In this very special episode of the Tonight Show, Will Forte (freakin' Will Forte) has his beard tested for poop. It's not quite opening Al Capone's vault but... what is?
Warning: This gets emotionally intense.
Friday, October 30, 2015
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Continue? - Evil Dead Hail to the King
It's a very special Halloween episode of Continue, in which the guys confront their three biggest fears: Text, the Scoleri Brothers and unplayable controls...
Sunday, October 25, 2015
St. Crispin's Day
Ahh October 25th is here again. 'Tis the season for holding your manhood cheap and the time to appreciate Brian Blessed in chainmail. And all things are ready if our minds be so.
Friday, October 23, 2015
Jimmy Kimmel - BTTF Reunion
Everyone's seen it by now, I guess, but just in case...
It's nice to see Biff again... and Huey Lewis.
It's nice to see Biff again... and Huey Lewis.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Conan - Back to the Future
Conan tries some 2015 fashion with appearer of "Back to the Future 2" Elijah Wood.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Red Letter Media Watches the Star Wars Trailer
Red Letter Media films their live reaction to the new and final Star Wars trailer...
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
1 Week Until Double Ties
This is it. There's only one week left.
There are only 7 days left before weird Pepsi bottles.
There are only 7 days left before weird Pepsi bottles.
Only 7 days left before "Jaws 19".
We only have 7 days to invent and manufacture the Video Simulacrum.
7 days to play all the remaining baseball games, resulting in a Cubs 5-game sweep of the World Series.
Only 7 days left until self-lacing shoes.
7 days left until double ties.
7 days till... the future.
And no hover boards.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Steam Train - Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
Normally I would post a Let's Play video because of some sort of humorous commentary. But the point of this video is simply that it's the most original, most creative idea for a video game I've heard of in a long time.
"Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes". Best viewed with a bigger screen size.
Where's Carl Winslow when you need him?
"Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes". Best viewed with a bigger screen size.
Where's Carl Winslow when you need him?
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
The Tonight Show - Phone Booth
Not the funniest comedy in the world but this is one of those bits that's especially good if you've ever wanted to see Shaquille O'Neal dance with Alex Trebeck in a phone booth.
FINALLY.
Hey, remember when Aaron Carter came out with the song "How I Beat Shaq"? And then he created the music video for "How I Beat Shaq" which allowed us to actually visualize what it was like during the encounter in which Aaron Carter indeed beat Shaq? Man, I'll never forget.
FINALLY.
Hey, remember when Aaron Carter came out with the song "How I Beat Shaq"? And then he created the music video for "How I Beat Shaq" which allowed us to actually visualize what it was like during the encounter in which Aaron Carter indeed beat Shaq? Man, I'll never forget.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Tonight Show - Wolf Waker Suggestion Box
The HWolf HWaker returns...
The Wolf Waker awoke with a spasm, instinctively reaching for his harmonic spear. But the trusty weapon was gone. He blinked... then blinked again. All around him was a plain, white void, featureless and infinite.
The last thing he remembered was searing quasar beams melting the diamond coating of his command module and the vacuum of space, itself, on fire. Perhaps the Androgen Codex had been correct, after all. For the first time in his life, the Wolf Waker felt trapped, dizzy and impermanent.
He began piecing together what would be the greatest escape of his life and ultimately the salvation of Habitat 9.
Behold the call of the Wolf Waker...
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
The Tonight Show - Jimpire
It turns out that the behind the scenes of The Tonight Show are very similar to the show "Empire". I don't know why. See for yourself in this episode of "Jimpire".
Friday, September 18, 2015
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
The Tonight Show - Wheel of Musical Impressions
Well, I don't know who this is... and I've never heard of "Cheerleader.... or "Can't Feel My Face"... And, frankly, I haven't bought a music album since 8-tracks were discontinued.... But I do know this: these impressions are excellent.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Game Grumps - Friday the 13th
Take a trip in the Wayback Machine to the late 80s. The Game Grumps attempt to play "Friday the 13th" for the NES.
As the title suggests, it's scary garbage.
As the title suggests, it's scary garbage.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
The Tonight Show - Mugception
I thought this was cute. Jimmy and JT enter mugception.
Projection: Between the History of Rap segment with Justin Timberlake and a Jimmy vs Ellen Lip Sync battle, I'm thinking this is the episode they submit for the Emmy.
Projection: Between the History of Rap segment with Justin Timberlake and a Jimmy vs Ellen Lip Sync battle, I'm thinking this is the episode they submit for the Emmy.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Late Show with Stephen Colbert - First Reaction
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: First Reaction
It was perfectly average. It felt exactly like a cable show that moved to a major network.
This has been: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: First Reaction
It was perfectly average. It felt exactly like a cable show that moved to a major network.
This has been: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: First Reaction
Saturday, September 5, 2015
The Tonight Show Family Feud
The Tonight Show Family Feud with Alison Brie and Steve Harvey.
For context of one of the jokes, watch this clip first starting at 3:00. I suggest you do.
For context of one of the jokes, watch this clip first starting at 3:00. I suggest you do.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Game Grumps - Fishing
So, apparently after the Sega Genesis, the Sonic games got weird. Weird and bad. The series that was originally about speed and blast-processing introduced a big, dumb, slow cat. And the main ability they gave him? Fishing. Yes, Sonic Adventure DX is a Sonic game with fishing. And not just regular fishing, fishing with bad game mechanics.
The hot fishing action starts around 4 minutes in. Enjoy!
The hot fishing action starts around 4 minutes in. Enjoy!
Bob Ross Is Back
Bob Ross is back, though not from the dead.
