knew Celine Dion couldn't cover AC/DC? Everyone!

Links of Interest 6/12

Damage control for Mr. Shyamalan? I have heard some not-so-great stuff about this movie coming from the director's camp. Still, the imagery looks pretty frightening. Here's the red band trailer, though I wouldn't click on it if you want to head into the movie pure.

True story... in high school (way too old for me to being doing stuff like this) I went to my old high school, which had been turned into an office building. I knew there was a bomb shelter there and I wanted to head down. So I got there, went in, and went into the bomb shelter, which was also I guess the boiler room. I don't know, it had a lot of machinery down there. This article, while having nothing to do with my story (aside from the trespassing angle), is still worth checking out.

Here's a cool little quiz about movie sequels. I got a miserable 1/10. Though I defy you to do better. Let me know in the comments.

The author of this piece really delves deep into the food psyche of our politicians. Can food sink a candidacy? I don't know about that, and some of his points are little shoehorned in (Quayle not being able to spell potato certainly doesn't have anything to do with his eating habits) but I can see the beer and coffee conundrums potentially hurt numbers.

We here at The Popcorn Trick love The Hold Steady, so I would be remiss if I didn't point out that the group is streaming their latest album on their myspace page.

Links of Interest 6/11

Remember when cities were going to be built around this wonderful invention - and then the invention turned out to be Segways? Sometime between then and now they went from being able to revolutionize the way people commuted to being a good prop for comedic gold. For evidence, click here.

Absurd this guy thinks the army can force protesters away by forcing them to take a dump. 1. The Brown Note, up to this point, is a fallacy, and 2. What militaristic group would want to deal with the aftermath of unleashing a weapon like this on a crowd of thousands? Think about it.

Two great sets of pictures...one capturing the recent world events involving water, the other involving pictures of space.

Why isn't the possibility of games being fixed in the NBA getting more attention? True, it could simply be a guilty man trying anything to deflect blame off himself and making things up, but still - shouldn't it be investigated? Other than an occasional story buried on ESPN, I've seen nothing about this. Isn't there an expose in here somewhere? Steroids in baseball get congressional hearings; an alleged NBA game fixing conspiracy gets a couple words and that's it.

Links of Interest 6/10

So many unanswered questions in this video...where are they? Who thought it was a good idea to have a panoramic mountain shot behind them? Why is Kirk Cameron hanging on every word? Are we really supposed to believe a banana is the ultimate proof of God's existence? Guess these two are really going to be ticked off when bananas leave this mortal coil in the next 20 years or so, as they're becoming extinct. What God would forsake us of bananas?

William Shatner is a complex man. Seriously. I know people love to poke fun of him (myself included, and it's easy - here's an example) but shouldn't we also respect him as an artist? You have to give him this - he takes chances and doesn't care about the consequences.

You hate to see this, but with video games moving into the homes within the last 20 years, there's simply no reason to go to an arcade. Although, there is something to be said walking into a random arcade, and scoping out the game scene, debating which machine to put your quarter into. That sense of random variety is slowly disappearing in our society, and I think we're worse off for it. Our customizable, on demand world breeds a stronger sense of entitlement, which only makes us more selfish and petulant. And so concludes my "old guy on a porch rant."

Now this is how you get some cool publicity.

I'm a sucker for cool photography. By clicking on this link, I'll know you are too.

Links of Interest 6/5

Oh yeah, this is easy to follow. Of the three science ideas here, the last one is obviously the head scratcher. I have enough trouble with one dimension of time, and now people want to add another one? Could you imagine the time loop possibilities on Lost if that happened? Please feel free to explain it all to me if you happen to be a quantum physicist looking for the top 25 80s tv show theme songs. Or if you just want to show that you're smarter than me.

I don't know, it seems to me that R. Kelly might be in a decent amount of trouble. I can only hope he gets acquitted so he can continue to make the world's greatest music.

I love Wired's jab at the end of the article. So subtle, yet so spot on.

Ok, I understand that this was a bike race, and not the common roads around my town, but I'll take this moment to rail against the etiquette of cyclists in general (Cue stereotyping)...I don't know if there's a more elitist group out there than cyclists. Screaming about their right of way, yet barely pausing to obey traffic laws themselves, the double standard they have created goes by largely ignored. And what's with the tight clothes? I understand if you're in a bike race, but if you're just out for a stroll, loose clothing creates more drag which in turn makes it harder to cycle which in turn gives you more of a workout. Am I missing something?

Daily Links 6/4

Take a look at this... this guy hates computer monitors – and his coworkers (by the way, I fully expect this to explode on the Internet, followed by the discovery that it’s viral marketing for some vacation resort. If it doesn’t it should be and I’ll happily write the ad).

One day I will travel to these islands.

I disagree with this assessment about how made up acronyms can never be funny. I will say, they will never be funny in the workplace, because there are lines that people just won't cross. But, if you ever do cross those lines, I guarantee at least a few people will laugh.

David Foster Wallace is strange to me; in the sense that I'm not sure how to react to him, or more specifically, his writings. I want to like him because I think that makes me look more intellectual. But, I just can't do it. I've read a few of his essays, and they simply go above my head. Even this Q&A includes things that I can't think about without making my head hurt. That being said, it certainly doesn't diminish his intellect, and it's not hard to see he is an intelligent person. So take a look, but just make sure to have a dictionary handy (rapacity? mendacity? epileptoid? I must be an idiot). It's his take on the 2000 McCain election; I believe it's coming out now to show how much McCain has changed his tune in 8 years.

