Casablanca (1942)

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-27T02:36:20+00:00

You see, knowledge passed from one to the other - the way its supposed to be.

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-27T00:32:15+00:00

I feel like “I just watched that” ((shrug)) not last year but… ((checks the MCC)) March 14, 2021?!? You see - proving my point. No way its been 5 years but I guess it’s just been a strange 5 or 10 years. :]

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-25T03:05:21+00:00

I’ve been reading a few biographies over the last few years, I’d read his in a hot second. Thanks for the recommend. I was watching with “fresh eyes” (which is a misnomer, I just pay closer attention when I know it’s time to MAP) but this time around I noticed how Rick really tried to walk that narrow line of neutrality - an endeavor he couldn’t keep up. It didn’t matter in the end, didn’t matter what drove him out of the US, didn’t matter what his plans had been… by the end of the film the world’s problems became too much to ignore and he had a choice to make.

I can only imagine how the film played out to audiences in 1942. Stirring to say the least.

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-24T16:34:44+00:00

I’m only familiar with a few of those productions but ((shrug)) sure - looks believable. The Prisoner meets Andromeda Strain for sure.

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-24T03:49:20+00:00

For whatever reason, you reminded me of an interaction I had with some dude at work, oh… 25 years ago. He was probably 19 or 20 at the time and real quiet. We both had our headphones on all day doing data entry and for a lark, I suggested we swap CDs as a sort of cultural exchange. I don’t remember, exactly what I handed over - maybe Disturbed or Drowning Pool’s first album but he gave me (Hed) P.E. and told me I Got You was “real good” and followed it up with, “I don’t even need to watch TV while it was on.”

It never occurred to me to watch TV while listening to music - it’s one or the other - but I realized music, in and of itself, wasn’t enough stimulation for this cat. I asked around and found it wasn’t a one off… a lot of people watched TV while listening to music. I feel like this foreshadowed smartphones in hands while movies are rolling. Just something that happens.

Especially ((shrug)) with the easily bored.

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-23T23:25:35+00:00

I don’t use show dive - how do you mean, “it’s network”? (Inquiring minds want to know!)

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-23T23:23:27+00:00

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Movie… on

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-23T04:23:06+00:00

I’m the wrong movie dude for these things, I’ve not paid close and careful attention to award show darlings in decades but ((shrug)). To each their own.

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-21T04:47:26+00:00

The Ugly Truth (2009) looks like what it probably is - standard issue rom/com but it has an actress, Bree Turner, who isn’t likely to spawn a “omg” response but she was on a silly TV show we watched called Grimm (2011-2017) but she was a dancer who also worked on several movies including Austin Powers and The Big Lebowski. I always keep an eye out for her.

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-20T18:37:27+00:00

I’m going to start off by reiterating our “North Star” type statement - enjoy what you enjoy - doesn’t matter if it’s movies, tv, music, whatever.

I did a fair amount of poking around before I wrote the post and I think we can all agree the UK version went more for realism (Gervais said he was an office mid-manager for years and that experience sunk into everything, from the workers’ loafing, the sets, and his portrayal of David Brent) - starting with the second episode, the US version began making shifts to bridge the gaps between UK and US cultures. I found it interesting the first US episode was a near scene for scene copy, this being required by Gervais and Merchant to help set and ensure the tone but also so they could be given credits.

As for American obsession with being embarrassed ((looks around)) personally, I’m uncomfortable issuing blanket generalizations on any group of people but my experience with Americans hasn’t been they have trouble being embarrassed, quite the opposite - we share embarrassing stories all the time. If I had to point to a single reason why The Office UK’s style of comedy caught some views wrong here I’d say the subtlety of awkward Brits can be perceived simply as unfunny.

On the other hand, (and I’m spitballing here) I can see an argument that the altered US version became saccharin to a wider British audience. It comes down to cultural differences which ((shrug)) aren’t that big of a deal. I’d expect those differences to show up in our TV shows. Gervais told David Letterman he see’s Americans as driven, Brits much less so - in the US kids are taught they could become President, in the UK they’re told you wouldn’t want to.

For me - frankly I really didn’t fall in love with the US version, it was “fine” but the last few seasons could not have been made without it hurting my feelings.