I'm a big fan but finding full episodes of "The Joy of Painting" was always somewhat tricky. There were a bunch of short clips on youtube but whenever full episodes were uploaded, they would usually be taken down.
Starting a few months ago, the official Bob Ross youtube channel started uploading full episodes and now it's easy. Just enter https://www.youtube.com/user/BobRossInc/featured into your youtube machine, dip into some Van Dyke Brown, mix in some Pthalo Blue and you're there!
There are only about 20 episodes up but more will be uploaded over time and it's the official channel so no deletions.
Happy Painting and God Bless.
I'm a big fan but finding full episodes of "The Joy of Painting" was always somewhat tricky. There were a bunch of short clips on youtube but whenever full episodes were uploaded, they would usually be taken down.
Starting a few months ago, the official Bob Ross youtube channel started uploading full episodes and now it's easy. Just enter https://www.youtube.com/user/BobRossInc/featured into your youtube machine, dip into some Van Dyke Brown, mix in some Pthalo Blue and you're there!
There are only about 20 episodes up but more will be uploaded over time and it's the official channel so no deletions.
Happy Painting and God Bless.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
At Least They Were Upfront
Sometimes a youtube suggested video can shed light on another youtube suggested video...
Click on the image to view normal size.
So it's not just a clever motto...
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Movie Review: Shoah (1985)
Shoah (1985)
"Shoah" is a 9 1/2 hour long documentary about the holocaust.
Here, the term "documentary" is stripped of its Ken Burns-like implications. The movie is real, yes, but there is no narrator, there are no historic photos, there is not a second of archival footage, there are almost no historians, there is no chronological re-telling of historical events, there isn't even much chronology at all... This is a movie as a series of interviews with eye witnesses. It's perhaps specifically aimed at those who would deny the history. In countless specific instances it says "Here is a victim, this is them describing things they experienced. Here is a Nazi officer, this is them describing what they did and saw. Here is a citizen who lived near the death camps, this is them describing what they witnessed first-hand."
The film is purposeful and stark. But there are some "stunt" interviews. In one sequence, the director goes to a bar and strikes up a conversation with a bartender there. The bartender does not want to talk on camera. We learn the reason he's being interviewed is because he's a former Nazi who worked in the camps. He does not wish to answer any questions. The "interview" started with innocent questions but he locks up instantly. It's as if he saw the camera and immediately knew what it was really about. I think he was living in constant fear of this very thing for decades.
There are also times when the placement of interviews is suggestive. An interview with a man who visited the Warsaw ghetto shows him recounting the horror in minute detail, clearly still reliving it once again, 35 years later. That interview is immediately followed by an interview with a German official who was partially in charge of the Warsaw ghetto. He says he doesn't remember much from the war period. Then, when the names of people he worked with everyday are read to him, he squints as if straining to remember. When a few dates are read to him, he writes them down so he'll have them.
The horrors of the holocaust might be easier to accept - perhaps - if we could attribute them to a few high-ranking Germans - or even if we could place blame on only the Germans. Some of the most deplorable moments of the film are when ordinary Poles are interviewed and asked how they reacted when Jews were being exterminated in their towns. Sometimes they're even asked what they think of the Jews today. It's evident that anti-Semitism was not limited to one country or one time period. And it's amazing how easily it can be found today - it only takes a few probing questions from some "everyday" people.
The heart of the documentary is obviously the interviews with the Jewish victims. The events they describe are unspeakable but they recount them anyway, many times out of an obligation to history. It struck me how rare crying was. There is crying, certainly, but most of the time they recount the events plainly and without flourish. It's as if there are pains so deep that there is no emotion left, they turn cold. In a way, this is more impactful - the events are presented, the emotion is left to the viewer.
In place of archival footage and photos, the interviews are interspersed with footage of the historical sites today. Overgrown grass, trees, some bricks, these are mostly quiet pauses that allow the viewer to reflect, to absorb, what has come before it. There is one shot though that startled me more than any other I can think of. There is a first-person shot that slowly creeps down the railroad track leading to the entrance to Auschwitz. It's such a simple shot but I don't think a more haunting, more nightmarish shot has ever been devised, or ever will. How could it?
As I said, "Shoah" is a documentary that eschews many of the trappings of conventional documentaries. But there is one holdover: the film begins with a scrolling text introduction. Within only a few seconds, the introduction sets the tone of the entire movie. In essence, the introductory text says... There was a death camp in Poland near the town of Chelmno. 400,000 men, women and children were sent there. Of the 400,000 people, 2 survived.
"The hollering and the crying and the shouting which was going over there on, it was impossible. Their cry and their holler was in your ears and your mind for days and days - and at night the same thing. From that howling, you could not sleep a couple night[s] of that. All of a sudden, everything stopped, like by a command."
"Shoah" is a 9 1/2 hour long documentary about the holocaust.
Here, the term "documentary" is stripped of its Ken Burns-like implications. The movie is real, yes, but there is no narrator, there are no historic photos, there is not a second of archival footage, there are almost no historians, there is no chronological re-telling of historical events, there isn't even much chronology at all... This is a movie as a series of interviews with eye witnesses. It's perhaps specifically aimed at those who would deny the history. In countless specific instances it says "Here is a victim, this is them describing things they experienced. Here is a Nazi officer, this is them describing what they did and saw. Here is a citizen who lived near the death camps, this is them describing what they witnessed first-hand."
The film is purposeful and stark. But there are some "stunt" interviews. In one sequence, the director goes to a bar and strikes up a conversation with a bartender there. The bartender does not want to talk on camera. We learn the reason he's being interviewed is because he's a former Nazi who worked in the camps. He does not wish to answer any questions. The "interview" started with innocent questions but he locks up instantly. It's as if he saw the camera and immediately knew what it was really about. I think he was living in constant fear of this very thing for decades.
