pancake bacon

The timeline checks out. Ken was already connected with The Chase when he guest-hosted the first set of shows after Alex's passing. I'm glad Ken is hosting again, and wouldn't mind if he got the gig permanently. The problematic tweets were regretted, he apologized, and he's sincerely done better after it. Others complain about his vocal quality, but that would probably be smoothed out over time. More than what Alex may have named to be his successor, what Alex considered the prime consideration was that Jeopardy should be focused on the contestants. The host was really secondary. Ken has spent the most time than anyone else as a Jeopardy contestant, and his empathetic manner during the awkward interview segments sold me on Ken. Plus, his "Thank you, Alex" managed to sound lovely every time he said it at the end of the episode.

Ryan Reynolds is all right, and he's a great media personality. All I'm saying is that Ryan's one of the lucky ones who got a seventh (not precise, but you get what I mean) chance to get to that niche. Wish a few other performers get to be as lucky.

I actually walked away from Deadpool very angry. I couldn't just get along with the stupid premise of Ryan Reynolds' character soooo embarrassed to show his "ugly" (in his own mind) face to his girlfriend, which is the whole conflict of his character. Dude, you did all sorts of crazy stuff with each other, and accepted each other for what they are. Then all of a sudden, it's "I'm hideous, oh noooooo!" Overall, Ryan Reynolds may be a lot of fun when he is in promotion mode for any of his movies (and that's great), but I think 80% of his movies have actually been non-successes. In fact, he was on serious box office poison status before Deadpool turned it around. This man gets soooo many chances to headline big movies… WHY?

All too true… even now in the age of finding (regular) work through LinkedIn, it's about who you know, or even seeking out an actual human being to reach out to, as otherwise, you take your luck with LinkedIn's algorithm. (Darn internet overlords!) Getting that foot on the door through connections is inevitable, and will never go away. But I said earlier in my Scott Eastwood example above, it's one thing to be given that opportunity, and if the entertainment deities will it, you prove your abilities, and eventually your box office abilities. (Nicolas Cage? Anjelica Huston? Jane Fonda? Julia Roberts?) But if you keep getting opportunities with nothing to show for it (Scott Eastwood!), then the system is abusive and denying other people some opportunity. I don't begrudge anyone's luck out there. We've all benefitted from some kind of connection in our lives. Just don't defend your nepotism by saying "I've worked very hard!" (as Destry Spielberg did in the story linked above). Everyone is working hard out there. And because you have granted fortune, pay that luck forward. If anyone asks if you can help connect someone, try to help. You're not obliged, but passing on some luck helps everyone.

I didn't think it was necessary to make the movie work either, but the director was going for something, I guess. The director really, really wanted to go with his theme is a very physical way – as in hit-to-the-body physical way? Perhaps it wasn't about the fight club members remembering Robin in the 'actual' sense, but to indicate Robin was 'real.' The fight club sequence is a bit self-important, and the movie can carry on without it… who really knows in the end! I just tried to make it understandable for myself! And I'm glad the movie wasn't a Nic Cage action film! 😃

It's possible it's a plot indulgence, for Robin (Nicolas Cage's character) as a super dramatic method to get the info on the pig from the food truck guy, who also runs the fight club. But Pig is not a very plot-driven film… The pig's disappearance is really a framework for the film's themes: what is real, and worth caring about? The food truck guy already declared that Robin's name used to mean something, and that at present, he has no value, he doesn't even exist anymore. He even asks Amir if he knows Rob's real name. Once Robin gets to the fight club, the first thing he does, in huge writing, is spell out his full name, and that he is willing to get into the ring to prove he still exists. Only then did the food truck guy acknowledged Robin's presence. Minor spoiler: The film is only 90 mins long, which seems harder to do in current cinema, but Pig develops its themes organically through character quite efficiently, but not hurriedly. I've been a fan of Nicolas Cage since Valley Girl (though Nic loves to test his loyal fans. Are you daring me to quit you, Nic? 😆) and love it when he's in the mood to use this gear in his arsenal. Alex Wolff is also brilliant in his role of Amir, the aide-de-camp to Robin's search for his pig. He's going to have a long and great career; he's a wonderfully balanced performer, and a magnetic presence on screen. After Hereditary, and now Pig, first-time directors should consider Alex a lucky charm!

