: : : Banterings : : :

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Beware The Angry Swede

Ulf Hjertstroem was a hostage in Iraq for 67 days - and he's none too happy about it. In fact, he's so ticked that he's become an unofficial "coalition partner."

"I have now put some people to work to find these bastards ... I invested about $50,000 so far and we will get them one by one," he told Channel 10.

Mr Hjertstroem declined to say what fate awaited his kidnappers, but he told Expressen that two had already been captured.

He's already got two! Tough and efficient. I, for one, am glad to have Ulf on our side.

(hat tip: Vikingpundit )

posted by Gary at 19:59 | [Permalink] (0) comments

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Sauce for the Souter

Now here is some eminent domain that I can get into. I love it when someone gets their just deserts.

posted by Nick at 15:35 | [Permalink] (1) comments

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Movie Quote Wrap-up

On Tuesday, AFI unveiled their choices for the top 100 movie quotes in American film. As you know (and are probably sick of hearing), I came up with my own list. So how did these movie elites stack up against this average Joe movie fan? Some observations:

I won't quibble with their #1 ("Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."). They put my #1 ("Here's looking at you, kid.") at #5. But my #2 ("There's no place like home."), probably the most quoted line from one of the most popular films in history, was #23 on their list. But they didn't leave The Wizard of Oz unrepresented in the top 5. They put a different quote ("Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.") at #4. A great line, no doubt, but I'm not following their logic.
I had all of their top 10 on my list. The lowest on my list (#45) was their #6 ("Go ahead, make my day."). A great quote, for sure. I probably put it too low.
I had 4 of their top 10 in my top 11.
Which brings me to my first glaring error - #11 ("What we've got here is a failure to communicate."). It wasn't on my list. In my defense, I've never seen Cool Hand Luke but I certainly have heard the line before. I booted that one. But this and other rankings indicated to me a higher appreciation for films from the 60s and 70s than I have. Cool Hand Luke was a 1967 release. More on that later.
My next glaring omission was #13 ("Love means never having to say you're sorry."). I carry this "error" as a badge of honor. What a stupid line. And when was this film released? 1970.
They put "E.T. phone home." down at #15. I thought that was too low.
And again, "There's no place like home." at #23. Morons.
I had 16 of their top 20 on my list.
I omitted 5 of their next 10 (#21-30). Oops. One was "Show me the money!" There were actually 2 Jerry Maguire quotes in the top 52. The other was "You had me at hello." (lame.) Way too much respect for that film.
I didn't have #21 from Silence of the Lambs. I don't enjoy cannibal quotes as much as most people, I guess.
Another miss was #27, "I'm walking here! I'm walking here!" (Midnight Cowboy, 1967). Never saw it.
Going down the list I had 8 of 10 (#31-40) and 6 of 10 (#41-50).
Of the top 50 on their list, I was only missing 15 from my full list.
#31 ("After all, tomorrow is another day.") was a surprise. I've heard a lot of Gone With the Wind quotes, but never that one.
#35, "You're gonna need a bigger boat." (Jaws, 1975) is way too high.
Another quote from the late 60s doesn't belong at all - "We rob banks." (Bonnie and Clyde, 1967).
Also overrepresented: The Graduate, 1967.
Not right: Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Ryan O'Neal, & Barbra Streisand made the list. Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne did not.
Humphrey Bogart had 5 quotes - could've been more.
Tom Hanks, Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, & Bette Davis had 3. All well deserved. Heston, Nicholson, & Eastwood had 2.
There were 6 quotes from Casablanca, shoulda been 7. Only 3 quotes from The Wizard of Oz.

So that's it. I enjoyed it but I will now show you mercy and never mention it again.

posted by Gary at 10:10 | [Permalink] (0) comments

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

I Love Gitmo

Actually, I'm not sure that I love Gitmo. I think we are pussy-footing around a bunch of psycho-pathic murderers. Frankly, I wish there actually was some torturing going on down there.

Now that "Senator" Durbin (I use the scare quotes because I think the guy is a disgrace and should resign. I'm not even sure I consider him a Senator anymore anyway. I think of him more as a weasely, terrorist-loving pile of putrid cat vomit, but there you are.) has called our servicemen working there Nazis, I'm a little more inclined to love Gitmo.