There are also times when the placement of interviews is suggestive. An interview with a man who visited the Warsaw ghetto shows him recounting the horror in minute detail, clearly still reliving it once again, 35 years later. That interview is immediately followed by an interview with a German official who was partially in charge of the Warsaw ghetto. He says he doesn't remember much from the war period. Then, when the names of people he worked with everyday are read to him, he squints as if straining to remember. When a few dates are read to him, he writes them down so he'll have them.
The horrors of the holocaust might be easier to accept - perhaps - if we could attribute them to a few high-ranking Germans - or even if we could place blame on only the Germans. Some of the most deplorable moments of the film are when ordinary Poles are interviewed and asked how they reacted when Jews were being exterminated in their towns. Sometimes they're even asked what they think of the Jews today. It's evident that anti-Semitism was not limited to one country or one time period. And it's amazing how easily it can be found today - it only takes a few probing questions from some "everyday" people.
The heart of the documentary is obviously the interviews with the Jewish victims. The events they describe are unspeakable but they recount them anyway, many times out of an obligation to history. It struck me how rare crying was. There is crying, certainly, but most of the time they recount the events plainly and without flourish. It's as if there are pains so deep that there is no emotion left, they turn cold. In a way, this is more impactful - the events are presented, the emotion is left to the viewer.
In place of archival footage and photos, the interviews are interspersed with footage of the historical sites today. Overgrown grass, trees, some bricks, these are mostly quiet pauses that allow the viewer to reflect, to absorb, what has come before it. There is one shot though that startled me more than any other I can think of. There is a first-person shot that slowly creeps down the railroad track leading to the entrance to Auschwitz. It's such a simple shot but I don't think a more haunting, more nightmarish shot has ever been devised, or ever will. How could it?
As I said, "Shoah" is a documentary that eschews many of the trappings of conventional documentaries. But there is one holdover: the film begins with a scrolling text introduction. Within only a few seconds, the introduction sets the tone of the entire movie. In essence, the introductory text says... There was a death camp in Poland near the town of Chelmno. 400,000 men, women and children were sent there. Of the 400,000 people, 2 survived.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Friday, August 21, 2015
The Tonight Show - The Doobie Brothers
Michael McDonald reunites with The Doobie Brothers on the Tonight Show:
And the web-exclusive: the performance of "What a Fool Believes".
Karl Pilkington once said that he doesn't understand the point of a medley and I think I see where he's coming from. Why two half songs instead of one whole one? Isn't it selling yourself short to say that people can't get through the whole song? Was it some weird compromise between the "Doobie Brothers" camp and the "Michael McDonald" camp? Well, "What a Fool Believes" is great.
And the web-exclusive: the performance of "What a Fool Believes".
Karl Pilkington once said that he doesn't understand the point of a medley and I think I see where he's coming from. Why two half songs instead of one whole one? Isn't it selling yourself short to say that people can't get through the whole song? Was it some weird compromise between the "Doobie Brothers" camp and the "Michael McDonald" camp? Well, "What a Fool Believes" is great.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Workin' In A Cocktail Bar
Look, I love "Don't You Want Me" by The Human League. I do. But I just don't have much time for all the parts of the song that are not specifically about the cocktail bar. Fortunately, the good people of the internet have addressed this rather glaring problem and uploaded their results to The Information Superhighway.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
The Tonight Show - Phone Booth
Jimmy plays a new game, "Phone Booth", with Kevin Spacey. Let's reach out and touch someone.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Yet Another Event in Television History
The makers of The Greatest Event In Television History are nothing if not frank. The first 3 Greatest Events In Television History were failures, they say. But even so, they're back with a fourth attempt at the Greatest Event in Television History.
This time, the goal is to meticulously recreate the opening to the hit TV show "Bosom Buddies". This has special significance for me because I loved the show when I was a kid. The part in this video with Billy Joel is priceless.
This time, the goal is to meticulously recreate the opening to the hit TV show "Bosom Buddies". This has special significance for me because I loved the show when I was a kid. The part in this video with Billy Joel is priceless.
Friday, August 7, 2015
The Tonight Show - Christopher Cross
Christopher Cross and The Roots perform "Sailing" on the Tonight Show...
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Continue? - Super Tennis
In honor of Summer, the Continue? guys play Super Tennis for Super Nintendo. The game is fraught with sexual innuendo and Lexus commercials.
And as a special youtube Summer bonus.... It's Super Tennis! Best Summer Ever. Nailed it.
And as a special youtube Summer bonus.... It's Super Tennis! Best Summer Ever. Nailed it.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Tonight Show - Don Rickles
The man, the myth, the legend, Don Rickles on the Tonight Show. The whole interview is funny but this is what's available on youtube.
Monday, August 3, 2015
Tonight Show - Mix Tape Month
What was called the "Yacht Rock Party" has now perhaps been changed into Mix Tape Month. Instead of limiting themselves to the Yacht Rock genre, they're going to have "one of Jimmy's favorite [musical] guests" on to perform. And instead of one day, it's once every week for a month.
The lineup is:
Thursday - Christopher Cross performs "Sailing".
TBA - Yolanda Adams performs "Victory".
TBA - The Doobie Brothers reunite with Michael McDonald
That's it. Are there three weeks in a month? I think the quality control may be slipping. But that aside, I like the choices. I mean, all I need is "Sailing" anyway.
The lineup is:
Thursday - Christopher Cross performs "Sailing".
TBA - Yolanda Adams performs "Victory".