Lincoln was so boring (it was), and Daniel Day-Lewis was given the Oscar for looking so much like the real guy. All of me wishes it was given to Bradley Cooper for Silver Linings Playbook, who successfully dealt with a role that needed comedy, manic episodes (that came of as realistic mental illness and didn't feel like chewing the furniture) and show progress from his illness. The role asked a lot, and Cooper was extraordinary.

Yes, I am fresh from reading the entire thread. Loads to catch up on! Seth Gabel, is indeed, massively talented, and deserves more fame. Instead, folks like Scott Eastwood is constantly being hired. Why? This is where nepotism really grates. He looked like his dad, and got some roles out of it. But he doesn't have any box office track record, and his notices are largely: "he looks like Clint Eastwood." Yet he keeps popping up in plum roles over and over. I get getting your foot in the door, but if you don't end up like Jeff/Beau Bridges, or Jamie Lee Curtis, or even a Colin Hanks (not a box office draw, but brings some value to his films), then his repeated appearances are only due to… nepotism. Yes, Casey Affleck has had very troubling history come to light (he has settled out of court with his victims. It's better than nothing?), but he has given superlative performances over the years (Manchester By The Sea still haunts me), and I'm not sure quite how to deal with getting past his scandal. Julia Roberts definitely leaned on brother Eric Roberts to get her foot in the industry door. He was the big rising star of the late 1970s, and had the talent to back his beauty. (In his ingenu days, he was definitely the prettiest Roberts in showbiz. Behold, 1981 version of Eric, in Raggedy Man.) Cut to six years later in 2021: Nat Wolff is doing all right, fairly interesting, and making the most of his The Fault in Our Stars equity, and will likely see character roles in his future. He's probably better with his music. But in a twist, it's actually the other Polly Draper son, Nat's brother Alex Wolff, who is making strides, and demonstrating major acting chops that will have him excel like he did in Hereditary, and in the current film, Pig. He's competing for the same roles of other actors his age like Timothee Chalamet, Lucas Hedges (son of a screenwriter/director), etc… and I personally believe Alex is the most talented out of them. How the mighty have fallen. Randy Quaid is the more talented and capable actor (and even not too shabby looking during the era of his Oscar-nominated role in The Last Detail), but he is probably lost forever. One more noteworthy nepotism performer is Nicolas Cage, who has definitely carved a path unlike any other connected folks in this thread. I do admit: While I get he can be polarizing and occasionally mock-worthy, I've been a fan since Valley Girl. Director Martha Coolidge's DVD commentary is totally worth it for the tale of how Nic was cast. Martha was sooo done reviewing head shot after head shot of the male leads the casting directors were recommending — all-too-typical teen idol types. "Give me someone who looks like this!" she says, and Nicolas Cage happened to the headshot on top of the pile. So Nic comes in to read, and Martha loves him. But, Nic says, he's currently filming Rumble Fish with Francis Ford Coppola. Nic doesn't think he'll make the schedule. "Francis?" says Martha. "Don't worry about him! I've worked with him before, and we're close. We're like family! I'll take care of it…" Martha calls the Rumble Fish production, and asks for a scheduling solution for a Nicolas Cage. "But there's no Nicolas Cage working here," says the production guy. They go back and forth on this. "Oh, do you mean Nicolas Coppola?" says the guy…

Guess we're just that much farther away from Mobius getting that jetski ☹️ And Lokis (both of them?) FAIL AGAIN, still in fulfillment of what they're destined to be. I loved this show! Jonathan Majors having to do such massive exposition undercut the impact he could have made with his introduction. Haven't warmed up to the storytelling potential of his character yet.

We even got Hugging Loki!

