Movie Review: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966)

Candy manufacturer Willy Wonka once said, "The suspense is terrible. I hope it'll last." Sergio Leone's style could be described this way. Gun fights are naturally un-cinematic - they're over in a second or two. So what Leone does is extend the silence before the fight, drawing out the tension like a blade and then drawing it out some more.

Ennio Morricone's score is perfect - it's opera meets comic book. He doesn't just write a great score, he creates music with a sound unlike everything else that had come before. It's an orchestra, it's hyena yells, anvil clanks, gutteral yelps and electric guitar. It's fantastic and it's totally unique.

I liked this movie the first time I saw it but at 3 hours, I didn't like it enough to want to watch it again. But it's infectious - the whole style gets in the bloodstream. It's extreme closeups of fat, sweaty faces, wide panoramas, hands inching towards guns... and of course the music.

8/10.

Rob Burnett on Late Night

Rob Burnett was on Late Night last night. He started as an intern for Letterman in the 80's and worked his way up to the point where he's the head of Worldwide Pants Inc.

When Jimmy first got the job at Late Night, Conan O'Brien gave him a giant, fake pickle. Rob Burnett sheds light on where it came from and what it means as well as debuts long lost footage of Questlove on the Late Show with David Letterman. It's fantastic.

Part1:

Part2:


If I was going to name this blog today, "Comedy Pickle" wouldn't be a bad choice.

Summertime

This post comes just a little late. But I didn't think of it until recently. To me, the song "II BS" by Charles Mingus IS the summer. It's the musical form of the experience of a sun that's just too bright and a day that's just too hot and the only available options are a glass of lemonade and a car ride with the windows down.

Charles Mingus - II BS

Conan and Andy vs. Dream Team 2032

Conan and Andy decide to settle one of the classic sports debates - who's the better basketball team, Team Coco or the Dream Team of 2032?



"Do we let the wolf in?"
"No, don't let him in."
"Don't let him in."

Conan: Glengarry Glen Ross Auditions

Just a few days after I post a movie review of "Glengarry Glen Ross", Conan's made a new video which features Shaq auditioning for exactly that movie. Coincidence? Or could it be that I'm affecting the show?

You decide.



Oh yeah, Shaq, you're up a few and you think you're wearing the big boy pants? If you don't like my performance I walk across the street and talk to Jerry Graff... PERIOD. END OF DISCUSSION. You know what, no, screw that. I'm going... TO LEMKIN... you fairy.

The 100 Meters Track

As the Olympics are going on and as the Track and Field events have just started I was reminded of this gem from several years ago. "The Games" was an Australian mockumentary series about the fictional inner workings of the government as it prepares for the 2000 Sydney Games.

From this series, "The 100 Meters Track" is the most youtubable moment and it's a classic. Skip to 4:49.



Part 2.

I had this recorded on VHS for years and I'd of uploaded it to youtube myself if someone hadn't beaten me to it. By the way, if this looks familiar somehow, it's probably because you've already seen this.