TBA - The Doobie Brothers reunite with Michael McDonald
That's it. Are there three weeks in a month? I think the quality control may be slipping. But that aside, I like the choices. I mean, all I need is "Sailing" anyway.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Tonight Show - Tom Cruise Lip Sync Battle
This one was borderline for me but I thought I'd post it because RIP Goose. Jimmy and Tom Cruise have a lip sync battle.
I thought Tom should have done "Jump".
I thought Tom should have done "Jump".
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Tonight Show - David Wain and Michael Showalter
"Kenny Loggins' transition from yacht rock boy wonder to rockin' soundtrack king didn't happen overnight, it happened in one afternoon."
You may know these two from "Wet Hot American Summer" or "Childrens Hospital" or "They Came Together" or "Stella". No one saw "Stella" but they should have.
You may know these two from "Wet Hot American Summer" or "Childrens Hospital" or "They Came Together" or "Stella". No one saw "Stella" but they should have.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Movie Review: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Every year at New Year's when the clock passes midnight, groups of people will traditionally sing "Auld Lang Syne". But why? The original poem that the song is based on is about whether the past is worth remembering - whether the recollection of good memories is worth the cost of remembering the bad ones. The phrase "auld lang syne" can be translated "old times" or "days gone by". The original song goes:
"Eternal Sunshine" asks the same kinds of questions though it revolves around a completely different holiday. The movie begins with one of the great first lines in all of film: "Random thoughts for Valentine's day, 2004: Today is a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap." The line is delivered in voice-over by the main character Joel, played by Jim Carrey. Joel is in a long-term relationship with Clementine (Kate Winslet) but is informed that she has chosen to end the relationship by having him erased from her memory. A small company named Lacuna, Inc. has discovered a medical procedure which allows people to safely have memories erased such that, to the subject, it's as if they never happened. Joel is so devastated by this news that he decides to have her erased from his memory also. The problem is the procedure is unstoppable and irreversible and part-way through he changes his mind.
The question that the characters face is the question of whether, in the final analysis, their relationship was really worth it. If all of their experiences with the other person - the euphoria, the fighting, the regret, the hurt, the togetherness - if it could all be summed up like an accounting ledger, does the end result turn out to be negative? If it is, then is a person better off wiping the ledger clean? "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is, in some ways, an exploration of the Tennyson phrase "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" stretched over 100 minutes.
But while Joel is grappling with the question of whether his experience with Clementine was worth it, I wonder if the movie is posing an even larger question to the audience. I think the movie asks whether romantic relationships and romantic love IN GENERAL are really worth it. At least I think it hints that way.
Consider that the movie presents us with quite a few different relationships comprised of many different personalities with different parameters and different histories. Consider that with all its variety, there's one thing that holds true in every presented case: the relationship is not making anyone happier and the relationship is not making anyone better.
There is a man in the movie who falls in love with a woman only to find her with another man. There is another man pursuing romance through predatorial means. There is a married man who has an affair and by the end, his wife has found out the devastating truth and will probably divorce him. Another character is falling in love with a woman but finds that his love is unrequited. And then, there is one particular couple who Joel spends much time with (played brilliantly by Jane Adams and David Cross). This is one of those couples who seem to spend every waking hour of their lives fighting. In lesser movies, "fighting" denotes melodramatic screaming and slammed doors. But this movie is too smart for that. Here, the depiction is of a couple whose conversation is non-stop bickering - their entire lives seem devoted to cutting down the other with passive-aggressive digs. Each insult is met with under-the-breath muttering, each comment is met with a retort, no mistake goes unnoticed, no negative thought goes unspoken. It's a couple that we've all known or seen somewhere in our lives. It's exactly those relationships that you look at and think, "why are they even together?" After all, it can't possibly be worth it. Can it?
As Lacuna's machine goes through Joel's memories, erasing them one by one, it suddenly comes across the good ones and Joel is forced to re-live those as well. Joel realizes, of course, that he doesn't want to let go of those memories. One such memory provides my favorite visual in the movie: Joel and Clementine lying together on a frozen lake in the middle of winter and gazing up at the stars. Joel has one of the moments so rare in life: "I could die right now, Clem. I'm just... happy. I've never felt that before. I'm just exactly where I want to be." And Carrey gives it the perfect tone. But the moment is fleeting and soon that memory is gone.
A while later, Joel's remembering the day that he and Clementine first met. They're at a beach party and they sit together and stare out at the ocean. But this memory will soon be erased too. It's here that Kaufman uses the fleeting nature of Joel's memory to speak to the fleeting nature of life itself:
Clementine: This is it, Joel. It's going to be gone soon.
Joel: I know.
Clementine: What do we do?
Joel: Enjoy it.
As the mind machine traverses the synaptic connections of Joel's brain, we see the various events in Joel and Clem's relationship in a "stream of consciousness" order. The usual slow and predictable ebb and flow of human relationships is replaced by a collage of context-less episodes. We see a horrible fight mashed right up against blissful euphoria and we struggle to assimilate the two into a cohesive idea. It's reminiscent of "Slaughterhouse-Five", the classic story of a man who becomes "unstuck in time". One moment he's married, the next he's a child, the next he's fighting in WW2 - we have to consider his life as a mosaic rather than a portrait. It's a task we're not accustomed to and it doesn't come easy.