So, since we know that the MSM and the likes of Durbin and horrid Star-and-Sicle (I wish I could call up and cancel my subscription, but I don't subscribe) won't tell you the truth about what is going on down in Gitmo, here's an interview with a guy that served there for a year. He gives you the straight scoop. Read and learn the truth. Read the Star and Tribune and learn the lies.

posted by Nick at 12:02 | [Permalink] (0) comments

Comments on the NBA Finals Last Night

I confess complete surprise that the Pistons won that game last night. I thought the gut-punch loss on Tuesday would be the end of them, but this is a pretty amazing, tough, resilient team. I haven't got a clue who will win Thursday night.

Some general comments:

Chauncey Billups is one heck of a player, but I guess the Wolves didn't need him. Man, he can really play. He runs the offense, attacks the rim, and hits big shots. He's clearly one of the best players in the league.

If you were the Spurs, whom would you rather have as your Power Forward right now, Duncan or Garnett? That ought to be an easy question to answer. Let me help out: Garnett's career free throw percentage is 76.8%. Duncan can't hit the side of a barn with his free throws. His clanging absolutely killed the Spurs chances last night. When he needed to make some free throws to make a difference in the game, he's clanging them. Jordan, Bird - they make those free throws. Great players make those free throws. Until Duncan gets his act together in that regard, he'll be a second tier superstar. Detroit may very well go to the "Hack-a-Duncan" strategy. Why not? Really an ugly site watching Duncan at the line in the fourth quarter. Quite painful.

Another fun stat? Garnett's career assists per game? 4.6. Duncan's? 3.1. The Pistons have figured out that Duncan can't effectively pass out of a double-team and so guess what they are doing? Double teaming him effectively. Garnett can and does pass out of the double team, as his assists indicate. Garnet is the superior player -- seems pretty clear to me.

The funnest thing to watch in the series is the Bowen/Hamilton matchup. It's this kind of thing that makes a 7-game series so much fun to watch. These guys are going at it with each other when Detroit is on offense, and they have been for all six games now. Hamilton likes to run around those staggered screens, and Bowen is good at defending against it, but along the way there is a lot of bumping and grabbing and whatnot, and often the trend of the game is determined by how the referees call it. And of course, since the referees are merely David Stern's play toys, we now have a seventh game. Seventh games are David Stern's idea of heaven.

It seems very hard to believe that Detroit can win a Game 7 on San Antonio's home court, but if any team can do it, these Pistons can. These guys are good. This has in my mind been a great series, because I love to watch good basketball played the right way, and these two teams do that. Thursday night will hopefully be one to remember

It seems that the Spurs had already planned a victory parade for Thursday, the day of the now existing Game 7. I'll try to think of a dumber thing to do. [thinking......thinking......thinking] Nope, I can't think of anything dumber. Sorry.

posted by Nick at 10:54 | [Permalink] (0) comments

My Kids Will Never Go to a Public School

posted by Nick at 10:18 | [Permalink] (0) comments

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

IMDB and The Corner

By the way, I note that Derb is not longer the only one on the Corner with an entry in the Internet Movie Database.

posted by Nick at 14:04 | [Permalink] (0) comments

A Colossal Jackass

Here is the tale of a Colossal Jackass, Mr. Fred Phelps, of "GodHatesFags.com" fame. I won't do this guy the service of a link to that putrid site.

Hat tip to Jonah.

posted by Nick at 13:49 | [Permalink] (0) comments

Monday, June 20, 2005

Big Shot Bobby

Boy, if you didn't watch that game last night, you missed a HUGE one. This is one of the greatest Finals games of all time. I could hardly watch it, because I thought for sure that the Spurs were going to lose, and I want them to win. They were behind almost all night, and when they got ahead, the Pistons just kept coming back and taking the lead away. It was back and forth, up and down, left and right, in and out... well, you get the idea. It was a great game. And I'm just talking about the first three quarters.

Then, there was the Robert Horry quar... er,sorry, the Fourth Quarter. Okay, it really was the Robert Horry Quarter. Or, if you want to count the killer three pointer he drained with about a second left in the third, it was the Robert Horry Quarter and Two Seconds More. Horry simply took over. He scored 21 of San Antonio's 34 points. All but one of those buckets either tied the game or put San Antonio ahead. He threw down an unbelievable left-handed dunk over about three guys that was easily the "Greatest Dunk by a Guy over 34 in the NBA Finals Ever". Truly stunning. He scored the last five points of the game after the Spurs were down by four in the waning minutes of overtime. Then, of course, he sinks a deadly three pointer with about five seconds left in overtime that saved Tim Duncan's legacy, made Rasheed Wallace look like the dumbest man on the planet, and pretty much handed the Spurs the Ring this year.

