LikeTelevision Blog

Battle of the Battles

2008-05-07T13:50:00.002-04:00

For reasons that are a mystery to me, a lot of movies are either about war, or set in a war torn environment. And war is nothing short of terrible. No argument. But what were the best war movies at you can watch at LikeTelevision? Well here the list. The Battle of the Battles.

10) The Battle of San Pietro Written, directed and narrated by John Huston, which means, yes - this is a good film.

9) The Battle of Midway This battle was the turning point for dominance on the sea in World War II. Admiral Bull Halsey, interesting fellow.

8) The Battle of Britain Starring Winston Churchill and our brave friends the Brits.

7) Forbidden Games - This is the story of some orphaned children in WWII France. Very powerful movie. also known as Jeux Interdits, the French title.

6) Battleship Potemkin - Sergei Eisenstein's landmark film set during the Russian revolution.

5) Throne of Blood Imagine a film that combines Japanese master Akira Kurosawa and Shakespeare's Macbeth. The final fight scene in the end is required viewing. The soldiers decide to kill their leader in lieu of facing the battle w/ the fast approaching enemy. About a thousand arrows are fired from everywhere to finish the job. One of the greatest pieces of film ever.

4) Samurai II Duel At Ichijoji Temple Hiroshi Inagaki 's epic trilogy of Musashi Miyamoto, Japan's greatest Samurai warrior. In part 2, everyone wants to knock him off the top, so they challenge him, and lose. The best scene is in a rice paddy field, where he defeats about 100 people who are trying to get him. And because of the difficult footing in the rice paddys, the battle is totally believable.

3) La Grande Illusion Jean Renoir's amazing film about the futility of war.

2) The Battle of Algiers I think this film is fascinating, and hard to watch. It provides a frightening insight on today's war on terror and how war is seldom an answer for fighting hate and terror.

1) Seven Samurai Akira Kurosawa 's 3 1/2 story about a group of Samurai and Ronin (Samurai who have no master or Lord) that join up with some frightened villagers to defend their turf against bandits. Lots of exciting battles, and the final battle is something you just have to experience after watching the whole movie. Totally worth your time.

Charles Dickens' David Copperfield

2008-05-02T12:44:00.002-04:00

Check out the newest addition to the movie library at LikeTelevision™, Charles Dickens' David Copperfield. The film features a very impressive cast of British acting legends, including Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Michael Redgrave, Richard Attenborough, and Edith Evans to name a few of the biggest names.

In the film, David Copperfield goes through many triumphs and tragedies on his life's journey in a series of flashbacks and reflections of what the heck happened during the course of his eventful life. Eventually, he gains a deeper understanding that love has more to do with compassion than passion and physical beauty. And that to attain true love, it takes a great deal of courage and strength.

More Classic Monk TV Shows

2008-04-23T11:05:00.003-04:00

For all you folks who enjoy Tony Shaloub as Adrian Monk, the brilliant obsessive-compulsive sleuth from San Francisco, well Come on Down, as Bob Barker used to say. We got three cool episodes for you. The first suggestion is titled, Mr. Monk goes to a Rock Concert. Monk at a concert? huh? Yep, funny episode. The next offering is called Mr. Monk Goes to the Dentist and it's a hygene nightmare for Adrian. Mr Monk hates dentists (typical anti-Dentite, like Jerry Sienfeld), but he has to investigate in the dentist's office where the crime took place. (sure, we have more dentist videos). The final episode is titled, Mr Monk and the Big Game. Monk is a women's basketball coach and he is hoping with all his might that he might win a trophy. Just one, please!

Ollie Johnston, Last of the Nine Men

2008-04-17T11:19:00.005-04:00

Ollie Johnston, the last of Disney's nine men, died April 14, 2008 at the age of 95. (NYT Obit)

Back in the day, when FDR called the nine Supreme Court Justices his nine men, Walt Disney, as a joke called his top nine animators his Nine Men. The group included Marc Davis, Milt Kahl, Les Clark, Eric Larsen, Ward Kimball, Woolie Reitherman, Frank Thomas, John Lounsbery, and of course Ollie Johnston. Here's more on the Disney's Nine Men.