There's a musical example of this too. If you can get past the fact that William Shatner is involved, there's something interesting to be found in the oddball non-hit "In Love" by Fear of Pop. The song tells the story of a relationship from two perspectives. The background singers (Ben Folds) are singing lyrics from the the relationship at its peak ("Hold me in the morning / and tell me I'm / The only one alive"). Meanwhile, the lead "singer" (Shatner) is speaking from some time after the proverbial plane has crashed into the proverbial mountain ("I can't tell you anything / And I can't commit / You're right / I can't commit ... To you!"). The back-and-forth flow of the song between the vocalists forces shuffles and intertwines the two perspectives. It leaves us to try to reconcile diametrically opposite feelings from the same person but from across two different points in time. In theory, it's all up to interpretation. Personally, I have to give the Shatner side more credence, though. Have you heard that guy? That guy is angry.
At the end of the movie, it's up to Joel and Clementine to reconcile the extremes of their love/hate - to come up with their own "sum of experiences". The last scene of the movie is yet another one of those scenes that feels utterly unique to "Eternal Sunshine". Joel and Clementine (who think they've just met) listen to audio tapes of themselves listing all the things they hate about the other person and all the memories they don't remember.
Joel [on tape] And the whole thing with the hair - it's all bullshit.
Joel: I really like your hair.
Clementine: Thank you.
They hear the pain and devastation they're capable of causing each other but they decide to give a relationship a(nother) try anyway. It's an ambiguous ending, technically. One could view it cynically and say that it's literally a case of "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Who are the brain-erased versions of Joel and Clementine, we might wonder, to think they know better than the versions of themselves that lived and learned and experienced? They're being willfully ignorant - they're still following the siren song of physical attraction even after they've seen the consequences.
But I don't see the ending as cynical and I don't project that the movie is trying to be either. I think, I hope, that the ending of the movie drops a hint that they've learned the one thing that will "break the cycle" they're in...
Joel: I can't see anything that I don't like about you.
Clementine: But you will! But you will. You know, you will think of things. And I'll get bored with you and feel trapped because that's what happens with me.
Joel: Okay.
Clementine: ....Okay... Okay.
By accepting the other's flaws, by acknowledging their own flaws, they've moved beyond their own selfish, self-centered thinking. For the first time they have the possibility for a relationship that's both self-less and forgiving. Thinking back, for all the poisonous relationships we've seen throughout the movie, that's the one thing no one had figured out. With people, as with memories, acceptance is absolutely invaluable - often, good and bad are hopelessly entangled.
9/10.
Every year at New Year's when the clock passes midnight, groups of people will traditionally sing "Auld Lang Syne". But why? The original poem that the song is based on is about whether the past is worth remembering - whether the recollection of good memories is worth the cost of remembering the bad ones. The phrase "auld lang syne" can be translated "old times" or "days gone by". The original song goes:
Should Old Acquaintance be forgot,
and never thought upon;
The flames of Love extinguished,
and fully past and gone:
Is thy sweet Heart now grown so cold,
that loving Breast of thine;
That thou canst never once reflect
On Old long syne.
"Eternal Sunshine" asks the same kinds of questions though it revolves around a completely different holiday. The movie begins with one of the great first lines in all of film: "Random thoughts for Valentine's day, 2004: Today is a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap." The line is delivered in voice-over by the main character Joel, played by Jim Carrey. Joel is in a long-term relationship with Clementine (Kate Winslet) but is informed that she has chosen to end the relationship by having him erased from her memory. A small company named Lacuna, Inc. has discovered a medical procedure which allows people to safely have memories erased such that, to the subject, it's as if they never happened. Joel is so devastated by this news that he decides to have her erased from his memory also. The problem is the procedure is unstoppable and irreversible and part-way through he changes his mind.
The question that the characters face is the question of whether, in the final analysis, their relationship was really worth it. If all of their experiences with the other person - the euphoria, the fighting, the regret, the hurt, the togetherness - if it could all be summed up like an accounting ledger, does the end result turn out to be negative? If it is, then is a person better off wiping the ledger clean? "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is, in some ways, an exploration of the Tennyson phrase "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" stretched over 100 minutes.
But while Joel is grappling with the question of whether his experience with Clementine was worth it, I wonder if the movie is posing an even larger question to the audience. I think the movie asks whether romantic relationships and romantic love IN GENERAL are really worth it. At least I think it hints that way.
Consider that the movie presents us with quite a few different relationships comprised of many different personalities with different parameters and different histories. Consider that with all its variety, there's one thing that holds true in every presented case: the relationship is not making anyone happier and the relationship is not making anyone better.
There is a man in the movie who falls in love with a woman only to find her with another man. There is another man pursuing romance through predatorial means. There is a married man who has an affair and by the end, his wife has found out the devastating truth and will probably divorce him. Another character is falling in love with a woman but finds that his love is unrequited. And then, there is one particular couple who Joel spends much time with (played brilliantly by Jane Adams and David Cross). This is one of those couples who seem to spend every waking hour of their lives fighting. In lesser movies, "fighting" denotes melodramatic screaming and slammed doors. But this movie is too smart for that. Here, the depiction is of a couple whose conversation is non-stop bickering - their entire lives seem devoted to cutting down the other with passive-aggressive digs. Each insult is met with under-the-breath muttering, each comment is met with a retort, no mistake goes unnoticed, no negative thought goes unspoken. It's a couple that we've all known or seen somewhere in our lives. It's exactly those relationships that you look at and think, "why are they even together?" After all, it can't possibly be worth it. Can it?
As Lacuna's machine goes through Joel's memories, erasing them one by one, it suddenly comes across the good ones and Joel is forced to re-live those as well. Joel realizes, of course, that he doesn't want to let go of those memories. One such memory provides my favorite visual in the movie: Joel and Clementine lying together on a frozen lake in the middle of winter and gazing up at the stars. Joel has one of the moments so rare in life: "I could die right now, Clem. I'm just... happy. I've never felt that before. I'm just exactly where I want to be." And Carrey gives it the perfect tone. But the moment is fleeting and soon that memory is gone.
