I've decided, after watching three seasons of Lost, that the designers have deliberately screwed up the kerning in the title sequence, in order to subtly increase our sense of unease:

It's the only explanation. More on the typography of Lost.

Oh, and speaking of the Lost title sequence, this spoof is pretty funny.

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.

I don't know why this makes me happy, it just does. I didn't even see the White Castle movie. Maybe the fact that this looks like a major motion picture which is absurdist and political. Actually, best not to think about it too much.

There I am on TV in Boston, hawking DonorsChoose.org! MyFox Boston | DonorsChoose.Org Helps Needy Classrooms

Thanks, Fox News in Boston!

Speed Racer: The Movie. Chances that the Wachowski Siblings screw this up? Oh, pretty high, given what they did to V for Vendetta. But Christina Ricci as Trixie? That could work.

Apparently all Japanese films made before 1953 are in the public domain. Which means that one of my all time favorites, Kurosawa's Ikiru, is available online. But please, download a decent-sized version. Watching a Kurosawa film at 320 x 240 pixels is like looking at a postcard of a Bierstadt.

You could do worse during the strike than to watch Ze Frank: Day One and Day Two. A special breath of fresh air for those of us who miss The Show.

What's that? You don't know from The Show? Oh, sit back and prepare yourself...

Thanks to Waxy for the heads-up.

24 Hours Of Horror With Eli Roth. I haven't seen any of Roth's films, and I'm not sure that they would be to my taste. But this is a pretty great list of horror flicks, at least based on the ones I've seen.

This Wednesday (Netflix willing) we'll be watching The Creeping Flesh -- Debbie's choice. I mean, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee? It sounds like six kinds of awesome. No, we're not having folks over this year to watch (your invite didn't get lost, promise!). Since we've started marching in the Park Slope Halloween Children's Parade, instead of just watching it, having a movie-watching party has just been Too Much of a Muchness, as my Grandmother would say.

So, what's your Halloween film this year?

Below, Darth Pumpkin:

Via Balls and Walnuts comes this mapping of Simpsons Characters to Presidential Candidates. I guess Cheney has the Burns character wrapped up, hence not on the list.

Speaking of the 2008 Election, here come the usual "candidate selectors": one at dehp.net (using data from 2decide) and one from Select Smart. Both give me different results: Dehp rates my top 5 as Kucinich, Gravel (who?), Obama, Edwards, Clinton, while Select Smart ranks them Kucinich, Obama, Biden, Edwards, Dodd. The dark horse Gravel is 2nd on the first list but 13th on the second. Full results after the jump, should you be interested.

My vote's for the "Bart" candidate, if you must know...

OK, so we're thinking about what actors we might ask to help us with a DonorsChoose training and promotion video. I think it would make sense to ask actors who have played teachers. A few come to mind:

Edward James Olmos, Stand and Deliver
Lily Tomlin, The Magic School Bus
Michelle Pfeiffer, Dangerous Minds

Who else? I need your pop-culture minds on this one.

I never watched "Boston Public" -- is it still on? -- and so have no idea who was/is on it. And it looks like Gabe Kaplan is still a working actor.... Oooh! oooh! Mr. Kotter! oooh!

Update: A quick Google search turns up the "NEA's Oscars".

Bravo, Alonzo Mosley.

... have any of you even heard of the Turkish Star Wars? Man, that is some strange splicing.

Officially titled, "The Man Who Saved the Word", this Turkish-made film is commonly known as "Turkish Star Wars" because of its notorious bootlegging of Star Wars film clips worked into the film. Released in 1982, Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam was created in Turkey caught in the midst of massive political upheaval. As a result, American-made films were not easily acquired and were often remade with a Turkish cast and setting. The musical soundtrack is entirely lifted from Western film hits of the time, primarily using Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Did I mention there are gladiator scenes?

Chris Rabb is helping fight the new unholy alliance between Fox News and the Congressional Black Caucus. One look at this video and it's easy to say why.

I guess we'll have to wait until 2008 to find out.

