the horse he kept running; the rider was dead

(Note: as soon as I opened up IMDB on Monday evening to confirm some details about the movie below, I saw that its star, Edward Woodward, had died. A hell of a loss, though he left a full career behind him, including Becket, the TV series Callan, the original The Wicker Man and, of course, [...]

and I owe it all to you

Patrick Swayze died Monday evening, succumbing to a long battle with cancer at the age of 57. This gives me an opportunity to go into detail about one of my favorite Swayze movies: Road House. Road House is a great movie. I enjoy Road House without irony or shame. While the fashions depicted therein might [...]

in every lovely summer’s day

LiveJournal blogger The Ferrett has had a couple posts of late on the Oscars “In Memoriam” Montage featured at every Academy Awards ceremony. Actors who died in the previous year get a few seconds on screen, depicted in iconic roles, while grandiose strings swell in the background. Ferrett asks an interesting question, “If so-and-so died [...]

I am me, the universe and you

This media blow got rained on this weekend: In Bruges: A little too bleak to be really dark, a little too pat to be really funny. But still perfectly entertaining. All of us have spent some point in our lives holed up in some jerkwater town during shitty weather waiting to hear some bad news. [...]

he’s a complicated man, and no one understands him but his woman

He said, “Bern, why do black folks use the word ‘motherfucker?’” Let me break it down, what the word “motherfucker” actually means. “Motherfucker” is a word that black folks have been using for years. It’s about expression. Don’t be ashamed of the word “mother-fucker.” Because “mother-fucker” is a noun: It describes a person, place or [...]

and it feels like love, got the radio on and that’s all that we need

A memorial media blow: First off, I’m saddened to hear of Sydney Pollack passing. I only knew two of his films well enough to comment on them – The Firm and They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? – but those two showed enough of his style to merit some acclaim. Bridge of Birds: A grown-up fairy [...]

always love the one you hurt

Link rundown for the week: #: The L.A. Times had an online feature about best celebrity pranks. They include Sarah Silverman’s “I’m Fucking Matt Damon” video (which no one will remember five years from now, funny as it may be), two entries for George Clooney, and Bill Gates getting a pie in the face (which [...]

I think I better knock … on wood

Patrick Swayze diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, an asymptomatic cancer with a 5% survival rate inside the first five years. Jeff Healey, famed blues guitarist, dies at 41. Am I the first person to notice that a death curse is stalking the stars of Road House? Quick – someone check on Ben Gazzara! Also: I know [...]

like a castle in its corner, in a medieval game

CNN confirms the passing of Gary Gygax. I think I first started recognizing Dungeons and Dragons from ads in the back of the occasional Marvel Comic that I’d buy. One day in 4th grade I discovered a huge standing display of D&D boxed sets in the local Waldenbooks – the black box with the red [...]

the victims have been bled

Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons and father of the modern role-playing game, has supposedly died today.