Mike Lief

Mike Lief

41p

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15 years ago @ Big Hollywood - Today's open Thread: #... · 0 replies · +1 points

I'm one of the viewers who gave up on "Law & Order" after the series morphed into an endless opportunity to bash conservatives, Christians, businessmen and corporate America. That having been said, I've been pleasantly surprised by "The Good Wife."

Sure, the last episode featured a courtroom scene wherein the Tea Party was accused of being filled with racists. But the question was asked by a sneering, rat-like leftist defense attorney, representing a wrongfully-convicted cop-killing black drug dealer. And the witness, a conservative, Sara Palin-backing, Tea Partying firearms expert, was given an opportunity during re-direct by his liberal paramour to say that the Tea Party is concerned with fiscal responsibility, not backing either the Donks or the GOP.

And the show ultimately reveals -- using reasonably realistic investigative techniques -- that the black crook really was a cop killer; the Tea Partying Second Amendment enthusiast emerged victorious.

That's not a bad showing for a mainstream Hollywood-produced TV show.

15 years ago @ Big Hollywood - 'The American' Trailer... · 1 reply · +6 points

RonFromFlorida is right: The choice of the Ruger Mini-14 as Clooney's sniper/hitman's weapon of choice is HILARIOUS.

It's a rifle known for decades as being capable of only mediocre (at best) accuracy at modest distances. It makes as much sense to give your master assassin a Mini-14 as it would to have Robert DeNiro drive a Prius in "Ronin."

For those of us who enjoy both movies and target shooting, that picture of a grim Clooney is just precious. The only way it could be any more ridiculous would be if they gave him a SuperSoaker or a Nerf gun.

17 years ago @ Big Hollywood - Favorite Movies, Least... · 0 replies · +1 points

Burt -- I love "The Tall Guy", recommend it to anyone who'll listen. Has there ever been a better depiction of the arrogance of stars than Rowan Atkinson's venal comedian? And the RSC's musical version of "The Elephant Man," titled (what else?) "Elephant!"

One classic comedy from the '80s that I was surprised to see you'd missed was "My Favorite Year," starring Peter O'Toole as the thinly disguised Errol Flynn, guesting on a thinly disguised version of Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows." From it's loving look at post-war Manhattan, to the Brooklyn apartment buildings filled with dead ringers for my Jewish aunts and uncles ("So, tell me, did you shtup her?"), "My Favorite Year" is a perfect tribute to the days of live television.

I especially love the moment when the elegantly soused O'Toole barges into the ladies room at Rockefeller Center and takes a leak, much to the dismay of Selma Diamond, who blares, "Hey, this is for ladies only!"

O'Toole replies, "So is this, madam, but occasionally I must pass water through it."