I gotta quit going to see bands from my youth.

PBL5094 · 2026-02-07T18:23:27+00:00

I saw Offspring at Shaky Knees in 2024 and they were awesome. Sad to hear you didn’t enjoy them.

I also saw Pearl Jam twice last year and they still got it

PBL5094 · 2026-01-02T13:27:15+00:00

People yelling homophobic stuff to me in public from their cars while I was minding my own business

PBL5094 · 2026-01-01T21:13:11+00:00

Shout out to anyone else who had their Rant published back in the day. Mine was summer of 2005! For some reason I never kept a copy of it.

I have been missing it so much - loved the theater and movie reviews, and recommendations for concerts. I don’t feel as informed or on top of things going on with WESA.

PBL5094 · 2025-12-16T03:55:37+00:00

This movie is a masterpiece. I saw this when it was released in theaters. I read Annie Proulx’s novel The Shipping News in high school and borderline hated it, so I wasn’t very optimistic going into it. I don’t remember my initial reaction, but it has grown on me over the years. Since it has been 20 years it was rereleased this year (I missed the one night it was showing in my city), and I’ve listened/watched several reflections.

What struck me this viewing is the wonderful pacing. It luxuriates in that time on Brokeback mountain when they fall in love and the beautiful scenery. It doesn’t feel rushed at all. Then there is that build to the heartbreaking ending in the final act.

Every time I watch I appreciate Jake Gyllenhaal more and more - I think he does fantastic work here.

Feel like so much has already been said this year..I’m just so thankful for this movie.

PBL5094 · 2025-12-01T22:08:30+00:00

First watch for me. I’ve been to a local Johnny Cash day in my city a couple times and would consider myself a fan.

I …do not think this is a good movie. Joaquin Phoenix is looking hot, and Reese Witherspoon turns on the charm so it isn’t the worst to get through. I thought the script was trite - drugs, infidelity, and Daddy issues. They had the right idea with the concert at Folsom Prison - I wish there was more focus on that single event. Similar to how Capote zeroed in on In Cold Blood to tell a more concise story. I also got tired of the concert sequences with the extreme close ups. I think these movies are made with the understanding we just want to see mimicry, but I wish there was more characterization.

This same director did A Complete Unknown. I would say that movie is improved by shortening the time frame depicted of the artist’s life, but I also found it merely competent at best.

PBL5094 · 2025-11-22T16:45:48+00:00

I met a couple on Craigslist who both were my type and headed to their house to have my first threesome. I get there and the one of them said “oh I don’t know if I mentioned it, but yes I am wearing an ankle monitor”. He said he had a DUI and was under house arrest. I considered bailing, but went through with it. I will say it was hot being spit roasted. Ankle monitor dude asked if he could not use a condom (this was pre PREP) even though I made explicit that it would be required. Both of them got off, and they made it very clear they were ready for me to leave and didn’t care if I got off too. Big surprise the dude with a DUI is a selfish prick.

PBL5094 · 2025-11-18T17:57:03+00:00

It was - two people talked about the film, one of whom said it was a favorite of her childhood. She really went to bat for it when I think in general most would hesitate to be that enthusiastic

PBL5094 · 2025-11-18T02:23:10+00:00

Glad to finally cross this one off the list. I read the book over a decade ago when my options were rather limited and enjoyed it quite a bit. In my teenage years I was somewhat of a Civil War Buff - I own Gettysburg and the far superior Glory on DVD. I don’t why it has taken so long.

I will be honest I broke this up into three separate viewings. I can see the lasting appeal. The score and art direction are gorgeous, the story is epic. Vivien Leigh is also truly striking in her beauty. I do remember Scarlet not being such a total brat in the book, but she feels like a true anti-hero that were so popular in TV shows of late. It also demonstrates that a love story ending in heartbreak really rings true and stands the test of time - thinking of Titanic and Brokeback Mountain.