All the Disney greats we remember - Snow White, Bambi and on and on. Thank the nine men. If you want to see a terrific example of Ollie Johnston's animation work, watch Susie the Little Blue Coupe. Narrated by Sterling Holloway, the voice of Winnie the Pooh.

TV Classics about the Tax Man

2008-04-15T10:00:00.002-04:00

Time to serve up some TV comedy classics about the tax man. First place goes to Granny, who is ready to shoot the revenue man since he might also wanna mess with her still by the cement pond that makes her Spring Tonic. The episode is called Jed Pays His Taxes. Now imagine the I.R.S. has a worst nightmare, what would that person be like. Well look no further - I think Grace Allen would win this prize. Check out 2 hilarious episodes where Gracie's spacey intellect get the best of The Tax Man and the Property Tax Assessor.

You might also want to check out the Frank Random preview of My Man Godfrey, where Eugene Pallette laments that his family spends 50% of his income while the federal government want 60% for taxes. One final tax video concerns Al Capone, who went to jail for tax evasion.

Ooops, we forgot to mention this yesterday - but April 14th is the day the Titanic sunk after it hit an iceberg. Make sure you check out the One Step Beyond episode about the Titanic called the Night of April 14th. We offer that episode with 2 other episodes as a DVD iso download to subscribers or a la carte. But no worries TV fans, the Flash and Real streams are free to watch.

Olympic Tradition - Politicians and Terrorists

2008-04-14T13:24:00.004-04:00

We continue our mini blog series on Olympic Furor over the years. This last part looks at how the Olympics has been used by politicians and terrorists to attempt to make a point, but in the end it usually is a pretty futile and silly gesture. A bunch of countries (Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland) boycotted the games way back in 1956 because of Soviet aggression in Hungary. Cambodia, Iraq, Lebanon, and Egypt boycotted the same games because of the Suez Crisis. In 1972 & 1976, a bunch of African nations boycotted the games because South Africa, Rhodesia and New Zealand were not banned from the games. And there's other instances as well. So by the time the USA boycotted the games in 1980 (we were livid over the USSR invading Afghanistan... kind of ironic huh?) it was old hat. And yes, Russia responded along with a large group of Eastern bloc countries by boycotting the 1984 games in Los Angeles. Remembering all this as a kid, it really stunk. The Olympics were much less fun with only one of the big boys. I mean what's the point? That's like an ACC tournament with only Duke or UNC showing up, but not both. This year looks to be no different as a bunch of countries are considering boycotting the games because of Chinese human rights violations. Come on folks - you got 4 years between the games to talk all you want and work it out.

But politicians are the only ones who have chosen to disrupt the games, terrorists have too. Back in 1972, the Munich games were really creepy as a bunch of terrorists killed Israeli atheleles and then blew themselves up at the airport.

Olympics, All Greek To Me

2008-04-09T09:59:00.002-04:00

We continue our Olympics theme this week in the blog. In case you missed the last post, check it out. If time is tight, at least watch the 1 minute clip of Jesse Owens winning the 100m in the 1936 Berlin games. Hitler is quite upset. Sweet!

Today, we are suggesting some lighter fare - as the videos take you way back to ancient Greece, the place where the Olympic Games started in the ninth century, BC. First up, Popeye in Greek Mirthology. Popeye is trying to get his nephews, Pipeye, Peepeye, Pupeye and Poopeye to put away their ice cream and eat some spinich. So Popeye tells a story about ancient Greece. Popeye plays Hercules, and Bluto comes in to challenge Hercules, because Bluto thinks he's the strongest by far. Oddly enough, Popeye is into garlic for most of the cartoon, before he gets slammed by a Bluto punch that throws him into a spinach patch. And in a surprise ending, the nephews bolt the table, leave their spinach on the plate and get some ice cream from the ice cream man, played by Bluto. So Bluto wins this round, well kind of.