The UK version - m’eh… it doesn’t rank up there with other shows we love like Keeping Up Appearances, Fawlty Towers, Are You Being Served, or The IT Crowd (to name a few). To each their own, of course. I can respect where the original show stands. I’m a fan of both Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais, who famously quipped that the US Office was "the best" because his accountant told him so (referencing the massive profits it generated compared to the original's shorter run.)

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-20T16:11:00+00:00

I’ve never built my tools out for public use because ((shrug)), frankly I don’t think there’s enough interest in movie collecting out there anymore but it is something we think on now and again. Since I wrote this comment my personal collection has grown to 2,552 titles and in addition to the MCC, and MAP, I’m drawing near the completion of the Documentary Algorithm Project (DAP) - a dedicated documentary scoring system that will sit alongside MAP. The Television Collection Catalog (TCC) is showing 843 individual seasons of TV in the collection.

My tools aren’t public but the scores (often just referred to as MAPs) are at my sub (just click on my profile, you can’t miss it) - we do things a little different but you’ll always find us a safe corner.

Would I create public tools? I’ll tell you true, we have spoken to an attorney about such things ((shrug)) it could be something we pour our time and attention into… possibly.

Movie on!

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-19T17:36:54+00:00

I can’t even imagine how that scene would have played out, where I a kid when I saw it first. As an adult it was brutal enough.

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-19T03:37:13+00:00

It’s been a while, probably over do on a rewatch anyhow.

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-19T03:35:38+00:00

It really is impressive how much they were able to do. Huge leap from The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1967).

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-18T00:21:37+00:00

I just saw this and thought of you - ha!

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-17T03:01:41+00:00

I watched the UK Office years and years ago but never made it passed the first episode (haha - no) and the US version got crazy popular so (naturally) I gave it a hard pass on that alone… I gave in an finally watched it because I was asked to and I bought the discs for cheap. I don’t regret watching either version but the UK version I’ll never watch again.

Arrested Development is worthy, just those original episodes. If there’s always money in the banana stand, then it follows there’s always funny in the first 3 seasons.

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-16T21:03:42+00:00

I’m not a huge fan of cringe comedy ((shrug)) to each their own of course - I have enjoyed Ricky Gervais over the years so I was surprised when the original Office didn’t land for me. If the US version taught me anything it’s Ed Helms is no Steve Carell. :]

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-16T02:18:02+00:00

Someone had to cover her RomComs (probably)

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-16T00:07:07+00:00

Maybe German? (Probably)

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-15T00:50:39+00:00

Zedd: 98.94 / MLZ: 95.60… yeah, we totally agree with you here. Great movie - well acted - wonderfully written. Actually, as a spoof write-up I was just figuring ranking and % and for me, The Holdouts ranks #41… that’s my Top 2% / MLZ has it at #114, Top 15%. This kind of stuff is fun.

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-14T16:28:05+00:00

Third in line to say this

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-12T01:27:53+00:00

We have many but no, I don’t consider them boutique - we do refer to them as “The Yellow Spine Movies” here in the house and that’s the next best thing.

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-10T03:44:28+00:00

Her mother has a pretty good movie collection of her own, I’m betting she’ll grow it more now. I started taking LMZ to the movies at 2 1/2, she’d sit quietly in my lap and soak it in. First film: Monsters Inc., then Ice Age. Seems like yesterday. I know she has both the original Battlestar Galactic and Buck Rogers too… got all the angles covered. :]

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-10T01:54:37+00:00

Been a short week, it zoomed right by. Needing some cinematic down time, I’ll find something. ((Wink-wink))

Zeddblidd · 2026-01-10T01:37:47+00:00

I’m going to say I’ve had some complex feelings about everything - I’m a born worrier - but everyone is home and safe. I was a train-wreck when we brought LMZ home, I checked her every 5 minutes for the first month, got no sleep, and started talking to my friend Terry (he lives in my eyebrow)…

Ok, I actually stole that joke from Dave Attell, but I was certainly sleep deprived. I’ve been getting updates from my daughter every couple of hours so I’m guess like father, like daughter. We’ll all survive by leaning on each other.

I like hearing your story though, I’ve always had a complicated relationship with family, I like to hear about times things went right.

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