Duncan's legacy got saved because he missed six free throws in crunch time. Six big, Michael-Jordan-and-Larry-Bird-Would-Have-Made-Every-One-of-Those-to-Seal-the-Victory free throws, and then the less-noticed, but incredibly irritating missed tip in to win the game in regulation. (DUNK THE BALL, TIM!! Sheesh). Rasheed looked like an idiot because he left Horry , only the guy who has made more big three pointers in the history of the league, at the three point line to double team Manu Ginobli in the corner. (Lest we forget, Ginobli also had his back to the basket. Earth to Rasheed.) Horry had gone four of five on threes in the second half, was absolutely on fire, and has made more big shots in his career than a mob hit man, but there he is, wiiiiiiide open behind the arc with the game -- the championship, really; does anyone believe that Detroit is going to win both games in San Antonio? -- on the line.

Anyway, I watched the game, and I can tell you, I won't soon forget that stunning display by Big Shot Bob.

posted by Nick at 10:58 | [Permalink] (0) comments

Sunday, June 19, 2005

My List

AFI's list of top 100 movie quotes will be aired Tuesday. Here's my shot at it.

Here's looking at you, kid. - Humphrey Bogart (CASABLANCA)
There's no place like home. - Judy Garland (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. - Clark Gable (GONE WITH THE WIND)
E. T. phone home. - Joe Welsh (voice) (E. T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL)
Rosebud. - Orson Welles (CITIZEN KANE)
I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse. - Marlon Brando (THE GODFATHER)
Bond. James Bond. - Sean Connery (DR. NO)
You don't understand! I could've had class. I could've been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am. - Marlon Brando (ON THE WATERFRONT)
If you build it, he will come. - Ray Liotta (voice) (FIELD OF DREAMS)
Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die! - Mandy Patinkin (THE PRINCESS BRIDE)
Why don't you come up sometime and see me? - Mae West (SHE DONE HIM WRONG)
I see dead people. - Haley Joel Osment (THE SIXTH SENSE)
Tell 'em to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper. - Pat O'Brien (KNUTE ROCKNE ALL AMERICAN)
Is it safe? - Laurence Olivier (MARATHON MAN)
Who's on first. - Bud Abbott (THE NAUGHTY NINETIES)
Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all? - Lucille La Verne (voice) (SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS)
May the Force be with you. - Harrison Ford (STAR WARS)
Stella! Hey, Stella! - Marlon Brando (A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE)
Elementary, my dear Watson. - Basil Rathbone (THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES)
All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up. - Gloria Swanson (SUNSET BLVD.)
Jane. Tarzan. Jane. Tarzan. - Johnny Weissmuller (TARZAN THE APE MAN)
You talkin' to me? - Robert De Niro (TAXI DRIVER)
You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow. - Lauren Bacall (TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT)
You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it. - Gregory Peck (TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD)
Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night. - Bette Davis (ALL ABOUT EVE)
Play it, Sam. Play "As Time Goes By." - Ingrid Bergman (CASABLANCA)
Follow the money. - Hal Holbrook (ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN)
Madness. Madness. - James Donald (THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI)
Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac... It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole! - Bill Murray (CADDYSHACK)
Houston, we have a problem. - Tom Hanks (APOLLO 13)
A martini. Shaken, not stirred. - Sean Connery (GOLDFINGER)
As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again. - Vivien Leigh (GONE WITH THE WIND)
I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore! - Peter Finch (NETWORK)
Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges! - Alfonso Bedoya (THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE)
Hasta la vista, baby. - Arnold Schwarzenegger (TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY)
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine. - Humphrey Bogart (CASABLANCA)
Look, Daddy. Teacher says, "Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings." - Karolyn Grimes (IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE)
Shane! Shane! Come back! - Brandon De Wilde (SHANE)
Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore. - Judy Garland (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. - Yul Brynner (THE KING AND I)
That'll do, pig. That'll do. - James Cromwell (BABE)
That dirty, double-crossin' rat! - James Cagney (BLONDE CRAZY)
It's alive! It's alive! - Colin Clive (FRANKENSTEIN)
Go ahead, make my day. - Clint Eastwood (SUDDEN IMPACT)
We'll always have Paris. - Humphrey Bogart (CASABLANCA)
Mama says, "Stupid is as stupid does." - Michael Conner Humphreys (FORREST GUMP)
Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape! - Charlton Heston (PLANET OF THE APES)