Another fun cartoon with that ancient Greek flavor is It's a Greek life. This classic toon features a Centaur who is a cobbler, and he needs to fix up Mercury's sandals. Oooops, I need to stay Greek - that would be Hermes' sandals.

Olympics Furor Redux

2008-04-07T10:10:00.002-04:00

Once again, there's trouble brewing in the Olympic games, as a bunch of people are using the festivities to promote their own agenda or in this case, a complaint against the Chinese for human rights violations. Now, rest assured we are all for human rights. My problem is looking at the event from the standpoint of an athletic competitor. (why back in 1968... when i competed in the Mexico games.... just kidding. I am not an athlete anywhere approaching that caliber, not that there's anything wrong with that either). Anyway... i can imagine myself as an athlete, ok.... and darn it, if i worked all those years, i would like a shot to compete at that level without all the other political nonsense. Go do that somewhere else... who picked this venue anyway?

But historically, the Olympics were often the center of social and political issues coming home to roost. In 1936 Berlin, Germany we have our first modern day problem as the games are filled with Olympic Furor. Big problem... as the master of ceremonies is Der Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler himself. He was planning to use the games to spotlight how supposedly terrific those Arian fellas were. Germany had some of the best sprinters on the scene and were favorites in the 100m dash. Hitler came to watch the event but was so disappointed with the outcome, he left the stadium. You see this terrific young American named Jesse Owens popped on the scene and dashed to victory. Check out the movie Olympia, part one and two, directed by an amazing women named Leni Riefenstahl. She was also the one responsible for many of the most insidious and nasty propoganda films of the Nazi era, but she was never tried or convicted as a war criminal, always maintaining she was just a filmmaker. In any event, all this makes Olympia a very interesting movie.

We'll continue this blog topic during the week and add more interesting Olympic Games related video clips. Until then, check out the 1936 Olympic Games, and see for yourself that everything old is new again.

I'm in the Army Now

2008-04-03T11:59:00.005-04:00

Oh how the times have changed. Check out this classic popeye cartoon, I'm in the Army Now, which takes place at the army recruiting headquarters. Bluto and Popeye are fighting tooth and nail, vying for the last open slot as a recruit. Why are they so enthused? Because Olive wants to go out with a military man.

Another Army related classic toon - Rookie Review, which features a bunch of green recruits and a pun every 20 seconds or so. Quite entertaining for a classic cartoon.

And finally, for some entertaining light comedy related to the Army, check out Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin in At War With the Army. Loads of laughs, plus it features Polly Bergen, no relation to legendary ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, operator of Charlie McCarthy and father to Candace Bergen. Polly Bergen was born in Knoxville, Tennessee nee Nellie Paulina Burgin, on July 14, 1930. But back in the day, Polly Bergen was a big deal and a hard working actress. One of her most notable performances was in the original Cape Fear from 1962. She played Gregory Peck's wife, and was stalked by a maniacal Robert Mitchum.

But I digress, let's get back to the army. Our final suggestion today for a fun Hollywood treatment of being a soldier comes from Laurel and Hardy. Ollie gets his heart broken and decides to join the French Foreign Legion with his good buddy Stan. Trouble follows in their wake. Very funny stuff. Check out Flying Deuces. This movie also is available as a DVD iso download.

Okay... one more. This is hilarious. George Gobel remembers his time spent in military service, stationed in Oklahoma during World War II.

Simone Signoret Rocks

2008-03-25T16:54:00.003-04:00

Simone Signoret was born today March 25th in Wiesbaden, Germany, way back in 1921. Her acting career spanned four decades and she spent most of that time working hard. Simone Signoret won an Oscar for Best Actress in 1960 for Room at the Top. (sorry, I wish we had that movie too, but no). A few years before she played an amazing nasty mean girl in Les Diaboliques. Her acting range in this movie is scary. So good that you'll be very careful to ever trust a woman again.

