George Takei obligingly rips Marvel Studios a new one for forging yet another link in the infinite chain of Hollywood hypocrisy by turning “the Ancient One,” a character in the upcoming “Dr. Strange” film, from an Asian to a Celt so that he/she can be played by non-Asian Tilda Swinton without subjecting the studio to…
Author: Alan Vanneman
WalMart Books
I was in a WalMart Supercenter—I mean, really in one—this weekend for the first time in my life. Naturally, I looked for reading material. WalMart has lots of adult coloring books, something that I did not know existed. Apparently, lots of people find it relaxing to color in semi-abstract designs, just as they find it…
Alfred Hitchcock—A coupla white guys sittin’ around talkin’, Part II
Two weeks ago, I used the clip shown above—a detailed analysis of an early scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo supplied by “Nerdwriter1”—largely as a springboard for discussing a persistent “windows motif” that runs through the picture. Today I want to talk about what the two characters in this scene “Scottie” (Jimmy Stewart) and Gavin Elster…
Pride goeth before a fall? I sure hope so!
At the corner of 18th and Massachusetts, less than two blocks from my condo, stands this fine, five-story Beaux Arts structure, sometimes known as the Andrew Mellon Building. For several years now, the American Enterprise Institute has been laboring to turn 1785 Mass into a headquarters posh enough for their exalted egos, counting among their number…
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here. “Okay, when I say ‘Jump!’ you jump! It’s not that hard!” “I miss the C train. It had brakes.” “Sure we pay a price, but the tracks belong to the people, damn it! The tracks belong to the people!” “If we had a TV, that would be nice. I…
Hey, George F. Will! Stop making sense!
Yes, much as I hate to admit it, George F. (“F as in FREEEEEEEEKY!!!!!”) Will, perhaps my all-time piñata/bête noire, has a point in his latest screed, “Scientific silencers on the left are trying to shut down climate skepticism”, because that’s exactly what’s happening. I’ve previously complained about the utterly meretricious suit brought by a…
Who’s Cooler, Prince or—OK, Screw It
For a while I had a meme, comparing whichever pop icon was in the news to the first pop icon I encountered, Hopalong Cassidy. But memes get old, and, judging from the worshipful coverage Prince is receiving, comparing the late guy who was formerly known as Prince to a B-movie cowpoke like Hoppy, whose name…
Matt Loescher Trio—“Misterioso”
Andreas Waelti, bass, and Reini Schmölzer, drums. Live at Musikwerstatt Wels (Schlachthof) on March 31st 2015. Posted by Matt Pedals
Shorter Reihan Salam: I’m an idiot
Over at Slate, Reihan Salam has a post up Why I’m voting for Ted Cruz. Why? Well, as Reihan explains, Ted’s immigration plan is better than Trump’s: “Though I don’t agree with every aspect of Cruz’s position on immigration, it has the virtue of being coherent and defensible, something that can’t be said of Trump’s.”…
Please God, let Bernie be crushed
I know that’s not much of a prayer, but that’s how I feel. But, even if my wish comes true, and Hillary Clinton can earn a majority of delegates prior to the convention this summer, Bernieismo has already taken its toll on the Democratic Party, pushing a donkey that was not terribly “progressive” in the…