I am not an animal! I am a human being. I am a man. - John Hurt (THE ELEPHANT MAN)
You've got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk? - Clint Eastwood (DIRTY HARRY)
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room! - Peter Sellers (DR. STRANGELOVE)
There's no crying in baseball! - Tom Hanks (A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN)
Funny like I'm a clown? I amuse you? - Joe Pesci (GOODFELLAS)
Now, I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country. - George C. Scott (PATTON)
I do wish we could chat longer, but I'm having an old friend for dinner. - Anthony Hopkins (THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS)
Wax-on, wax-off. - Pat Morita (THE KARATE KID)
Hi-Yo, Silver! - Clayton Moore (THE LONE RANGER)
They're here! - Heather O'Rourke (POLTERGEIST)
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! - Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. - Humphrey Bogart (CASABLANCA)
My mama always said, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." - Tom Hanks (FORREST GUMP)
Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into! - Oliver Hardy (SONS OF THE DESERT)
They call me Mister Tibbs! - Sidney Poitier (IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT)
My precious. - Andy Serkis (THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS)
I am your father. - David Prowse, James Earl Jones (voice) (STAR WARS V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK)
I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too! - Margaret Hamilton (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
I'll be back. - Arnold Schwarzenegger (THE TERMINATOR)
Here's Johnny! - Jack Nicholson (THE SHINING)
You can't handle the truth! - Jack Nicholson (A FEW GOOD MEN)
Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope. - Carrie Fisher (STAR WARS)
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! - Frank Morgan (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
You betcha! - Frances McDormand (FARGO)
You'll shoot your eye out. - Melinda Dillon (A CHRISTMAS STORY)
I'm an excellent driver. - Dustin Hoffman (RAIN MAN)
What do they think I am, dumb or something? Why, I make more money than Calvin Coolidge! Put together! - Jean Hagen (SINGIN' IN THE RAIN)
I'm melting! Melting! Oh, what a world! What a world! - Margaret Hamilton (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
She's my sister! She's my daughter! - Faye Dunaway (CHINATOWN)
Mein Fuhrer! I can walk! - Peter Sellers (DR. STRANGELOVE)
Round up the usual suspects. - Claude Rains (CASABLANCA)
Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes? - Harrison Ford (RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK)
Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. - Gary Cooper (THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES)
I'm here to fight for truth, justice, and the American way. - Christopher Reeve (SUPERMAN)
I'll be taking these Huggies and whatever cash you got. - Nicolas Cage (RAISING ARIZONA)
I love the smell of napalm in the morning. - Robert Duvall (APOCALYPSE NOW)
They may take away our lives, but they'll never take our freedom! - Mel Gibson (BRAVEHEART)
I'd love to kiss you, but I just washed my hair. - Bette Davis (CABIN IN THE COTTON)
Yo, Adrian! - Sylvester Stallone (ROCKY)
I'll have what she's having. - Estelle Reiner (WHEN HARRY MET SALLY...)
Bueller?... Bueller? ... Bueller? - Ben Stein (FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF)
Surely you can't be serious. - Robert Hays
I am serious. And don't call me Shirley. - Leslie Nielsen (AIRPLANE!)
You aren't too bright. I like that in a man. - Kathleen Turner (BODY HEAT)
Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. - Humphrey Bogart (CASABLANCA)
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. - Al Pacino (THE GODFATHER: PART II)
Does your dog bite? - Peter Sellers (THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN)
The list is an absolute good. The list is life. - Ben Kingsley (SCHINDLER'S LIST)
But I would be proud... - Billy Crystal
But I would be proud... - Meg Ryan
...to partake... - Billy Crystal
...to partake... - Meg Ryan
...of your pecan pie. - Billy Crystal
...of your pecan pie. - Meg Ryan (WHEN HARRY MET SALLY...)
Dave, stop. Stop, will you? Stop, Dave. Will you stop, Dave? Stop, Dave. I'm afraid. - Douglas Rains (voice) (2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY)
I'd like to make her look a little more attractive. How far can you pull back? - Doris Belack
How do you feel about Cleveland? (TOOTSIE)
Over? Did you say "over?" Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell, no! - John Belushi (NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE)
Oh, hold me closer! Closer! Closer! - Esther Muir
If I hold you any closer, I'll be in back of you. - Groucho Marx (A DAY AT THE RACES)
A man takes a drop too much once in a while, it's only human nature. - Humphrey Bogart
"Nature," Mr. Allnut, is what we are put into this world to rise above. - Katharine Hepburn (THE AFRICAN QUEEN)