Simone Signoret was married twice, the first lasted 4 years, but her second marriage to Yves Montand lasted till her death on September 30, 1985. And who is Yves Montand you ask. He was a very slick singer and was included in the first Europe to US satellite transmission via Telstar. He also starred with Marilyn Monroe in Let's Make Love in 1961. Rumor has it the two followed through on the title and had an affair during production. Forgive and forget, his marriage to Simone Signoret lasted till her death in 1985. Montand died November 9, 1991. In any event, Happy Birthday to Simone Signoret, a remarkable actress. Don't believe me? watch the movie Les Diaboliques and see for yourself.

Baseball Season 2008

2008-03-18T12:22:00.003-04:00

Though the weather is still cold and while old Jack Frost the meanie of winter does his best to hold on, spring is on the way. Hooray! My favorite spring video on the site is a tough call. Either this amazing psychodelic cartoon, To Spring. Hyperactive elves work an amazing underground color paint pump to paint all the flowers and changing colors of spring. Got a techno Metropolis thing going on as well. Also big on the spring best of list, is Granny's Spring Tonic. There's just nothing like the first good batch of moonshine in the spring.

And spring means spring training, which means the baseball season is just around the corner. Grab a bag of peanuts, a cold beer and put those steroid pills away please. We have a ton of terrific baseball clips we thought we'd highlight to get you in the mood for Baseball. The Jackie Robinson Story, Paul Newman in Bang the Drum Slowly, and The Lou Gehrig Story. A nice walk down a lane of legends. For some fun - check out the Clampetts vs. The Dodgers. Leo Durocher of the L.A. Dodgers plays himself, and he's very impressed with Jethro's throwing arm. Why, he could be a pitcher in the majors right? A bunch more shorties too. Just search for Baseball. And don't miss the one with Max Patkin, the clown prince of baseball.

Oil Discovered in Saudi Arabia

2008-03-14T10:41:00.004-04:00

On March 15, 1938 oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia, by the Aramco Company. Who is Aramco you ask? At the time, Aramco consisted of three big boys - Standard Oil, Texaco and Mobil. And they found the mother of all oil deposits in Saudi Arabia. Check out this newsreel from This Day in History and languish in the irony. The clip made in 1990 or 1991 - back when oil was around $20-$25 bucks a barrel.

Having encoded 50 plus episodes of the Beverly Hillbillies, and heard the theme song so many times i knew it backwards, it seemed impossible for my mind not to wonder how the reworked song would go?

Come and listen to a story 'bout a man named Ahmed, a poor bedouin barely kept his family fed... and then on day he was shooting at some Kurd, when up from the sand shot a bubbling... ??? Well, there's a million variations to explore over the weekend, or the next time you are filling up the tank. If time is not at a premium, search for Saudi Arabia. Or some laughs, check out Jed Clampett in Jed Strikes Oil, the episode where Jed learns his land is worth a fortune.

Charles Van Doren Loses

2008-03-11T08:59:00.006-04:00

On March 11, 1957 Charles Van Doren ends his amazing win streak and loses to Vivienne Nearing on the super popular game show Twenty One, hosted by Jack Berry. In the early days of TV, people were shocked and mortified that TV games shows were not entirely fair. In fact some were even rigged. The big shoe ready to drop? Twenty One. It was learned that the show producers gave Van Doren the correct answers in an effort to beat the unstoppable Herb Stempel. While Stempel was a great player, he was bad for demographics or something. Who knows?

Fifty-one years ago today, Van Doren's winning ways came to an end and one of TV's first cheaters lost to Vivienne Nearing.

Do we really need any more videos of New York political corruption? Well, today we suggest Corrupt NY Governor, v. 1.0. As we heard the sad news about Eliot Spitzer, we were reminded of a movie that features a corrupt NY Governor named Angel on My Shoulder. No, it doesn't involve a prostitution ring, though the title sounds like it might. But it does involve the criminal underworld. Claude Rains in terrific in the role of Satan, and Paul Muni stars as Eddy Kagel, the hardened criminal who is tempted by Satan to sell his soul. The film also stars Anne Baxter the fetching nice girl that Eddy learns to love.