A while later, Joel's remembering the day that he and Clementine first met. They're at a beach party and they sit together and stare out at the ocean. But this memory will soon be erased too. It's here that Kaufman uses the fleeting nature of Joel's memory to speak to the fleeting nature of life itself:
Clementine: This is it, Joel. It's going to be gone soon.
Joel: I know.
Clementine: What do we do?
Joel: Enjoy it.
As the mind machine traverses the synaptic connections of Joel's brain, we see the various events in Joel and Clem's relationship in a "stream of consciousness" order. The usual slow and predictable ebb and flow of human relationships is replaced by a collage of context-less episodes. We see a horrible fight mashed right up against blissful euphoria and we struggle to assimilate the two into a cohesive idea. It's reminiscent of "Slaughterhouse-Five", the classic story of a man who becomes "unstuck in time". One moment he's married, the next he's a child, the next he's fighting in WW2 - we have to consider his life as a mosaic rather than a portrait. It's a task we're not accustomed to and it doesn't come easy.
There's a musical example of this too. If you can get past the fact that William Shatner is involved, there's something interesting to be found in the oddball non-hit "In Love" by Fear of Pop. The song tells the story of a relationship from two perspectives. The background singers (Ben Folds) are singing lyrics from the the relationship at its peak ("Hold me in the morning / and tell me I'm / The only one alive"). Meanwhile, the lead "singer" (Shatner) is speaking from some time after the proverbial plane has crashed into the proverbial mountain ("I can't tell you anything / And I can't commit / You're right / I can't commit ... To you!"). The back-and-forth flow of the song between the vocalists forces shuffles and intertwines the two perspectives. It leaves us to try to reconcile diametrically opposite feelings from the same person but from across two different points in time. In theory, it's all up to interpretation. Personally, I have to give the Shatner side more credence, though. Have you heard that guy? That guy is angry.
At the end of the movie, it's up to Joel and Clementine to reconcile the extremes of their love/hate - to come up with their own "sum of experiences". The last scene of the movie is yet another one of those scenes that feels utterly unique to "Eternal Sunshine". Joel and Clementine (who think they've just met) listen to audio tapes of themselves listing all the things they hate about the other person and all the memories they don't remember.
Joel [on tape] And the whole thing with the hair - it's all bullshit.
Joel: I really like your hair.
Clementine: Thank you.
They hear the pain and devastation they're capable of causing each other but they decide to give a relationship a(nother) try anyway. It's an ambiguous ending, technically. One could view it cynically and say that it's literally a case of "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Who are the brain-erased versions of Joel and Clementine, we might wonder, to think they know better than the versions of themselves that lived and learned and experienced? They're being willfully ignorant - they're still following the siren song of physical attraction even after they've seen the consequences.
But I don't see the ending as cynical and I don't project that the movie is trying to be either. I think, I hope, that the ending of the movie drops a hint that they've learned the one thing that will "break the cycle" they're in...
Joel: I can't see anything that I don't like about you.
Clementine: But you will! But you will. You know, you will think of things. And I'll get bored with you and feel trapped because that's what happens with me.
Joel: Okay.
Clementine: ....Okay... Okay.
By accepting the other's flaws, by acknowledging their own flaws, they've moved beyond their own selfish, self-centered thinking. For the first time they have the possibility for a relationship that's both self-less and forgiving. Thinking back, for all the poisonous relationships we've seen throughout the movie, that's the one thing no one had figured out. With people, as with memories, acceptance is absolutely invaluable - often, good and bad are hopelessly entangled.
9/10.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Conan - Paul Rudd: The Tradition Continues?
Whenever Paul Rudd is on Conan, he sets up what we think will be a real clip from his latest movie but in actuality, it's always a clip from the 80s movie "Mac and Me". But now he's in a big summertime blockbuster and the pressure is on. Will the streak be broken?
Tonight Show - Do Not Play (Record List)
Jimmy tells us what records to avoid in the segment "Do Not Play".
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Tonight Show - Jon Glaser
Legendary Late Night with Conan O'Brien writer Jon Glaser appears on the Tonight Show and he's still pumped for the women's World Cup win. HE'S PUMPED.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Space Cop Trailer Released
The folks at RedLetterMedia have just released the first trailer for their upcoming movie "Space Cop". If you like space and you like cops, this is probably the space coppiest movie you'll find anywhere!
The description puts the release time as "To be released soon. When it's done."
The description puts the release time as "To be released soon. When it's done."
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Hello, Noram...
I fell into a Norm MacDonald youtube hole today and thought I'd post this clip. This is one of the "Conan highlights" that you see over and over, ad infinitum. But, as is the nature of highlights, you don't get the context of the broader picture. Thankfully, someone's posted more of the interview Conan conducted with "Melrose Place" star Courtney Thorne-Smith.
The thing that made it great was that it wasn't just a single joke but a series of interruptions. When Conan finally challenges, "Do something with that, you freak" and Norm does, it's just the icing on the cake.
The thing that made it great was that it wasn't just a single joke but a series of interruptions. When Conan finally challenges, "Do something with that, you freak" and Norm does, it's just the icing on the cake.
Friday, July 3, 2015
Conan - Girl's Night Out
Conan takes his female staffers to see the new horror movie "Magic Mike XXL".
