I don't enjoy Memento nearly as much as other people seem to, either. It's intriguing. Some of the coolest people I know think Memento is an absolute masterpiece. I don't think it sucks. It's just that can't relate when folks begin to speak about the film in superlatives.

The last time I watched Memento, I remember being a little unsure about what its theme was—i.e., themes may or may not be distinct from concepts, I guess. The movie definitely engages weighty, thematically ripe concepts (identity, memory, honor, revenge), but I just couldn't decipher what Nolan was trying to say about these concepts. Which isn't necessarily Nolan's fault, of course.

I feel like that's about how Señor Spielbergo understood what he was trying to do, yeah. The "Why do I deserve to survive and not them?" idea is in a few of his other movies, like Schindler's List, even Lincoln a little bit.

Note how misguided the thinking is. Making a woman want you becomes akin to training a dog—establish yourself as a "leader"; keep forcing the creature do what she's supposed to do until she gets the idea. Treating someone like that is supposed to turn her on? Suffice to say it will make her feel unsafe and out-of-sync with the other person—exactly the opposite feelings than those associated with arousal. You don't need to be a behaviorist to recognize that. It's obvious. Unless you're a sociopath.

Just that little quote, alone, is pretty dangerous. Imagine if every male college student in the U.S. had that software running on his brain, the one that says "Don't ask permission" and "Ignore her protestations when you whip your ding-a-ling out. She is letting you do this. Because you are a leader."

I wouldn't say Zarban "sounds old." It's like saying George Hamilton looks old—distinguished, the word is distinguished.

Still works the second time around. The jokes land, and so few comedies these days have a romantic subplot in which I actually care whether they to get together at the end. Anna Kendrick is surprisingly good at playing something of a curmudgeon. Also, if John Michael Higgins and Liz Banks read the phonebook as the characters they play in this movie, they'd probably make me laugh.

If you are willing to record one or more vocal takes, add your name to this list:

1. Teague
2. Rob
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If you are willing to contribute music to one or more pieces, add your name to this list:

1. Teague
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If you are willing to write a scene for one more more projects, add your name to this list:

1. Teague
2. Rob
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If you are willing to create visual assets for one or more projects, add your name to this list:

1. Teague
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(I wish I had the skillz to create music and visuals. I'll be cheerleading for the talented people, though.)

I had this conversation a while back:

ROB'S GF: Why do I have only one of these black [panty]hose?

ROB: Uh. What's that now?

GF: What—did you take it or something?

ROB: [awkward pause] Uh. Yeah.

GF: You took my black pantyhose.

ROB: Yeah. I needed it.

GF: Okay. O-kay... I'm not sure I know what kind of conversation we're having right now.
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But yeah, you can use a hanger, or score an embroidery hoop from an art supply place (or Wal-Mart, in my case) and make a homemade pop filter that ain't bad at all.

Hey different strokes for different blokes... meanwhile, I'll be PMing you so you can get me a job where you work. (My coworkers all look like Ron Perlman.) 

That's one diverse pile of movies you've been watching, wow!

A History of Violence: That's a cool one to revisit. I found it played extremely compelling on a big screen with an audience, but I was alarmed at just how much the story's gut-punch effect decreased on home media. Still, I love Viggo in that role. He's such a cool, understated leading man. (His portrayal of Freud in Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method is unexpectedly compelling.) 

Only God Forgives: What you said. I'm convinced Refn is a dark genius, and OGF is delicious eye candy, but at the same time, I was perplexed. It's an experiment in something, but I'm not certain what. And I'm okay with that for now because I do think Refn is a huge talent. I'm fixing to revisit the film. Gosling's performance seemed a weird choice: the stoic strongman act made sense in Drive, but here I wasn't sure how it fit into the film's thematic intentions. It left me a little cold compared to Refn's previous movies, but there's likely stuff I'm not grasping on first pass.

Hard Candy: Is it me, or does Ellen Page have the prettiest face in Hollywood? (She's mega-talented too, of course, but I'm just sayin'. She's up there w/ Evangeline Lilly on my prettiness scale. WTF are they putting in the water up there in Canada?)

Just saw The Conjuring in a packed multiplex theater, and this is definitely one to see with an audience.

This is a well-done, old-school, 1970s-style horror film, both in style and in substance. The special effects are nicely restrained. James Wan manages to make a very basic sound—two hands clapping together—creepy as hell. Lots of fun, creative scares in this one. Even the jump scares are done more artfully than we're used to seeing.

The film is basically pro-Catholic / pro-theism / pro-the-existence-of-ghosts at a kind of meta level (text that pops on the screen insists that not only is the story is more or less based in fact, but also that "God is real"). I found this choice just plain unnecessary. But all in all, it's worth paying to see this one on a big-ass screen.

Doesn't the "Not suitable for children" text on the Strangelove poster seem a little unwarrented, even in 1964? All the grown-up-level jokes seem fairly well embedded in innuendo and such. Is it the depiction of [spoiler ahead -->] nuclear holocaust that they don't want kids to see? I mean, during those years kids were routinely taught to fear the bomb and the power of atomic weapons. (It's strange how some of the shit people feel is unsuitable for kids today—like depictions of firearm violence—was a-okay 50 or 60 years ago in children's entertainment.)

I liked the discussion of the Extended Cut-versus-Theatrical Cut. There really is a lot to be learned there about editing, paring down a narrative, and sifting the absolutely necessary bits from the superfluous/redundant bits. The economy of the Theatrical Cut is another feather in the cap of Richard Chew.

Also...

* Teague: My girlfriend's brother, a musician, said he's shocked that Tom Everett Scott had never played the drums before getting cast in the film: "He looks like he's been playing his whole life, twirling sticks and shit."

* It's fascinating how it's apparently easier to teach good actors to play instruments convincingly than it is to teach good musicians to be convincing as actors. Why is that? I feel like I could learn to play a dramatic scene halfway-decent before I'll ever learn to to play a song on the piano, but apparently no...

* I've seen Rita Wilson self-identify as Greek. (She produced My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Mamma Mia!). Her mom was Greek and her dad was a Bulgarian Muslim who was born in Greece, according to Wikipedia. "Margarita" is totally a Mexican name, though, but apparently Greek folks use it too(?)

* Jonathan Shaech once played Houdini in a dark, 1998 biopic that I remember liking.

* Mars Callahan appears to be working on a film called Poker Junkies. Looks like he's trying to corner the market on Junkies movies.