Do you think Scientology has a cabal of assassins they can send out and do their bidding? I hope not, and I hope that if they do, they don't want to kill anyone simply linking to an article like this.

Links of Interest 6/3

Vanity Fair, c'mon. This article about Bill Clinton really isn't all that earth shaking. Vague suggestions of infidelity, a quicker temper, and the possibility that he might be subconsciously sabotaging his wife's campaign. There's nothing here that isn't suggested every day by his detractors. Can I get something that tells me something I don't know?

The Large Hadron Collider is that big thing in Switzerland that is going to create an artificial black hole. Now, there are suggestions that it will destroy the world somehow, but I'm not worried about that too much. I'm worried about these!

What do you think? Another 2 weeks before we start hearing people chirping about global warming on Mars?

Here's a feel good story about something Disney didn't crush after acquiring it. On the contrary, it's probably a win-win for both companies.

Links of Interest 5/22

I think they got #1 right. And that's good. Not sure I'm thrilled with the Bridget Jones joke, but I'll forgive it. Not a lot of kung fu representation though.

After reading this, I love what Zappos is doing. Weeding out people who just need a job, they're looking for people who want to work there.

While reading this I went back and forth between who I thought was more ridiculous, the author or Disney. I'm still having a hard time making up my mind.

I will do everything possible to bring you updates of the R. Kelly trial, something that should be larger than the OJ Simpson trial.

Links of Interest 5/19

Ok, so I chuckled at some of these responses to get out of jury duty for the R. Kelly case, but isn't this a slippery slope we're creating in society? Hey, no one likes jury duty, but isn't our responsibility? To make up stupid excuses to get out of it only belittles our jury based system, which in turn hurts us all. We shouldn't be allowed to complain about the system if we're not willing to take part in it when required. Ok, that's enough sermonizing.

This link is making the Internet rounds, so I figured I would add. While I disagree with the ranking of the top 21, I'm pretty sure they at least got the right group. Strange that two of them may or may not have committed their crimes in a coal mine.

I'm sure that if the private sector is tracking us by our cell phones, than the government has been doing it for much longer, and have much more nefarious devices and technology in place by now to keep us all in check.

I loved (and still do) Arrested Development, so I'm cautiously optimistic about this new series. Not thrilled it's a cartoon (I'm just not much of a cartoon guy) but I'll still give it the benefit of the doubt.

Where to begin? Point Break holds a special place in my heart. Yes, I know it's silly, implausible, ludicrous, and nonsensical, but it has it's charm. News of a sequel hits me with dread though. Sure, a good sequel can be made, but Hollywood doesn't seem to want to spend money to ensure these things, especially for movies made 15 years prior. While I have hopes since they mention Bodhi, (which suggests they at least have the first movie in their minds), I'm not sure how I feel about the rest of this article. I only can hope they play it straight, and don't give us another Roadhouse 2 (which does have one of the greatest lines uttered in movie history; sadly that doesn't make up for the rest of it).

Links of Interest 5/14

Can Beck be considered underrated? Probably not with the critics, but I don't think he gets the credit he deserves with the buying public. And that's a shame, because I can't think of too many artists out there right now to rival him. So you can imagine how excited I am to hear his new album might be coming out in June.

What kind of idea is this. I remember being horrified when I saw 'Bad Lieutenant." But that doesn't mean I didn't respect it. For lines to be crossed, there are few that come close to this one. And now they're remaking it. Are they going to water it down? Because if so, then what's the point really?

It probably says a lot about who you are if you're known for "bathing in blood." And I'm not even sure that's the worst of this list! I do like the fact that neither the Taliban nor Al Qaeda are on this list. I guess they might be considered terrorist groups and not gangs, but where's the line that divides the two? And I'm guessing it's a minor quibble to try and classify these groups in either of those two.

So the National Archives over in Great Britain decided to start releasing its records on UFOs. So far, it seems like all it is is a bunch of stories from people out in the country talking about how they were abducted. Hey, if I wanted that I would rent Communion.

Links of Interest 5/12

It's like finding out there's no Santa Claus, if Santa Claus were a giant waterfall. Seriously, do we as a society demand that nature be controlled for our enjoyment? I'd rather see how the Falls act within the different climates, different seasons, etc. But no, people "in the know" are making decisions for me.

I am fascinated by Antarctica. Yes, I know I'm in the minority, but I love cold weather, and I think I paint the concept of isolation and desolation as romantic. Yes, I know that makes me bizarre and probably mentally unstable, but what can I say? Of course, let me make something clear - I couldn't live there indefinitely. A nice vacation is all I'm asking. Is that even possible?

I don't promote breaking the law, but if you do, maybe something like this can help you.

Chris Anderson was like a comet in the NBA. A drug fueled comet. While this article doesn't go into detail about his suspension, it does unfortunately paint a picture about the (now)non-existent relationship he has with his mother.

Remember that old page where someone graded children's drawings? Yes, very funny - this page has nothing to do with that, other than it begins with children's drawings as an inspiration. But instead of tearing them down, it fleshes them out and adds skill and maturity to the boundless imagination.