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Nolan's Pop Culture Review 2009!
   Assistant Editor / Co-Moderator:  Terence Nuzum.                          HOME        ARCHIVES
Established A.D. 2000, March 19. Now in our tenth calendar year!
Number 461  (Vol. 10, No. 4). This edition is for the week of January 19--25, 2009.

"The 81st Academy Award Nominations"
Edgar Allan Poe in Film
Holy Senior Sidekicks Batman! An Afternoon with Johnny Duncan
Barenaked Ladies: Snacktime
Walk The Plank…. .... Welcome To Tampa! .... Top 10 Things We Know About Wrestling .... Super Bowl Pick .... .... .... .... a
Cue Beethoven's ‘ode To Joy’ .... Back On Track, Both Me And Kurt .... New Top Ten Challenge .... u
Oscar Notes .... Good Awards .... Bad Awards .... Pres 1, Pope 0 .... .... .... .... .... My Favorite Films, Part 2... s
Inauguration Day
ALSO...
Welcome back The Enlightenment and Music Emporium
F'd Up Oscar Noms
F'd Up Swearing In
Inauguration Day
Readers' Comments

POSTED BY NOLAN B. CANOVA, JANUARY 23, 2009
Apologies for being MIA the past 48 hours or so. It got down to below freezing (and virtually stayed there since Wednesday) in Tampa, and Ye Olde Editor doesn't cotton too well to frigid conditions. I had to lay low and stay indoors and in bed, sorry to day. Feeling better now, though.

Welcome Back The Enlightenment and Music Emporium
POSTED BY NOLAN B. CANOVA, JANUARY 23, 2009

I'm delighted to see our esteemed Assistant Editor and Co-Moderator Terence Nuzum back in the driver's seat as a columnist, and what a return it is! This week's The Enlightenment features an excellent re-cap of the legacy of Edgar Allan Poe and its contributions to motion pictures. Highly recommended and has already generated lots of positive feedback. (Now if I can only get Ter to write more frequently!) Keep an eye out for the next Audio Philes sometime in February.

Further surprised to find in my emailbox this week's Music Emporium! Previously handled by both Bobby Tyler and Jake Tipton (who are also frequent Message Board posters, glad to say), the Emporium is soley Bobby's column now. Jake is still a member in good standing and may contribute in the future but is facing other distractions at the moment. FYI...their column was always about reviewing both newer and older albums, hence the close-up on the Barenaked Ladies '07 album, Snacktime. Bobby reports his next trip to the music store should yield a new album review for the Emporium.

Holy Flashback, Batman, this week's Retrorama is especially cool! I just felt like saying that. But check it out, it really is, haha.

Oh, and thanks to John Miller and Chris Woods for the last several reviews posted to Schlockarama: Grindhouse! Great job, you guys, you've really found the groove. Now Terence and I need to get back in the game lest we look like the slackers we are.

F'd Up Oscar Noms
POSTED BY NOLAN B. CANOVA, JANUARY 23, 2009

NO DARK NIGHT??!?!?! Anywhere??? Are they nuts??? Except, of course, for the expected and justifiable nomination of Heath Ledger for his role as The Joker, which he will likely win. (I can't imagine a world that would ignore him.) Check out This Week's Movie Review for more funny business, the final tally, and how our own Mike Smith did on his picks.

F'd Up Swearing In
POSTED BY NOLAN B. CANOVA, JANUARY 23, 2009

This is not-so-news now, but I just had to chime in on this nugget, the one where Chief Justice John Roberts F'd up administering the Presidential Oath of Office, causing Barack Obama to stumble and lose his place as well.

Although there were several stumbling blocks with the recitation, the major one had to do with the word "faithfully" and its placement. After the first phrase (the "I do solemnly swear" part, and even that was mangled, but recoverable), Roberts was supposed to say, "that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States...", which Obama caught. Instead of repeating the incorrect phrase (which Obama had already memorized), He stopped at where "faithfully" should've been and nodded toward Roberts to continue. At first I thought this was because Obama forgot where he himself was. After reviewing the video, however (it's all over the web), it looks more like Obama was giving the Chief Justice a second chance to get it right. Which he did....sort of. The word "faithfully" was put in at least two more places before the whole affair finally ground to a halt and was declared finished.

I remember thinking, "the man's not even President for four minutes and he's already got his first YouTube-ready verbal glitch (something his predecessor pioneered).

Heading off conspiracy theorists that might claim that the Oath was invalid (and any other messy legal issues) the two men restaged the entire thing the next day at the Capital, and this time got it right. I don't believe this was televised, but I'm not going to make a sticking point about lack of witnesses, either.

Inauguration Day
POSTED BY NOLAN B. CANOVA, JANUARY 20, 2009

This is the dawn of a new era as the first black US President, Barack Hussein Obama, is sworn in. This is history being made and we are there to see it.

Gone is George W. Bush who I will not miss, but definitely had his fans. He seems to think history will vindicate his turbulent presidency. We shall see. Bookstores will be teeming with products over the next couple years touting his success or failure. In reality, we will need at least ten to twenty years to ferret out the consequences of his administration.