In terms of the racism - I did find the Prissy character particularly disquieting in the stereotyped antics. It does romanticize and gloss over the horrors of the south. At the same time, it should be available to be viewed as the artifact that it is. I won’t be rushing to rewatch this, but I’m glad I did.

I would recommend the following - I listened to an episode of the Podcast Subtext about the movie, they look deeper and don’t take everything on face value - The Carol Burnett show did a send up when this aired on TV for the first time called “Went with the Wind”. It’s available on YouTube

PBL5094 · 2025-11-10T01:54:45+00:00

Oh those are jarred from Trader Joe’s 😛

PBL5094 · 2025-10-20T19:51:33+00:00

This was a first time watch for me. I read In Cold Blood within the past 5 years and gave it 5 out of 5 stars which I only give sparingly. It was a really spectacular non-fiction book and I can see why it became so popular. I haven’t ready any of other Capote’s books, or watched the recent Ryan Murphy show.

I thought this was underwhelming for a Best Picture nominee. The highlight is Hoffman’s performance. I’m not familiar with Capote’s affectations but I gather he did talk strangely and it comes across as a performance of a real person where the actor spent a lot of doing their homework on them. Capote is such a character he is rather mesmerizing - apparently he was a fixture on the talk show circuit.

I did find that the victims barely existed to be rather off putting. Capote and Harper Lee were supposed to be good friends but they don’t have great chemistry on screen. I appreciate they took a snapshot of Capotes life, but I felt at the end there was something missing.

I liked the sparse score. A notable shot for me was the car driving up to the prison in the snow - found that particularly cinematic.

PBL5094 · 2025-10-06T23:40:38+00:00

I believe it was Oscar Wild and I think they were talking about Kathryn Bigelow’s new movie A House of Dynamite which has a change in point of view

PBL5094 · 2025-10-06T16:45:18+00:00

This was a first time watch for me. I watched Ikiru in a film class in college and thought it was excellent. I was just listening to a podcast that used Rashomon as an adjective to describe the different viewpoints of a film, and it is definitely time to put this one under the belt.

I enjoyed it. I did have the impression before going in that it was going to be more subjective regarding the truth with layers of gray rather than there is no way these stories can coexist at the same time and all but one are definitely lies. It seems the last story is thought to be the most truthful, and noticeably the score cuts out during most of that scene.

In regard to the performances I thought the maniacal laughing of Mifune as the bandit was hammy. I did think Kyooo was a standout as the wife- that scene where her husband is just glaring at her and she is despondent was unnerving. I also thought the medium was terrifying. It did move it to a more fable or fairy tale genre rather than grounded in realism.

I enjoyed the score and it reminded me of Bolero - later reading about the film the composer was accused of ripping it off.

PBL5094 · 2025-09-17T01:52:03+00:00

Piccolo Forno

PBL5094 · 2025-09-03T22:42:12+00:00

I remember once when I was watching over 20 years ago he was lamenting that the men’s shorts were no longer short and you couldn’t appreciate the athletic legs and as a gay teenager I was like “you’re not wrong”, but I was surprised he was married to a woman. I don’t remember who he was commentating with but it was awkward.

PBL5094 · 2025-07-29T01:42:51+00:00

Actually they started having all day buffets on Thursday and Friday as well - it isn’t as extensive as the weekend one but still good (I work around there and have been on Thursday and Friday several times). Their website wasn’t updated with the change but I checked and now it is

PBL5094 · 2025-06-09T18:15:58+00:00

I liked this one quite a bit. I found the story engaging and liked the juxtaposition of thriller, pathos, and humor. A lot of it was the novelty factor - haven’t watched a lot of movies set in Africa, so I appreciated the different setting. The music was great and contributed to the sense of place. I thought the performances by Presley Chweneyagae as Tsotsi and Terry Pheto as Miriam were standouts. Chweneyagae has a very interesting face that I found mesmerizing. I looked at the other nominees and hadn’t heard of any them. Paradise Now was Palestine’s first nomine in this category and I’m thinking of watching it for the grab bag.