posted by Gary at 23:21 | [Permalink] (5) comments

Thursday, June 16, 2005

I Am Now An Addict

A Launchcast "addict," that is. When you reach 5,000 rankings you're known as an addict. It's a proud day. I have really enjoyed Launchcast since I started earlier this year. The variety of songs is simply astounding. I've heard songs and artists I never would have otherwise heard - people (and groups) like Etta James, Norah Jones (I know, I know, a little late to that party), Pinetop Perkins, Mississippi John Hurt, The Trash Can Sinatras, Susan Tedeschi, Jorma Kaukonen, Sanctus Real, Mighty Joe Young, Madeleine Peyroux, Jonny Lang, Over The Rhine, Big Dismal, Delbert & Glen, etc. Man, it just keeps throwing new and different music at me, including songs I hadn't heard from stalwarts like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, U2, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and more. I love it! If you work at a computer all day and can listen while working, you gotta get Launchcast.

By the way, my 5,000th ranking was Lakeville, by Amy Correia. Never heard of her? Me neither. But it wasn't bad - I gave it a 50.

posted by Gary at 14:49 | [Permalink] (0) comments

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Deadwood

Last night, I finished up the twelve episodes that make up the first season of Deadwood. This is a great television show. HBO television shows seem to me to be far, far better than anything else on Television (Think "The Sopranos", "Curb Your Enthusiasm". I suppose you shouldn't think "Sex in the City", but oh well). Deadwood is as good as any movie in the theater. The production quality is equal to that of the most expensive Hollywood film. The story is compelling, the characters well drawn, the script superb, and the acting flawless. It's really a marvelous show.

First, let me say that this show is most assuredly R-rated. Very R-rated. The language alone would peel the paint off of your car. There is quite a bit of nudity (including some folks who really need to keep their clothes on) and a number of people meet graphically violent and untimely deaths. But that's par for the course in an unincorporated town in the Black Hills in 1876. Deadwood is an "illegal" settlement, started in land that technically belongs to the Sioux. Thus, they have no law and no government. Deadwood is as "Wild West" as it gets. Deadwood also happens to be settled near a big gold strike, so money is in the air, even if the streets are full of mud and manure. (As an aside, Deadwood was a real settlement and remains to this day. I guess I don't give away much when I say that it is the place where Will Bill Hickok was murdered and buried.)

The main hero is Seth Bullock, a former marshall in Montana, and now a hardware store seller in Deadwood. Bullock is a good man with a fierce temper -- a temper than usually results in some scumbag getting what they deserve within the confines of the morality of the times and locale. The main bad guy is Al Swearengen, the owner of the Gem Saloon and the kingpin in town. Swearengen is a simply marvelous character -- he's ruthless, funny, smart, and compelling to watch. The rest of the cast of characters is brilliant, including Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, a grouchy doctor, funny, semi-competent henchmen, and sundry prospectors, hotel owners, whores, and merchants.

The show is gritty and real. There are no happy endings here -- only real life. The storyline is compelling -- of the sort that makes it really hard to save an episode for tomorrow night. The first western I ever read was Lonesome Dove, and that ruined me for all other westerns. No book could ever match it, and so I couldn't read westerns anymore (at least until I discovered Elmore Leonard's westerns, anyway). Deadwood is on par with Lonesome Dove, and anyone who knows me knows that is saying something.

I've always been attracted to tales of the American Frontier -- the freedom, the hardship, the hopes and dreams that it represented, and the strength of character that it took to succeed there where the rewards for hardwork were great and the dangers real. Deadwood brings all this to life. If you can take the f-word every three seconds, I heartily recommend Deadwood and eagerly await the second season's release to DVD.

posted by Nick at 12:54 | [Permalink] (0) comments

Blogging

I haven't blogged much lately. I've been thinking about why, and I think it is because for whatever reason, I've been trying to make this blog something that it isn't. We ain't no Powerline or The Corner, that is for sure.