For completeness, I'll add that while the racial barrier to the White House has finally been broken, evidently, the gender barrier still needs a little work. But, I did live to see the former come to fruition, I may live to see the latter eventually succeed as well.


Readers' Comments

The Readers' Comments section for this issue of PCR is now closed. To continue to interact, please use the Message Board or write a Letter to the Editor! The comments below are listed starting with the most recent. Thank you.

Crazed FanComments -- We Welcome Reader Feedback on any article(s) on this page.
Terence [26-01-2009 19:08] 
re:matts challenge
i started a thread for it on the message board under announcements and feedback.
matthew [26-01-2009 16:45] 
i'm in the process of updating areas of Masters of Horror and wanted to let you all know the new Monster Calender for '09 is uploaded.as always, its in Horrorhead Fred's Fiendish Fun. also a new Cover of the Month.
Chris Woods [26-01-2009 16:12] 
Chris M. - I liked your Top 10 things we know about wrestling, but one thing I have to saw is TNA is not coming up. Don't get me wrong, they have some talented people in the younger guys, but they're taking pages out of WCW's playbook and just only focus on the older guys like Kurt Angle, Kevin Nash, Sting, and Booker T. It has come a long way since it's started, but it can't compete with WWE and the direction they're going I don't see them getting any better. I would like to see them get better and try to give Vince a run for his money like ECW and WCW did back in the late 90's. And right now WWE isn't good as it use to be. Not sure if you checked out FCW, it's not that bad.
Chris Woods [26-01-2009 15:35] 
I might do Matt's challenge. I'll have to go through some album covers and see which our my favorite.
J.MILLER [26-01-2009 14:20] 
Anybody going to take Matt up on his Top 10 challenge?
Petrey [25-01-2009 09:45] 
You guys actually got me reading in length again, ha!

Loved the 'Edgar Allan Poe in Film' Terence! As a kid my first vague memory of a Drive-In Theatre Experience was "Pit and the Pendulum". I played that on the Bigger screen downstairs at the Britton and the video projector held up nicely even being Cinemascope! Imagine, a night of just a handful of those features bundled up for everyone to consume on the big screen!
Petrey [25-01-2009 04:54] 
Actually Nolan, I think by watching the video closely on the oath, the President started talking too soon before Roberts finished the first sentence resulting in the confusion passed to Roberts and thus a few fumbled words followed. I can't believe this is what makes the news. Well, actually I can, come to think about it. This is one of many reasons why I left TV, ha! But Why should anyone care if any president stumbles or anyone messes up their speech? We all do this when talking, unless we're a car salesman.

Re: Batman Serials, as a kid I had the chance to see these serials played at a retro festival downtown Louisville Ky. Sadly all my childhood in-door theatres have been torn down but mysteriously one drive-in theatre remains!
ED [24-01-2009 17:07] 
Ter - I always liked the second one better. It was more cartoony and I liked Robert Lowery as Batman better. The first one is good although I didn't find J. Carol Naish very convencing as a Japanese scientist, maybe I had just seen him in too many other roles.

Petrey - I have those VHS tapes too and I recently upgraded to the DVD. I never saw them in the theaters though. The kiddie matinees used to show serials but they never had Batman. I remember they showed The Masked Marvel and Flying Disc Man from Space.
Petrey [24-01-2009 15:07] 
I have those Batman serials on 2 videotapes and remember when they ran at the theatre.
Terence [24-01-2009 14:46] 
cool interview Ed. I have always loved the Batman serials since i saw them at Tampa Theatre in 1989. i guess i must have been in 4th or 5th grade. i always preferred the first serial though.
Steve Steam Train Beasley [24-01-2009 14:40] 
Waaaaahh! I wanna come home!

Pardon me for whining, I'm just jonezin' for a taste of home.
Steve \"V-Twin\" Beasley [24-01-2009 14:36] 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day_f.shtml? world=0286
Steve \"Buddha\" Beasley [24-01-2009 14:35] 
It's not raining where I am. It's a warm 24 centigrade at the moment 11:30am. Nights get into the mid teens.

Or, 82 degrees right now. Nice weather. As a matter of fact, I think I'll go for a spin on the bike.

;)
Petrey [24-01-2009 13:36] 
Is it raining where you guys are?
J Teezy [24-01-2009 09:01]  
Listening to Snacktime right now FFFFFFFFFFFF

nice column bobert!
Michael [23-01-2009 18:38] 
Since we're spilling the beans here, "Owl Creek" won an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film. Rod Serling enjoyed it so much he bought the rights to broadcast it on "The Twilight Zone," where, if not in school, most of us probably originally saw it.
Lonnie Dohlen [23-01-2009 11:25]  
Ed,that Film,"Owl Creek Bridge".It's a French Movie from 1962.The U.S. Title was Misspelled.The correct Title is:An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge."
Michael [22-01-2009 21:41] 
FYI: The updated Oscar Nominations piece is now up with nominees and thoughts. Enjoy.
Michael [22-01-2009 20:36] 
T, great work on the Poe piece. Years ago Stallone shopped a Poe biography he had written that I understand was pretty good.