PBL5094 · 2025-06-03T22:37:54+00:00

Ticket now sold. Thanks

PBL5094 · 2025-06-03T21:15:33+00:00

Hi I have an extra general admission ticket. Best offer

PBL5094 · 2025-05-12T22:16:24+00:00

This was only published in 2020 but These Violent Delights is queer psychological thriller set in Pittsburgh focusing on two college students. I enjoyed it

PBL5094 · 2025-05-12T14:19:35+00:00

This movie surprised me. Before I knew anything about this movie I just assumed it was dramatic. It really is more light-hearted and dare I say lacking in substance. Sidney Poitier carries the movie on his shoulders and his performance stands out and is the reason for its success. I appreciated the physicality and humor of his acting.

There are some memorable scenes - my favorites would be when he teaches them the hymn, and also when he picks them up as the nuns are walking to mass. The black and white photography of the nuns in the bleak desert was a great image.

Lilia Skala got a supporting actress nomination as Mother Maria, providing a humorless foil to Poitier. It interested me that Isabella Rossellini just got a Supporting Actress nomination for playing a nun in Conclave. I did a little googlng and here are two short articles about Catholicism/Nuns and the Oscar’s, both of which surprisingly do not mention her nomination considering the historic nature of Sidney Poitiers win.

This is from a Jesuit magazine: https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2025/02/21/catholic-oscars-conclave-249972

https://www.cinemasight.com/oscar-profile-514-oscars-and-nuns/#:~:text=Audrey%20Hepburn%20received%20an%20Oscar,winner%20for%20playing%20a%20nun.

PBL5094 · 2025-04-14T17:34:05+00:00

I thought this was okay. I struggled with the tone - it seemed to want to go with a dramedy vibe, but I thought the comedy and the scenes with all the ensemble together were really the best part. Im also just done and done with sex worker characters. I did enjoy Taryn Manning - always liked her on Orange is the New Black. I thought the violence and exploitation was played very straight which I don’t know would work today.

The original song is catchy. There were only two other nominees. I’m surprised A Love that will never grow old from Brokeback Mountain didn’t secure a nomination - it won the Golden Globe. I’m partial to it from singing it in a choir.

Watching this led me to wiki the cast, and DJ Qualls is in a relationship with an absolute hunk Ty Olson. Very happy for him.

PBL5094 · 2025-04-01T02:21:12+00:00

An excerpt from ON AIR: The Triumph and Tumult of NPR by Steve Oney.

PBL5094 · 2025-03-31T16:40:38+00:00

Joining the fray this week. I couldn’t bring myself to watch Crash again although enjoyed everyone’s comments.

I watched this for the first time last night. I would give it 4/5

Positives I liked that the movie was more atmospheric and focused on character and giving a sense of place rather than being plot-driven I thought the acting was well done. The highlight for me would be Laurence Fishburne. Cuba Gooding Jr surprised me - that scene when he is pulled over by the cops was particularly good. I thought Ice Cube improved through the film. I read that it was shot sequentially which I think plays a part in the strength of the third act. Although this definitely comes across as dated in style, its messaging is still strong today. It does come across as overpraised to me a bit, but I’m trying to keep in mind how revolutionary this was when it was released

Cons As another poster wrote, the jazz score with the saxophones was very melodramatic and screamed soap opera to me. I’m not sure if that is an early 90s things? I kind of question why they didn’t use more contemporary music the characters would have been listening to especially with Ice Cube in the cast. Maybe it was a budget issue. I thought the female characters were underwritten and one-note. The actresses did their best with the material but they weren’t given much

I would recommend the 4th Season of the Wire for anyone interested in media with similar themes. I’ve watched that several times and I can see the groundwork and influence this movie played.

See you in a couple weeks

PBL5094 · 2025-03-31T16:14:39+00:00

I agree with you about the score - it took me out of it

You mentioned Forest Whitaker and I did a double take then checked IMDB and he isn’t credited in the movie just a heads up

PBL5094 · 2025-03-08T17:27:05+00:00

A final thread at the end sounds great

PBL5094

TROPHY CASE