D.O.A. Edmond O'Brien Rocks

2008-03-03T09:48:00.006-05:00

D.O.A. provides a terrific sense of urgency. Frank went out to jazz joint to get a drink while on a business trip. But somebody poisoned him, and he only has 24 to live. He must find out what happened and get the people responsible for his impending death. Because like it or not, Frank, played by Edmond O'Brien is going to be D.O.A. when he gets to the hospital. Great movie, very interesting and intense.

If you enjoyed Edmond O'Brien's performance, you can see him again in The Bigamist, co-starring Edmund Gwenn. Yes, that's right - he's the guy who plays Santa from Miracle on 34th Street.

Oscar Night Feb. 24 2008

2008-02-22T15:56:00.002-05:00

Time again for Oscar Night, and all the beautiful people will be there. But part of what makes the Academy Award night so interesting, is all the previous years that went before.

LikeTelevision™ has a bunch of terrific former Oscar winners and nominees. For Best actor - check out Gregory Peck in To Kill A Mockingbird or Jose Ferrer in Cyrano de Bergerac. Plus great Oscar moments in time - 1956 when Ernest Borgnine in Marty beats our Frank Sinatra, Spencer Tracy, and James Dean. You can watch Sinatra in Man with the Golden Arm - great movie.

And who could ever forget Sacheen Littlefeather accepting for Marlon Brando. And Frank Capra, William Wyler and Orson Welles. Frankly - there's too many to mention. You might try searching for Oscar in the media library, or try this - a quick quiz... okay who's the lady in the first picture? She's an incredible costume designer. Here's a hint, Archie wife. Need more help? Here's the answer.

Jack Black, Comics and Plastic Surgery

2008-02-19T17:38:00.002-05:00

If you are a fan of comic books, you'll love this episode of The Simpsons, with special guests including Art Spiegelman, Maurice LaMarche, Alan Moore, and Daniel Clowey. Need more, how about Jack Black as Milo, the Mr. cool comic book store owner. Meanwhile, Marge starts a gym business just for ladies and it becomes a killer success, making her wealthy and making Homer worry. Check out Husbands and Knives.

We also added a few more downloads including some One Step Beyond episodes. Among others, you'll find Prisoner and Midnight. Need some more downloads? Well check out The James Dean Story. All for now, gotta scoot.

The Simpsons TV Show

2008-02-12T16:42:00.000-05:00

Wow - what a treat. Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa & friends. Check out a few choice episodes of The Simpsons. For pure irony -I'd suggest That 90's Show, where Homer starts the whole grunge music scene by performing sad and very angry songs. All because Marge was off at college and forgeting how terrific Homer was, and falling for a cool professor type. Another Simpsons episode - E Pluribus Wiggum. A delightful political comedy, where all the presidential candidates come to Springfield looking for votes and delegates in the caucus. Very silly and entertaining. Finally, check out this Simpsons episode, I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, starring Steve Buscemi as the bank robber who gives himself up, on the promise that Marge will visit him in prison. Lots of action in this episode, and Buscemi is a riot.

Sharona or Natalie?

2008-02-06T14:20:00.000-05:00

Monk starring Tony Shalhoub is one of my favorite shows on cable. I have always been a fan of the theme music from Jeff Beal during the show opening credits so i got pulled into it from the beginning. And what's not to love about a neurotic San Francisco detective with obsessive compulsive disorder? Answer nothing and this is a great show. For now we posted 3 new episodes of Monk. Mr Monk Goes to the Carnival, Mr. Monk Goes to the Asylum, and Mr. Monk Joins a Cult with special guest Howie Mandel.

But today's burning question is, which female actress was your favorite Monk co-star? Was it Bitty Schram or Traylor Howard? Or Sharona Fleming or Natalie Teeger if you prefer.

TV Guest Star Bonanza

2008-01-31T11:06:00.000-05:00

In 1960s, Bonanza was a cool show - because it was broadcast in color, a huge deal at one time when I was just a kid. Yes, it's true. Like many kids, each week we'd wait and look forward to watching Bonanza because it was in color. And we had a color tv which was wow cool man - like today if you had an iPhone and a 46" 1080p LCD flat panel tv. Back in the 1960s, if you had a color tv - That was cool!!! Each week on Bonanza you’d get some cool guest stars, stars from other tv shows, movies and broadway. Anyway - here’s some of my favorite Guest Stars on Bonanza episodes. Watch these free tv shows

1) The Ape w/ Leonard Nimoy.