ED, I too own a 16mm copy of "Owl Creek" Like they say, great minds collect alike.
Tampa Tanned Sensation Puff Chrissy [22-01-2009 15:37] 
Mike: I agree, Richard Jenkins deserves the award for best actor. Hands down.
Chris Woods [22-01-2009 10:38] 
ED - The Tell Tale Heart short I saw was live action. Probably made in the 60's or early 70's. I wonder if it's on YouTube somewhere but there's tons of different versions of that film it's hard to find that one.

Christian - I remember watching Owl Creek Bridge in school too. That was another good film they always use to show. Those two always stuck out to me and it's been since my high school days since I seen them.
ED [22-01-2009 06:57] 
I have a 16MM print of Owl Creek. I remember getting into an argument with a drama teacher about that one. She told the class it was originally rated X and made a big deal about showing it to us. I asked her how it could be rated X when it wasn't a feature film, was made before the MPAA, and was shown on television as an episode of the Twilight Zone. Needless to say she never liked me!
Poe Chrissy Returns! [22-01-2009 06:46] 
Also, they usually showed Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart with Bierce's An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. Man, I loved that stuff in school.
Poe Chrissy [22-01-2009 06:39] 
I know the movie you're talking about, Chris. I'm certain that most people our age discovered Poe with that movie in middle/high school. I remember it being quite good.
ED [22-01-2009 04:36] 
Chris - was that the one that was animated? I remember seeing that version and it had some ominous narration and sound effects.
Chris Woods [22-01-2009 03:32] 
Hey Terence, awesome work on the Poe films article. I’ve always enjoyed all the Corman/Price film adaptations of Poe’s work. One of my favorites has always been Masque of the Red Death. Also, I remember seeing a short film version of The Tell Tale Heart that I saw in Jr. High. The film was in b&w and real creepy. I believe it was shot in the 60’s and I remember seeing it once or twice in school, it was a very cool film.
H.P. Puff Chrissy [22-01-2009 00:05] 
Yeah, I agree with you. I wrote a piece on the Mouth of Madness and echoed what you're saying. Though, I'd say that Dagon - while not a perfect movie - addressed the hopelessness and overpowering dread that Lovecraft's stories embrace so well better than most movies. There is a part in the movie where you can see the main character accepting the fact that it's going to end badly for him, and I think it's a key ingredient to a lot of Lovecraft's work.
Terence [21-01-2009 18:27] 
actually i personally have yet to see a movie that is based on Lovecrafts works that actually feels like a Lovecraft story. Stuart Gordon's Dreams in the Witchhouse comes damn close though. Movies that arent actually based on his work come far closer like In The Mouth of Madness and parts of Phantasm.
LovePuffChrissyCraft [21-01-2009 14:40] 
No problem. You should do the same for Lovecraft some day. I think his influence tends to translate to film better than Poe.
Terence [21-01-2009 09:12] 
Thanks Christian! I agree he probably had many problems before the death of his wife but I just think it was the straw that broke him. Just my opinion.
Smokey and the Puff Chrissy [21-01-2009 07:28] 
Good job on the Poe piece, Terence.

While Poe hardly made money through his work in his lifetime, he was well known, and respected - and feared - as a critic. In fact, he was recognizable enough to debunk a couple of theories regarding his death (he would have been too famous to be used in "cooping", for instance), and he was certainly famous enough to be used by Dr Snodgrass to further the Temperance movement.

As far his problems starting from the death of his wife and cousin, I'd argue that his problems were well on their way before she died, considering his alcoholism and gambling problem. I'd say that Clemm's death was a demarcation line for him as an artist.

Still, it's great to see his work continue to inspire filmmakers.
matthew [21-01-2009 06:10] 
let's make it a third for that former Bush turd
Steve in the land Downunder [21-01-2009 01:59] 
Mike said, "Best words I heard today..."Former President Bush."

I second that!
Michael [20-01-2009 21:44] 
For the curious, due to the inauguration the Oscar nominations, normally announced on Tuesday mornings, will be announced this Thursday. The Movie Review section will reflect these on Thursday evening. Sorry for the delay.

Best words I heard today..."Former President Bush."
Nolan [20-01-2009 15:23] 
Awesome inauguration. I think it was 19 degrees in Washington, DC. Those musicians had to work against that chill -- they couldn't wear gloves! Good speech by Obama. Not history-making necessarily, but very, very good. Gifted orator.
Petrey [20-01-2009 09:30] 
Go Gran Torino!!
[31-12-1969 16:00] 
End of Comments    


"Mike's Rant" is ©2009 by Michael A. Smith    "Matt's Rail" is ©2009 by Matthew Drinnenberg     "This Week's Movie Review" is ©2009 by Michael A. Smith    "FANGRRL" is ©2009 by Lisa Scherer Ciurro    "Music Emporium" is ©2009 by Robert Tyler    "La Floridiana" is ©2009 by William Moriaty    "Retrorama" is ©2009 by ED Tucker    "Sports Talk" is ©2009 by Chris Munger      All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2009 by Nolan B. Canova    
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