Brocktoon Update II
The episode begins with a comic relief subplot not related to the AIDS. Kevin is attempting to sew and having trouble with it (he keeps sticking his fingers with the needle). Between the sewing and the muffins he's baking in the oven his father starts to worry about his son's sexuality. Don't worry, he's just taking Home Ec. for an easy A. Now, am I just reading too much into this but does it strike anyone has strange that an episode about AIDS brings up both homosexuality and needles in the first few minutes? Is that irony? Is that some weird dark humor from the writers? Should I be offended? I'm so uncomfortable right now.
So anyways, it turns out Wesley's best friend has been pulled out of school because he has AIDS. [Note to writers: there are many ways to ham-fist a lesson into a TV show comedy, you don't necessarily need a cute little kid to get a death sentence.] Wesley doesn't know what AIDS is and reacts inappropriately. The parents of the show sit him down to drop some knowledge...
"Wes, AIDS is a disease and your friend is pretty sick."
[...]
"You're saying he might be sick for a whole week?"
[Here the parents, incompetently look to their butler to help]
Brocktoon: "Maybe two."
"Boy, no school! Lucky duck!"
At this point in the conversation Wesley runs away and the parents let him continue to live with misconceptions. What was the entire point of having the talk?! Why not clear up the misunderstanding, what else is more important for them to do at this point?
Oh well. Without proper guidance from his parents, Wesley goes to school and here's what the kids have to say. AIDS makes your arms fall off, AIDS is easy to catch, you can get it from touching, "A sixth-grader told me you can get it just by talking on the phone". I never even considered that one.
So, I'm going to fast forward to the end because this is getting too long and I still need to google whether AIDS can be transmitted via the phone. Wesley faces various challenges and eventually decides to do the right thing but now the President's Day Pageant at school is coming up and it's time to do something stupid.
While on stage as Abraham Lincoln, Wesley interrupts his own speech to bring his AIDS friend up on stage. Panic fills the room. Wesley tries to educate us but several kids come from backstage to yell at him. One of the parents stands up from the audience and tells their child to stay away from the kid with AIDS. And this is the scene that makes the episode worthy of the National Film Registry. This is the kind of uncomfortable that can't be replicated anywhere else in the world. The awkwardness goes to 11. And in case that scene isn't enough for you, it's followed up by a scene where Wesley and his friend discuss possibly putting together a bucket list of things to do. His friend tells him that he doesn't have enough time left to do the things he wants to do. That actually happens.
The episode ends, as every episode ends, with Mr. Belvedere writing in his diary. He says, "I suppose at this point I should write something profound about life and death. But you know something, I'm really not in the mood". Fade to black. That's it? OK? Uh, what? I think I just watched the writers give up. Oh, and then the credits go with the goofy regular theme song instead of the downtrodden version that the Alzheimer's episode got. I don't know what to read into that.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Tonight Show - Brainstorm
Jimmy Fallon engages in Brainstorm with Arnold Schwarzenegger:
I've seen people give this bit flak for being a ripoff of Carnac but EVERYONE is doing Carson bits anyway, I don't see a problem with this example.
I've seen people give this bit flak for being a ripoff of Carnac but EVERYONE is doing Carson bits anyway, I don't see a problem with this example.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Tonight Show - The Mets Bucket Hat Guy
The Mets Bucket Hat Guy is back.
Each time they do it, the lonely, mournful walk away gets more exaggerated. Will they eventually run out of material? Only time will tell.
Each time they do it, the lonely, mournful walk away gets more exaggerated. Will they eventually run out of material? Only time will tell.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Movie Review: Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music (1970)
When asked about what it was like to be at Woodstock, the people I've heard, in second and third-hand accounts, will tell you how it was muddy, there wasn't enough food, it rained and there weren't enough places to shower or go to the bathroom. Asked about what it was like to play at Woodstock, the artists will tell you that the sound was bad, artists cancelled at the last minute, the playing order had to be improvised sometimes and notable acts obviously performed stoned (to their dismay when they heard the tapes). But the event has become the defining event of a generation that one simply HAD to be at - probably partly due to generational nostalgia but probably the release of the documentary movie "Woodstock" played a large part too.
I remember seeing clips of "Woodstock" on PBS when I was a teen. I've always appreciated the music of that time but found the presentation of the movie a bit silly. Much of the movie consists of split-screens two or three frames wide - I suppose they thought they were really being "far out there" when they thought of that. And the interviews with everyday concertgoers - aren't they just stoned out of their minds? These people thought they were starting a revolution?
But watching it now, I was completely missing the point. I laughed at the extent to which it was "of its time" but that exactly what's to love about it. It's dirty and spacey and experimental because it's a product of that time. The split-screen (most of the time credited to Martin Scorcese, though he credits director Michael Wadleigh) IS amazing - it creates the sense of the "bigness" of the event. The interviews with flower children ARE valuable because they give a sense of the people living in that time and place. Even when a revolution fails, it is nonetheless interesting to examine the attempt.
Some of my favorite interviews in the film don't even involve hippies (at least directly). The film crew goes around to talk to the townspeople who live in the Woodstock area and ask the invariably old people what they think about all these visitors descending on their home. Many of the old people don't like it and say so. I was wondering what the intent behind these interviews is. Are we supposed to laugh at the "square generation" as they "don't get it"? I don't think so. I'll take the filmmakers on their word that it's an honest attempt to capture a spectrum of opinion.
And then there's the music.