2) San Francisco w/ Richard Deacon and David White

3) The Avenger w/ Vic Morrow

4) Silent Thunder w/ Stella Stevens and Albert Salmi

5) Day of Reckoning w/ Ricardo Montalban as an Indian?

Boy Scouts Turn 100

2008-01-24T11:18:00.000-05:00

Happy 100th Birthday to the Boy Scouts, which began in Britain on January 24, 1908. That would make the Boy Scouts 100 years old today! Woo Woo, makes me want to go on a jamboree with Dunder Mifflin branch manager, Michael Scott, Survivor Man. Check this interesting newreel about the founding of the Boy Scouts by Sir Robert Baden-Powell, including some terrific old film of Boy Scouts from decades ago from many different countries. Here's to the Boy Scouts - Happy 100th Birthday.

More on the Boy Scouts

The Office - Survivor Man

2008-01-22T13:07:00.000-05:00

One of the final episodes of The Office before it went on hiatus due to the writer's strike was Survivor Man. Michael (Steve Carell) goes out to the back woods as Survivor Man after he doesn't get invited on a camping trip. Imagine Bear Grylls meets Donald Trump's toupee or whatever that thing on the Donald's head is... in a carefree outing of wilderness gone corporate desperation. I won't say anything else to spoil it for you - but this free episode of The Office is one of the funniest half hour shows in tv history. Also kind of interesting is this short bio on Bear Grylls - and the negative feedback on the Discovery Show Man vs. Wild, explaining that a lot of the super mondo survivor guy stories are faked.

MLK - Perchance to Dream

2008-01-17T12:36:00.000-05:00

Whenever I hear the word dream - my mind almost always jumps to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's I have a dream speech and also, to William Shakespeare, specifically to Hamlet's soliloquy that begins, To Be or Not To Be. And this year - given all the recent race baiting and crying wolf over a poor choice of words and downright silliness related to race, I wonder how Dr. King might be resting in peace, to sleep, perchance to dream. And as Hamlet continues, ah there's the rub. For those not versed in Hamlet, he has just learned that his uncle has killed his father. Worse, his mother will be marrying him shortly. It is just an awful situation and he wonders whether life is worth living, hence to be or not to be is Hamlet considering whether he should live or die by his own hand. As he muses about being dead, he says:

to die, to sleep, To sleep perchance to dream, ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause.

And so i found myself wondering, Was the great Dr. King resting in peace, or was Dr King having bizarre dreams related to what was unfolding at present in the election process. How some old hippies who were there in the Civil Rights days, were now tweaking the race issue for their own ambitions. How sad. And how, a black man can run for President without a lot of concern about the color of his skin with one exception. It sometimes seems like many people want to vote for Obama because he is black. I do not know anyone who is not planning to vote for Obama because he is black.

At this point in history, not many people really care about a person's skin color. I remember Bob Marley's song, War, and think, we are almost there. We are almost at a time in history when the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes. Yikes, my mind teleports... to visions of Sinnead O'Connor with a buzzhead and a bluetooth microphone on SNL singing War, really really angry.... and Britney Spears juxtaposed doing a duet with Sinnead. War? I think not. My perchancey dreams are scary enough. Give me Peace.

So - here's some content you might consider this weekend. Check out Vincent Price in Theater of Blood as a murderous Shakespearean actor. Yes, he even does Hamlet's to be or not to be speech. And Johnny Carson does a spoof of Hamlet here - very funny stuff, followed by a somewhat tawdry section featuring Jane Fonda. And by all means check out short video of Dr. Martin Luther King and the I have a Dream Speech. And in case you wondered where i found that picture of Dr. King as the Jack of Spades, I just searched google images using these words - liketelevision martin luther king and found a nifty deck of cards. And if all these emotional and mental gyrations are too much for you - well just disappear, Somewhere in Dreamland.

