Happy Birthday, USA!

I'm reading David McCullough's 1776 and feel grateful to those who believed freedom and individual liberty were important enough to risk everything on 236 years ago. For example, Henry Knox was 25-years old and owned a book shop in Boston. Yet he conceived and supervised a plan to drag cannon from upstate New York in the winter and over mountains to Boston where their presence compelled the British to evacuate. Thus he became Washington's Chief of Artillery. Thank you Henry Knox and many others for your dream and the courage to pursue it.

Savages Review Up at F.O.G.

Drawing upon "The Brady Bunch," studio marketing showcases cast members.

Strange doings on the set bedevil production as Stone unleashes his inner Castro. In other related news, this movie featured the lowest number of law suits against John Travolta in some time. Read more, learn more, go now to "Reviews of Films I Have Never Seen."

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Oliver Stoned Goes to Pot

Say it ain't so, O. Is Savages Oliver Stone's first serious attempt at comedy? Learn more tomorrow at Forces of Geek as "Reviews of Films I Have Never Seen" explores in-depth the texture and themes of a star-filled movie shot on film.

In Savages, two pot growers find themselves targeted by a cartel. Who will win?

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Seeking a Friend Review Up at F.O.G.

Doomed people making comedy for the last time.

With December 2012 just around the corner, have you given any thought to who your apocalypse pal might be? You've got more time than Steve Carell. With a planet-killing asteroid in-bound in three weeks, he must decide whom to hang with for the remaining 21 days. Then, of course, there's the thrill of parking in a handicapped zone whenever the heck you like.
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Seeking A Friend Review: Free Spirits Need Work

Coming tomorrow on F.O.G., I examine Lorena Scafaria's Seeking a Friend for The End of the World. Learn how a meeting between an uptight stiff and a free spirit can have surprising results as Earth nears total extinction. A date movie to rival Schindler's List.
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Ethan Russell's American Story

A Man, A Decade, A Pot Load of Photos. Ethan Russell photographed them all: Beatles, Stones, The Who, etc. One of the 1960's premier rock cameramen, his photos and thoughts on those tie-dye days are available in several formats over at Amazon. Just know that Russell's An American Story was edited by my charming wife, Joy. That plug should be good for a favorite dish or a Get-Out-Of-In-Law-Dinner card.

Brave Review Up at F.O.G.

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What do ancient Scotland and Indianapolis have in common? Go, learn, reflect right now. The answer may surprise and delight you like a bale of found jolliness.

Brave Review: Kooky 70s Stuff

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Tomorrow my review of Brave at Forces of Geek explains why Pixar's latest animated release is One Day at a Time without Schneider.

Little Games Hitler Played

Hitler toys with a German film exec.

 Much has been written about the atrocities of Adolph Hitler. But new information has surfaced indicating that the Nazi leader hated hanging up first. Along with a love of Bavarian pastries and exterminating everyone east of Germany, Hitler would terrify callers by making them be the first to break a telephone connection. Try and wait out the Fuhrer and you'd find yourself beaten into ragu by the Gestapo. He would also page through the Berlin phone book, call a random number and, without identifying himself, say, "Hello? Hang up your phone at once." If the party asked, 'But who is this? Why have you rung me up in the first place?', then Hitler would assume they were stalling so that he'd terminate the call. That party would be beaten into a reddish mist by the SS. Evil dictators are bad. Evil quirky dictators suck.

That's My Boy Review Up at F.O.G.

Reiki energy is sent into the nostrils to eliminate unsightly boogers.

The dry wit of Adam Sandler returns but this time combined with a social consciousness, tackling a little known issue and extolling the virtues of therapy.

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So Long, Ray Bradbury

So sad, yet he lived a rich full life and produced a literary legacy that will last a bit, I think. His childhood friend was the great Ray Harryhausen. Read a smidge on Mr. Bradbury here.


Image: Rubicon Theatre Company