Watching the Director's cut, at almost 4 hours long, there's a good deal of music that I don't care for. And many of the best bands are not even featured. The Band were so unhappy with the sound, they refused to allow the video to be released. As I said, they were not alone - The Grateful Dead and Creedence Clearwater Revival were others with similar stories. Carlos Santana is in the movie but his performance is under the influence of mescaline - he thought it was safe to take it and then was told he was going on stage early. But even with all of these drawbacks, the music soars. Crosby, Stills and Nash do the entire "Judy Blue Eyes" suite. Sly and the Family Stone are amazing. Joe Cocker does "With a Little Help from My Friends". And, of course, Jimi Hendrix gets significant screen time. It occurred to me watching it this time that when he comes to "the rockets' red glare" and "the bombs bursting in air" he extends the section to actually express the rockets and the bombs bursting.
There's more than a little distance between me and the Woodstock generation. Far from a muddy pit, I watched the concert from my couch. I was, I admit, occasionally distracted by my laptop and I had no trouble using the restroom. But it is Summer and, over the four hours that I watched "Woodstock", the day slipped into night and I felt no need to turn on a light. Watching in the dark, bathed in a stream of images from that historic event and soaking in the great music, it did feel like a magical experience, it did feel transcendent even if the strongest thing I had ingested was iced tea. Oh, and it just started to rain.
8/10.
When asked about what it was like to be at Woodstock, the people I've heard, in second and third-hand accounts, will tell you how it was muddy, there wasn't enough food, it rained and there weren't enough places to shower or go to the bathroom. Asked about what it was like to play at Woodstock, the artists will tell you that the sound was bad, artists cancelled at the last minute, the playing order had to be improvised sometimes and notable acts obviously performed stoned (to their dismay when they heard the tapes). But the event has become the defining event of a generation that one simply HAD to be at - probably partly due to generational nostalgia but probably the release of the documentary movie "Woodstock" played a large part too.
I remember seeing clips of "Woodstock" on PBS when I was a teen. I've always appreciated the music of that time but found the presentation of the movie a bit silly. Much of the movie consists of split-screens two or three frames wide - I suppose they thought they were really being "far out there" when they thought of that. And the interviews with everyday concertgoers - aren't they just stoned out of their minds? These people thought they were starting a revolution?
But watching it now, I was completely missing the point. I laughed at the extent to which it was "of its time" but that exactly what's to love about it. It's dirty and spacey and experimental because it's a product of that time. The split-screen (most of the time credited to Martin Scorcese, though he credits director Michael Wadleigh) IS amazing - it creates the sense of the "bigness" of the event. The interviews with flower children ARE valuable because they give a sense of the people living in that time and place. Even when a revolution fails, it is nonetheless interesting to examine the attempt.
Some of my favorite interviews in the film don't even involve hippies (at least directly). The film crew goes around to talk to the townspeople who live in the Woodstock area and ask the invariably old people what they think about all these visitors descending on their home. Many of the old people don't like it and say so. I was wondering what the intent behind these interviews is. Are we supposed to laugh at the "square generation" as they "don't get it"? I don't think so. I'll take the filmmakers on their word that it's an honest attempt to capture a spectrum of opinion.
And then there's the music.
Watching the Director's cut, at almost 4 hours long, there's a good deal of music that I don't care for. And many of the best bands are not even featured. The Band were so unhappy with the sound, they refused to allow the video to be released. As I said, they were not alone - The Grateful Dead and Creedence Clearwater Revival were others with similar stories. Carlos Santana is in the movie but his performance is under the influence of mescaline - he thought it was safe to take it and then was told he was going on stage early. But even with all of these drawbacks, the music soars. Crosby, Stills and Nash do the entire "Judy Blue Eyes" suite. Sly and the Family Stone are amazing. Joe Cocker does "With a Little Help from My Friends". And, of course, Jimi Hendrix gets significant screen time. It occurred to me watching it this time that when he comes to "the rockets' red glare" and "the bombs bursting in air" he extends the section to actually express the rockets and the bombs bursting.
There's more than a little distance between me and the Woodstock generation. Far from a muddy pit, I watched the concert from my couch. I was, I admit, occasionally distracted by my laptop and I had no trouble using the restroom. But it is Summer and, over the four hours that I watched "Woodstock", the day slipped into night and I felt no need to turn on a light. Watching in the dark, bathed in a stream of images from that historic event and soaking in the great music, it did feel like a magical experience, it did feel transcendent even if the strongest thing I had ingested was iced tea. Oh, and it just started to rain.
8/10.
Friday, June 19, 2015
Tonight Show - True Confessions
To promote the new season of "True Detective", Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn play "True Confessions" with Jimmy. Each of them reads a confession from their past that could be true or it could be a lie and the other two have to guess which one it is.
This game feels like it should be called "Good Cop/Bad Cop".
This game feels like it should be called "Good Cop/Bad Cop".
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Conan Reviews Video Games - Halo 5
Conan and his team, Team Coco, challenge Team Silicon Valley in the won't-be-released-for-a-long-time Halo 5. Treachery is afoot!
This video gives me a queasy feeling as it reminds me of playing Halo, myself. Those were dark days. In other news, I've been watching Silicon Valley recently. It's pretty good.
This video gives me a queasy feeling as it reminds me of playing Halo, myself. Those were dark days. In other news, I've been watching Silicon Valley recently. It's pretty good.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Conan - New Spotify Channel
Conan has a new Spotify channel at http://teamcoco.com/spotify. Before they upload the Minty Candy Cane Theme, they're first uploading playlists containing every musical guest that has ever appeared on any Conan talk show. The playlists are divided by year.
Someone in the youtube comments requested the Cameltoe Annie Theme. That's a deep cut.
The first ever musical guest? Radiohead playing "Creep" in 1993.
Announcement Video.
Someone in the youtube comments requested the Cameltoe Annie Theme. That's a deep cut.
The first ever musical guest? Radiohead playing "Creep" in 1993.
Announcement Video.
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