The Office, More Episodes

2008-01-16T18:09:00.000-05:00

Just in time for the long holiday weekend - check out some of the best episodes from the award winning NBC show, The Office starring Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, and John Krasinski. There's Money, The Launch Party, The Negotiation, and a bunch more.

More cool tv episodes on the way. Be patient, as we are off to NY for the Martin Luther King holiday weekend for a wedding related bash.

Poll Dancing Mishaps

2008-01-09T13:37:00.000-05:00

There's a part of me finds great joy when the major media outlets look like monkeys, and yesterday the MSM pulled a mondo sized flub. We were told time and time again, that Barrack Obama had already won New Hampshire. It was a done deal. Mrs. Clinton was toast. And on and on until yammering knuckleheads got red in the face, yada yada. What can I say other than - get a life. It was fun to see Huckabee turn into Huck-a-who? Is it just me or is the polling commentary really annoying?

Now, go turn off the talking heads and grab a cold beer. If you want to check out the Poles, that is, something Polish that is interesting, may I suggest a few titles here in the library. 1) Knife in the Water, an early work of Roman Polanski that is in Polish with English subtitles. A good film, with a very tense romantic creepy group of people on a boat. 2) Escape from Sobibor, one of the best stories you propably never heard of. It is a tale of human courage and triumph in the face of total evil and hellish circumstances. Stars Allan Arkin and Rutger Hauer. 3) Circus of Fear, starring Klaus Kinski and Christopher Lee, who plays a Polish lion tamer from the circus. And finally - though not Polish in origin, check out Fake News, which is part of the Dubious Lampoonery section. It seems appropriate and should be a gentle reminder that news often gets it totally wrong.

Iowa Caulk Us zzzzzzzzz

2008-01-03T16:27:00.000-05:00

Allow me to yawn at the Iowa Caucus - tonight we get our first peak behind curtain as to how people might actually vote for the who is the next commander in chief of the USA, el Presidente. Is it just me, or does anyone else see this trend. A trend where, only a total knucklehead would want to put himself and his family through the process of getting elected. And as I look at the current slate of candidates, it almost seems like I have proved my case without it even meriting an argument. We got a big pack of lovers and liars. Huckabee and the I didn't know about the cross, the Clinton dynasty again after the Bush dynasty redux, and don't get me started on John Edwards - he was our NC Senator and promised till he was blue in the face he'd do his job in the state first and never run for president while in office. Guiliani and the tawdry closet full of skeletons and ex-wives, and Romney just kind of gives me the creeps, Obama scares me too as his rhetoric is way too emotionless and smooth to have honesty. No, Ron Paul ain't my guy either. Sorry - have I upset everyone who cares about this stuff called politics? Sorry, in all honesty - folks around here really don't care much one way or the other. We banned all I hate Bush commentary, no I don't hate him banter because it was a waste of time and based on foolishness for those passionate enough to spend time yammering on it. The only guy I kinda like is Fred Thompson (and I speak for myself only, not a company endorsement). Why - because he seems like he has many other better things to do than run for office. And I always enjoyed Law and Order - now that's a good way to pick "your man", or woman if you want the Clintons back in town. Actually - my true test is - who would I like to have a beer with. Anyway, may the good people of Iowa pull out the caulk guns and tar and feather the group as they see fit. Ballots, not bullets is still the way to go. Let's make that a Pakistani slogan for their upcoming election. (and an observation that makes me curious - how is it that the Pakistani Democratic people's party decides their next candidate by picking somebody else in the same family. That's called a monarchy, not democracy).

But enough of politics already. Here's a very short list of my favorite political videos on LikeTelevision. Frank Capra's Meet John Doe is terrific. So is Angel on My Shoulder. Another interesting political drama you might have missed is the Scarlet Pimpernel. Merle Oberon is very beautiful, wow! Need something lighter? Popeye for President is good for a few chortles and chuckles, and if you are looking for something more global, check out Battle of Algiers, but please put the guns away and stop the threatening emails. (it seems the commentary, yes mere words on a page, on this movie description rankles some people).