I know about redundancy, Mr Hunter

What is it about "Crimson Tide" that I can't help but watch it when it's on T.V.? It doesn't matter if it's the edited TBS version or the real deal on Encore; if it's on, I'm watching. It's not that it's really that surprising a film. There are no real plot twists, no great character development. And the dialogue is -- how do you say -- atrocious. But by golly if I just don't wind up watching everytime I pass it on late-night cable. Or early-night cable, for that matter.

I don't know how to explain the draw. It has a decent cast (by the way, what ever happened to George Dzundza? He was so good on "Law and Order"). And a decent director. But there really is no reason why it should have the attraction that it has. It's like the movie is laced with a highly addictive narcotic that is somehow transmitted through the TV and absorbed into my all-too-receptive brain. It must be the same narcotic that they lace "America's Next Top Model" with.

I've thought about this alot because the movie is on frequently (almost as often as "The Matrix," which sucks) and thus I wind up spending more time than I should watching it. I should be doing the laundry ... but "Crimson Tide" is on! I should make dinner ... but "Crimson Tide" is on!

It can be problematic.

It's interesting, but I remember the night I first saw "Crimson Tide" in the theater with my Mom and my sister Chloe. We thought it was pretty good, but the real reason I remember that night was because of what happened when we got home from the theater. As we pulled into the driveway, we noticed a bunch of police cars with lights flashing at our neighbors house. It turns out that while we were at the movie, our neighbor -- who I never even knew -- committed suicide by suffocating himself in his garage with carbon monoxide from his old station wagon. It was sureal.

So maybe it's all psychosomatic. Maybe I watch because it reminds me of that night and I want to remind myself to be nice to my neighbors and maybe learn their names before they do something rather drastic.

Of course, another reason that I may be drawn to "Crimson Tide" is because that's the name of the University of Alabama mascot and the submarine is the USS Alabama and I was born in Mobile! Could be...

I wonder when "The Shawshank Redemption" is going to be on again?

The Exorcist, 3/10

Before last Saturday, I may have been one of five people in America who had never seen "The Exorcist." I had never really felt the need to see it because the subject of the film (demon possession) is not something I put much stock in. Anyway, after enough people told me how scary it was and what a good Halloween movie it would be, I relented and rented it. Let's just say I know some people I won't be asking for their opinion on scary movies anymore.

All I can say is, what's the big deal? I was thoroughly unimpressed. Not only was it not very scary, it was boring, and that is a lethal combination in the horror genre. Dull and boring, just what I was hoping for. Can I get my two hours back, please? And my three bucks? Some people really like this movie, and that's fine. I'm just not one of them.

Now, I need to provide evidence for my case as to why "The Exorcist" was no good. First of all, the character of the policeman, played by Lee J. Cobb, was completely superfluous and served no part in furthering the storyline. This is a shame because Cobb was a fantastic actor who deserved better than this. Aside from looking gruff and hanging around the house all the time, he was useless.

Second, the script was not very good. This was amazing to me, as usually the film that wins Best Screenplay has a decent script. The dialogue was hack, and the delivery was bland.

Third, who knew demons had such poor grammar and bad vocabularies? If we are going to base possession on being able to curse a blue streak, then I may know quite a few possessed people!

Fourth, for a movie to be truly scary, it shouldn't make you laugh at a point of what is supposed to be high tension. And laughing is exactly what I was doing for a third of this film (the other two-thirds had me in a coma-like state from the afore mentioned boredom).

Honestly, the Disney version of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" was scarier than this. I don't even want to fathom the depths of the suckitide (yes, suckitude: a measure of the degree of suck) of the sequels.

If you are one of the remaining four people who hasn't seen "The Exorcist," I say remain steadfast and avoid it. If you want to really be scared, just go watch CNN -- or rent "Session 9."

Peace out.

Fall music

Last week, amid the consternation of work, the weather finally changed to a nice brisk fall. Accordingly, I think everyone should go out and rent two fantastic fall movies. One is for the sake of being scared out of your pants, and the other captures the tone of the season.

1) The Shining - THE ORIGINAL, not the made-for-TV fiasco from ABC. Here's what you do: rent (or buy) the film, wait for an appropriately chilly fall evening (preferably rainy) and watch the film. Make sure the doors are locked and the lights are off. By the way, the older and bigger the house you watch it in, the better. It just isn't the same in a crackerbox apartment. So do this: Find a rich friend to buy you the movie and who will let you borrow their McMansion to watch it in. Guaranteed fun!