I read those two blogs pretty much religiously, and I could pretty much link to articles there all the time, but then this blog would be nothing more than "Me, too!" and thus not worth reading. The only news articles I really read are ones that those folks point me to, so if I point to those, then I'm just hat-tipping, and there's no point in reading that either. It would be great if our blog were a destination for insightful commentary on the news of the day, but I don't have the time or inclination to be ahead of the news curve like the Powerline guys and Cornerites are. That's what they do well, and I think it's foolish for me to try to keep up with them. Shoot, I have a hard time reading all the excellent stuff the put out, much less trying to match them.

But I do have tons of stuff running through my head, and I'm going to try to blog more about that instead of a stream of links to articles that everyone else is linking to and commenting on in a far more interesting manner than I ever could.

For instance:

I'm driving to work today, and I see, for the millionth time, that inane bumper sticker "Peace is Patriotic". What the heck is that supposed to mean? Of course peace is patriotic. Everyone wants peace. Everyone. No rational person wants war. No soldier or politician every thinks "Sweet, we can start a war! I've been waiting years for this! I can hardly wait to start watching my friends get killed in battle!"

In the specific case, all rational people wish that the murdering terrorists in Iraq would stop being murderous terrorists and wake up every morning and go to work and provide for their families and take Sunday drives and play with their kids. (If you don't think that, then you aren't rational) But they don't. They wake up every day and scheme of new, horrible ways to maim and kill people who are sipping latte's and buying bread for their children. The only way to deal with insane, irrational people like that is to fight a war to stop them. You must kill them. Plain and simple. That is the only thing that will stop them.

Sure, you can have peace. The USSR was a pretty peaceful place. North Korea has been a very peaceful place for the last 52 years. But peace at all costs simply lets the tyrannies of the world win out. Where would the world be if we had insisted on peace in 1940? I can see it now -- England refuses to elect Churchill, and Chamberlin makes "peace" with Hitler, and all the Jews are murdered and Europe spends the next 60 years living in the oppressive, murderous world that a successful Nazi regime would have been. Great -- we have peace! All the Jews are dead, but hey! We have peace! Whatever.

So I see that blasted bumper sticker, and it grates on me as I think about the vast majority of folks in Iraq that merely want to be able to go the market and get some things for making dinner without worrying that they will be embedded with car parts. Sort of like we do here. We don't have to worry about such things. But I guess any sacrifice at all is too much to ask to make sure that the comforts that person sporting said bumper sticker enjoys also be enjoyed by the folks in Iraq. Nope -- no sacrifice is worth it. Peace, after all, is far more important than, say, simple freedom from being murdered. After all, Peace is Patriotic.

posted by Nick at 11:43 | [Permalink] (0) comments

Friday, June 03, 2005

Movie Quotes (#344-400)

Well, we've reached the end of AFI's list of potential top movie quotes. From this list of 400, the top 100 will be chosen and unveiled in a 3-hour television event on June 21. Before AFI reveals their list, I'll be revealing mine. In the meantime, take a look at these and pick out the best.

