New Feature: Deal of the Week
Circuit City has several good DVDs on sale for $4.99 this week. The deal is in-store only, runs through Saturday and includes such discs as Edward Scissorhands (10th Anniversary Edition), Donnie Darko, The Thin Red Line and Die Hard.
Vacation Blogging
Did you know that even though it’s called a “bath” robe, you can sit around in it all day unshowered?
I’m on vacation this week, but I’m not going anywhere. So, posting will probably be sporadic, but not completely absent. Look for my top films of aught-four before the end of the week and some exciting new notch-kicking-up features on The City of Bloating Flogs in the new year.
In the meantime, check out DataWhat?’s Things of 2004 list. It turns out I’m the funniest person Zac’s ever met. It also turns out he lost a Granddad and gained a Boston Terrier in 2K4, just like I did. I named my dog Buster after my late Gramps. I’m guessing that’s probably not how Zac got the name Daisy.
Best of 2004: Jude Law Movies
While I’m sure many readers are perched on the edge of their seat, eagerly anticipating my year-end list of 2004′s best films, I’d be remiss if I didn’t first rundown the finest selections from what became aught-four’s most abundant new sub-genre: The Jude Law movie. If it seems Law was everywhere this year, that’s because he was. In fact, he’s behind you right now. No sudden movements and he won’t attack. Jude Law is more afraid of you than you are of him. Never forget that.
1. Alfie
It’s rare that a remake makes such a splash, but Alfie splished, splashed and splooshed it’s magic all over the cineplexes this years. Law’s turn as the wise-cracking, cat-eating extra-terrestrial was just what the doctor ordered to cure post-election blues. Incidentally, it was also effective in treating rickets.
2. I Heart Huckabee’s
I didn’t catch this one when it was in the theaters, so I downloaded a bootleg version. However, it turns out the pirated copy I got my hands on was actually just a Spanish-language version of the Torque trailer looped over and over again about 30 times. And yet, Law was absolutely riveting.
3. Cold Mountain II: Die Cold Mountain Die
Anyone who thought 195 minutes of Jude Law as a Civil War veteran practicing the catching-quarters-off-your-elbow trick wouldn’t succeed with critics and audiences alike has to be feeling like a real son-of-a-bitch these days.
4. The Aviator
Sure, Leonardo DiCaprio is the star of the Howard Hughes biopic, but Law steals the film with his bold interpretation of Errol Flynn as a delightfully-racist Sikh dwarf.
5. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
More like Totally Awesome Captain and the World of Oscar-Caliber Performances!
6. The Passion of the Christ
Law’s decision to costar as the crucifix in Mel Gibson’s bloody polemic was controversial to say the least, but the gutsy turn paid off for the dreamy thespian, garnering him accolades galore. Word has it a spin-off prequel is in the works and rightfully so!
7. The Butterfly Effect
How many actors can pull off playing Errol Flynn in two different films in the same year? One, that’s how many, and his name is Judas Alejandro Law! The scene with Errol riding the butterfly over the waterfall was worth the price of admission alone.
8. Lemony Snicket’s a Series of Unfortunate Events
The official word is Jude Law only served as this film’s titular narrator. However, as any insider knows, the entire cast was stricken with lice early in the production. So with the help of a little makeup and a lot of acting chops, Law stepped in and played every character.
9. Fahrenheit 9/11
Liberals and conservatives didn’t agree about much in Michael Moore’s eristic film, but no one can argue that Jude Law’s turn as Douglas Fairbanks is anything short of spellbinding!
10. Closer
I was disappointed to learn Jude Law’s topless scenes had been left on the cutting room floor, but I still found myself getting up several times during the film to tenderly lick the screen. That’s a winner in my book.
Now We Just Need to Budge on Civil Rights, Embryonic Stem-Cell Research, Unions, Separation of Church and State, Social Security, Progressive Taxation and Slavery and We’ll Really Have a Viable Party on Our Hands
Democratic Leadership Rethinking Abortion
The party has obviously already reversed its stance on allowing the severely mentally retarded to make platform decisions. After all, somewhere between 55% and 80% of Americans favor abortion rights. The fact that 59% of Democrats and 55% of Independents are pro-choice should be more than enough proof that flipping on Roe v. Wade would be utter buffoonery on the part of the Dems, but when you take into consideration the 36% of Republicans that are pro-choice, the idea is nothing short of party suicide.
Contrary to popular belief, fewer than 50% of Republicans favor overturning Roe. It’d be far more logical (not to mention easier) to bring pro-choice Republicans and Independents into the Democrat tent, not by changing stances, but by clearly demonstrating why the party’s platform is superior. But what the fuck do I know?
Best of 2004: Blogs
Yes, I already broke my promise to serve up a new best-of list every weekday until the end of the year. Want your money back?
Anyway, today I bring you the ten blogs that were best at making my workdays gleefully less work-filled in 2004. Obviously, to make things fair, I took The City of Floating Blogs out of the running. Actually, if your blog isn’t listed either, that’s why. It’s just too awesome to be considered.
1. 1115
In a year in which the political wing of the blogosphere was a flurry of round-the-clock, frantic posting by desperate writers attempting to be the breakout blog of the election season, 1115 kept it real, offering original, well-composed and poignant commentary that informed, entertained and toed no party line. It could be said about a lot of great bloggers, but these guys really should be getting paid for what they do.
2. Whatevs
At times, I’ve been known to talk a lot of smack about Uncle Grambo. His taste is usually dumbfounding and often infuriating. The lingo tends to get on my nerves. I can’t help but be envious of his traffic. So why do I check in on Whatevs about two-dozen times a day? Because it’s hands-down the best pop-culture blog in the Internet. There’s no better place for unsubstantiated celeb dirt, underage nip-slip pics or any other guilty-pleasure scoops. iously.
3. DataWhat?
Seemingly overnight, fellow AMGer Zac Johnson became one of my favorite bloggers with his linktastic site. Funnier and more consistent and reliable than big-time blogs that have been in the game for years, DataWhat? effortlessly rules the school on a daily basis at only eight-months-old.
There’s simply no other music blog that even comes close to providing the quality or quantity of content Largehearted Boy is able to spit out every day. I don’t know how he does it, but I hope he never stops.
5. Gizmodo
Gadgets are like porn to me almost as much as actual porn is like porn to me. Now that TechTV has gone down the toilet, Gizmodo is my number-one source for gadget and technology news. The breadth of content is nearly matched by Engadget, but Gizmodo is more fun to read.
6. Defamer
What happens when you mix the sharp wit of Bunsen.tv with up-to-the-minute movie-industry news? You get the #6 blog of aught-four.
7. Low Culture
Mixing smart and funny like they were chocolate and peanut-butter, Low Culture is the blogosphere equivalent of The Daily Show.
Of the two Detroit-centric blogs on this list, Motorcity Rocks is the best at making me think Southeast Michigan is actually a cool place.
9. Detroit Blog
The other Hockeytown-loving blog on the list, Detroit Blog is the best of the two at making me think Motown is tragically beautiful.
10. Some Blogs are Better than Others
Hardly anything I’d call well-written and far too short-lived, for all of its flaws SBABTO was an acid-tongued carnival of delightful irreverence while it lasted.