2) Rushmore - Not the mountain, the movie. I'm sure everyone has seen it. Just go watch it again. Autumnal through and through.

By the way, here's a CD I made last week to welcome the Fall. Tommy Likey.

Caring is Creepy - The Shins (I liked this song before it was on the Garden State Soundtrack--not that I have to justify myself...)
Hell is Chrome - Wilco ( I firmly agree with this. Antiseptic, sleek, lifeless, souless. )
Y Control - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Just a fun song that rocks)
Street Life - Roxy Music ( Makes me want to go dancing, and I hate dancing)
Rita - Los Lobos ( A good longing song)
Pump it up - Elvis Costello (Elvis makes every bite better)
Jimmy The Exploder - White Stripes (Rock good. Drums good)
Nebraska - Bruce Springsteen (beautiful song, sad story, great movie--go rent Badlands)
Ooh Las Vegas - Gram Parsons ( A great road song)
The Golden Age - Beck (someone needed a serious hug)
Just Like Honey - Jesus and Mary Chain (I can't hear this song without thinking of Bill and Scarlett in Tokyo)
High Road - The Doxies (a great politcal song)
The Old Plantation - the Minus 5 (You can hear Jeff really well on the chorus)
Spit on a Stranger - Pavement (no real epiphany here--just like the song)
Razor Love - Neil Young (one of the best love songs of all time)
Mageetah - My Morning Jacket (fantastic first track from an underrated band)
Waitin' for a Superman - Flaming Lips (sniff,sniff ... we love you Mr. Reeves. RIP)

The Candidate (1972)

Grade: 8/10

Last Saturday evening was not unlike most Saturday evenings. There I was, sitting in my cat-mangled arm chair, surfing 72 channels of drivel in search of for something to watch during the ad breaks of the ALDS (not that baseball matters these days to a Cubs fan).

Having gone through my cable roation roughly eight times, I was at the point of seeing how fast I could get through all the channels (I like to race myself) when I was drawn to a blond-haired blur on channel 19. In passing, it looked like a young Robert Redford, so I went back to see if I was, in fact, correct. (I was already on channel 45 by the time I figured it was worth going back -- fastest thumb in mid-MO!)

There on channel 19 was, indeed, Robert Redford in all his early '70s "I-know-I'm-good-looking-and-so-should-you" glory. In my estimation, Redford is one of the few "eye candy" actors who could actually deliver, which is what makes "Spy Game" such an amusing film. If the baton was supposed to be passed there, Brad seriously gaffed it.

The movie turned out to be "The Candidate," one of the few Redford films I hadn't seen. So I watched it. And it was good.

Why was it good? Well, for a few reasons, most of all its relative timliness to our current situation. I'm not going to do plot summary here -- go to IMDB for that. What I will say is that the film has one of the best closing lines I've ever heard in film. After having dethroned the incumbant, a glassy-eyed Bill McKay (Robert Redford) sits on his hotel room bed, a throng of people waiting to break through his door and congratulate him. With a scary earnestness, he looks up at his campaign mananger and asks "What now?"

What now? This is a question I can guarantee at least two men will be asking themselves on the night of November 3rd. And it's a question we should all be thinking. It's a line that summed up so much in 1972 (young dreamer overcomes seasoned old politician and/or new beginning versus Vietnam era mistakes) and that still has impact today.

I think it is absolutely time for change. I disagree with the idea that Bush should be allowed to continue as president just so we don't look weak. Too many things have been mishandled, too many balls dropped. That being said, if Kerry wins the presidency, there's a lot to clean up, and people are short on patience these days (with good reason). What it comes down to is this: Is the chance that things could get better worth the risk on a new candidate? I think so. Besides, if we don't like him, we can always vote him out, too!

Now, I would like to steal an idea from Nick Hornby and give you my rank order of the top 5 songs that deal with the political process and/or patriotism:

1) "This Land is Your Land" (Woody Guthrie)
2) "We've Been Had" (Uncle Tupelo)
3) "Christ for President" (Billy Bragg and Wilco)
4) "Rockin' In the Free World" (Neil Young)
5) "Christmas Time in Washington" (Steve Earle)