Archive for March, 2009

I Speak TV: Kings, Castles and…uh…Teds

Posted in Jeff Holland, Threat Quality with tags , , , , on March 31, 2009 by braak

Ahh, midseason: when half the network’s fall schedule has been decimated, and it’s up to a scrappy band of shows that weren’t ready in September to head once more into the breach, for queen and country, stepping over the corpses of kings‘Knight Rider’ and that Jerry O’Connell hotel show as they charge.

“KINGS”:

My belief that there absolutely should be nighttime soap operas is generally tempered by my acceptance that I am not the audience for them. I mean, honestly – what the hell do I care about the problems of the impossibly rich and good-looking? Their issues, as dramatic as they may be, ultimately don’t matter. They treat it like a matter of life and death, but…c’mon.

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I Swear I’m Going to Get Back to Work

Posted in Threat Quality on March 30, 2009 by braak

Also, I have to do my taxes!  Blech!

But Moff was talking about something in the comments the other day, and it’s been commanding my attention since then, and I’ve decided to work it out here, in a blog post.  Complicated ideas consume me, and they make it hard for me to sleep.  Hopefully, this will exercise them.

This one has to do with God, and the nature of the infinite.

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Threat Quality Radio Friday

Posted in Threat Quality on March 27, 2009 by braak

One of these days I’m gonna do a theme week. This is not that week.

Anyway, go listen to:

The Go! Team!
Vampire Weekend!
Josh Rouse!
Nina Simone!
Psychedelic Furs!
And to show I can be a good sport, The Killers!

Hey! Watch and/or Read This, Why Don’tcha?

Posted in Threat Quality on March 26, 2009 by braak

A few movie/DVD/comic/TV recommendations for y’all.

Movies/DVD:quantum

Quantum of Solace:
The second installment into the rebooted 007 series caught flack for being too “Bourne”-ish – too actiony, without the usual Bond charms. Those criticisms aren’t unfounded, particularly in the visuals, as Marc Forster adapts Paul Greengrass’s shaking cameras and quick cuts.

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On Clark Kent, and Superman

Posted in Braak with tags on March 25, 2009 by braak

Okay. In Kill Bill 2, David Carradine gives this speech about Clark Kent and Superman, and how Clark Kent is the disguise that Superman wears–that the lame, clumsy, glasses-wearing guy is what this demigod thinks human beings are like.

Because David Carradine says it, and because he was a Buddhist monk in Kung Fu (and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues), it is perfectly natural to think that he’s imparting some kind of secret wisdom about the nature of Superman. The thing that you have to bear in mind is, while it was David Carradine who says it, it was Quentin Tarantino who wrote it.

This is why I’m perfectly comfortable saying that it’s completely wrong.

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Howie Long: Dick…or Super-Dick?

Posted in Jeff Holland, Threat Quality with tags , , on March 23, 2009 by braak

And now, a short play, detailing one man’s harrowing experience with a well-known television personality at a local home improvement store.
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On Harry Shearer, and This Show I Heard on NPR

Posted in Braak with tags on March 23, 2009 by braak

Dear Harry Shearer:

What the hell is wrong with you?  I keep hearing your show, which I think is called “Le Show” on NPR, and because I’m too lazy to change the channel (and a little paranoid about futzing with the radio while I’m driving) I end up listening to most of it.  I guess it’s on Sundays?

This show is terrible.

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Still Playing With the New Microphone

Posted in Threat Quality on March 20, 2009 by braak

Now, I can subject you all to my guitar lessons.

Threat Quality Radio Friday

Posted in Threat Quality on March 20, 2009 by braak

This week:

The Watchmen sex scene reminds me about Leonard Cohen! (Now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d type.)

Also:
They Might Be Giants!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs!
Johnny Cash!
Neil Finn!
Super Furry Animals!

Enough About Alan Moore, Already!

Posted in Jeff Holland, Threat Quality with tags , , on March 19, 2009 by braak

alan-moore-1Okay, headline, will do. Right after this post.

Alan Moore is generally regarded as one of the all-time greatest comic book writers. And if you look at the work he puts into every piece (Google one of his exhaustively detailed scripts), the guy is a phenomenon, using the format to its fullest effect to explore themes, visuals, and commentary.

But let’s say you’re not someone who’s been reading comics for 20 years or so. Let’s say, for instance, you’re someone who just came back from Watchmen, and you’re wondering what book to read next? Or, more specifically, “What’s the big deal about this Alan Moore guy?” Read more »

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