Does this look like "gub" or "gun"? - Ensemble
Gun. See? But what's "abt" mean? - Ensemble
It's "act". A-C-T. Act natural. Please put fifty thousand dollars into this bag and act natural. - Woody Allen
Oh, I see. This is a holdup? - Ensemble (TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN)
Jane. Tarzan. Jane. Tarzan. - Johnny Weissmuller (TARZAN THE APE MAN)
You talkin' to me? - Robert De Niro (TAXI DRIVER)
Years from now, when you talk about this -- and you will -- be kind. - Deborah Kerr (TEA AND SYMPATHY)
Oh, Moses, Moses, you stubborn, splendid, adorable fool! - Anne Baxter (THE TEN COMMANDMENTS)
I'll be back. - Arnold Schwarzenegger (THE TERMINATOR)
Hasta la vista, baby. - Arnold Schwarzenegger (TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY)
Would you like to come in? - Shirley MacLaine
I'd rather stick needles in my eyes. - Jack Nicholson (TERMS OF ENDEARMENT)
I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubble gum. - Roddy Piper (THEY LIVE)
They say you were shot in the tabloids. - Myrna Loy
They never got near my tabloids. - William Powell (THE THIN MAN)
Watch the skies, everywhere, keep looking! Keep watching the skies! - Douglas Spencer (THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD)
In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, and they had 500 years of democracy and peace. And what did that produce? The cuckoo clock. - Orson Welles (THE THIRD MAN)
These go to eleven. - Christopher Guest (THIS IS SPINAL TAP)
I'm king of the world! - Leonardo DiCaprio (TITANIC)
What he did to Shakespeare, we are doing now to Poland. - Sig Ruman (TO BE OR NOT TO BE)
Do you want a leg or a breast? - Grace Kelly (TO CATCH A THIEF)
You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow. - Lauren Bacall (TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT)
Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passing. - William Walker (TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD)
You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it. - Gregory Peck (TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD)
I'd like to make her look a little more attractive. How far can you pull back? - Doris Belack
How do you feel about Cleveland? - Cameraman (TOOTSIE)
I feel the need... - Tom Cruise
...the need for speed! - Anthony Edwards (TOP GUN)
He was some kind of a man. What does it matter what you say about people? - Marlene Dietrich (TOUCH OF EVIL)
To infinity and beyond! - Tim Allen (voice) (TOY STORY)
Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges! - Alfonso Bedoya (THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE)
You see, Francois, marriage is a beautiful mistake which two people make together. But with you, Francois, I think it would be a mistake. - Kay Francis (TROUBLE IN PARADISE)
Fill your hands, you son-of-a-bitch! - John Wayne (TRUE GRIT)
Dave, stop. Stop, will you? Stop, Dave. Will you stop, Dave? Stop, Dave. I'm afraid. - Douglas Rains (voice) (2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY)
Open the pod bay doors, HAL. - Keir Dullea (2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY)
It's a hell of a thing killin' a man. You take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have. - Clint Eastwood (UNFORGIVEN)
The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. - Kevin Spacey (THE USUAL SUSPECTS)
If you wanna call me that, smile. - Gary Cooper (THE VIRGINIAN)
This is nothing! - Dustin Hoffman (WAG THE DOG)
Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. - Michael Douglas (WALL STREET)
Would you like to play a game? - James Ackerman (voice) (WARGAMES)
Warriors, come out to play! - David Patrick Kelly (THE WARRIORS)
Schwing! - Mike Myers, Dana Carvey (WAYNE'S WORLD)
We're not worthy. We're not worthy. - Mike Myers, Dana Carvey (WAYNE'S WORLD)
Have you checked the children lately? - Tony Beckley (voice) (WHEN A STRANGER CALLS)
I'll have what she's having. - Estelle Reiner (WHEN HARRY MET SALLY...)
But I would be proud... - Billy Crystal
But I would be proud... - Meg Ryan
...to partake... - Billy Crystal
...to partake... - Meg Ryan
...of your pecan pie. - Billy Crystal
...of your pecan pie. - Meg Ryan (WHEN HARRY MET SALLY...)
Made it, Ma! Top of the world! - James Cagney (WHITE HEAT)
I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way. - Kathleen Turner (voice) (WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT)
And that's how you play "Get the Guests." - Richard Burton (WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?)
If they move, kill 'em. - William Holden (THE WILD BUNCH)
Hey, Johnny, what are you rebelling against? - Peggy Maley
What've you got? - Marlon Brando (THE WILD ONE)
Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore. - Judy Garland (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too! - Margaret Hamilton (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! - Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
I'm melting! Melting! Oh, what a world! What a world! - Margaret Hamilton (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! - Frank Morgan (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
There's no place like home. - Judy Garland (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
Women should be kept illiterate and clean, like canaries. - Roscoe Karns (WOMAN OF THE YEAR)
There's a name for you ladies, but it isn't used in high society -- outside of a kennel. - Joan Crawford (THE WOMEN)
I have a head for business and a bod for sin. - Melanie Griffith (WORKING GIRL)
No matter what I ever do or say, Heathcliff, this is me -- now -- standing on this hill with you. This is me, forever. - Merle Oberon (WUTHERING HEIGHTS)
My mother thanks you. My father thanks you. My sister thanks you. And I thank you. - James Cagney (YANKEE DOODLE DANDY)
What hump? - Marty Feldman (YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN)

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