Anna Nicole Smith vs. Walter Reed

Both MSNBC and Fox News devoted more coverage to Anna Nicole Smith — three weeks after her death on Feb. 8 — than they did to the multiple developments involving the neglect and deplorable conditions at Walter Reed military hospital.

So it's over. I must say that I thought the show jumped the shark in the fourth season -- "That's My Dog," specifically, the episode that gave David, the series' most sympathetic character, PTSD. Seasons 4 and 5 devolved into soap opera. I took to calling it "What Terrible Things Will Happen to the Fishers This Week?"

However, all of that was erased by the last ten minutes of the last episode. Now that's an ending.

I just saw two ads, back to back -- one for a car, one for fast food -- both using "Sweet Home Alabama" on the soundtrack.

Check out CMOM's Annual Best Picture Oscar Predictions. Sadly, Dave Chappelle's Block Party does not make the list.

Will he go 5 for 5 again?

Classroom Distinctions "Freedom Writers," and other Teacher Hero movies, reviewed by an actual New York City teacher.

Paul G. writes:

You've got to love this story in Slate.

why? because of the quote at the end describing the "scooby world view" (which itself comes from the Wash Post, but not where I got it)

The Washington Post's Hank Stuever concisely elucidated the "Scooby worldview" when the first live-action movie came out: "Kids should meddle, dogs are sweet, life is groovy, and if something scares you, you should confront it." What needs to be explained about that?

I humbly submit this for consideration for Ishbadiddle.

A New Sith, or Revenge of the Hope

If we accept all the Star Wars films as the same canon, then a lot that happens in the original films has to be reinterpreted in the light of the prequels. As we now know, the rebel Alliance was founded by Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bail Organa. What can readily be deduced is that their first recruit, who soon became their top field agent, was R2-D2.

Consider: at the end of RotS, Bail Organan orders 3PO's memory wiped but not R2's. He wouldn't make the distinction casually. Both droids know that Yoda and Obi-Wan are alive and are plotting sedition with the Senator from Alderaan. They know that Amidala survived long enough to have twins and could easily deduce where they went. However, R2 must make an impassioned speech to the effect that he is far more use to them with his mind intact: he has observed Palpatine and Anakin at close quarters for many years, knows much that is useful and is one of the galaxy's top experts at hacking into other people's systems. Also he can lie through his teeth with a straight face. Organa, in immediate need of espionage resources, agrees.

Via Cynical C

That's right. Buffy Season 8. Coming next March.

In comic book form, natch.

Via peksy'

You know, in the wake of Robert Altman's death I read several eulogies that praised his "perfect" film (according to Ebert), McCabe and Mrs. Miller. I still don't like the movie but regardless of your opinion of that film you should read Grant McCracken's reminiscence of working as a driver for Julie Christie during the making of it. (Who knew?) For a director in whose films there are no bit parts, it's not surprising that even the chauffeur could offer an opinion.

Fox News Preps News Satire Show.

Well, I guess they're going to need to fill up some air time now that they've cancelled the O.J. confessional...

I was going to write something about the sudden political left-turn that Battlestar Galactica has taken, but Brad Reed did it for me.

Devoted Ish-watchers may have noted that movie reviews have tapered off as of late. What, they ask, are you not watching movies any more? Did Netflix go out of business? Is the TV broken and beyond repair?

Au contraire, mon frere. We have been obsessed with Battlestar Galactica.

Flash back to 1978. I have been struck by a Cadillac. I am in the Intensive Care Unit of Bryn Mawr Hospital. I have a broken arm and a broken leg. My mom has brought in a portable TV into the ICU, against regulations. This is a portable TV in 1978, so it sports a tiny black and white screen that pops up when you push the top of the massively heavy case. Why has my mom brought a TV to the ICU? Because, although I was suffering from multiple fractures, I did not want to miss that week's episode of Battlestar Galactica. (Remember, this is before VCRs -- if you missed an ep, you really missed it.)

In retrospect, the original series was not that good. But for me, it was like watching Star Wars. Every week. On TV.

Fast forward to 2006. Debbie and I have been basically watching nothing but the new Battlestar series for many weeks now. And we're about to do something we haven't done since Buffy was on the air: we're going to watch a show while it's on the air.

It's that frakking good.