There's one more favorite from Henry V, and it's hard for me to deny that the way Kenneth Branagh delivers the burn of: Come thou no more for ransom, gentle herald: They shall have none, I swear, but these my joints; Which if they have as I will leave 'em them, Shall yield them… little… is so deliciously said. The Coen Brothers drop a lot of great burns. Many favorites are from Miller's Crossing. Tom Regan: All in all not a bad guy – if looks, brains and personality don't count. Verna: Leo's got the right idea. I like him, he's honest and he's got a heart. Tom Reagan: Then it's true what they say. Opposites attract.

I was not feeling the OMG-great-epic love story. Huh? The only good part was Michael Stuhlbarg's speech.

Thank you. I remain perplexed about this movie's qualities, but I know I hold a definitely unpopular opinion.

This movie could've ended five minutes in, if the Dinklange's people offered more than just shares of a retirement home to Dr Karen. That USD 250K would have her changing her dementia diagnosis, and releasing Dianne Wiest from guardianship. It's a miracle recovery! And as much there were some pleasure to be had in Pike and Dinklage going to toe to toe, it would have been more kick-ass if Dianne Wiest manage to work the comeuppance herself. Dianne Wiest would be blast, plus bringing fresh light that you could still be #girlboss even in at "retirement" age. Otherwise I feel the same as other posters have shared: I was not liking the bitter taste that Pike was getting away with it all, and was worried that we would have to live such a cynical ending… but a character from the start of the movie paying off at the end gave me some relief.

Now that we've seen him in action, I think Ken Jennings is doing a great job as host. He is deferential to Alex, and isn't trying to be the next Trebek. His opening remarks at the start of his guest stint was pitch perfect, and set the tone for the kind of Jeopardy hosting he would do. Not that I think he's a shoo-in to the next full-time host, but what's coming through is his respect for Alex and absolute love of the show. Jennings wouldn't be a bad result (if he still wanted it, that is).

I really love this, and that Ken has done it for every episode so far. And done quite sincerely too. I wonder if the next guest host will follow, and make it a tradition. Ken's got a quite a good at reading the Spanish clues as well. He's fluent in the language; I understood he learned it for his LDS mission trip to Spain.

I first caught Mogambo on TCM, and always stick around to watch the whole movie when it's on. (Old school cable! How quaint, right? 😄 ) Ava Gardner was just beyond stunningly beautiful, and had such natural charisma and an easy, well-judged approach to acting. She conveyed a whole being with a light touch. At a later point in the story, in comes Grace Kelly. By reputation, I understood her to be the height of well, grace, and cool elegance. And yes, good bone structure. But her acting was so affected, seemed amateurish and very pearl-clutching… the opposite of that cool elegance. Was I tricked about Grace Kelly all this time? Her acting was terrible, and made her beauty less appealing.

At the very least within the range of ahole, as Sam Jones, in just his second acting role, also fell prey to his "advisers" at that time. Some choices were made that led to Jones not finishing the entire principal photography, and some shots were completed with his stand-in. But Sam fully owns up to what happened in that era, and accepted the consequences of his actions. He worked his life around, stepped away from movies and became a quite successful security specialist. (Flash [Ahh!] Gordon can be your bodyguard!) The recent August 2020 4K/Blu-ray release not only is an eye-candy restoration of the film, but has several, amazing extras (though some were from previous editions of the home version). The two best though, are a feature-length documentary Life After Flash, that details what happened to Sam as described above, how he reconnected to Flash thanks to the Ted movies, and re-embracing his Flash Gordon heritage; and a new audio commentary from Sam Jones and Melody Anderson, and these two clearly have great fun whenever they're together. Melody is hilarious and both of them don't take themselves too seriously.

Okay… I was old enough to see this in the cinemas (I was a wee child!), but I already knew to love to love Flash Gordon then. The Queen theme song just stays indelible in the mind the first time you hear it. Actually, the love for the movie grew over many repeat viewings first on video tape (!), DVD and now, Blu-Ray. It's the quotable quote movie that you and your siblings endlessly refer to, and get instant, real laughs. ("Klyyyyytus, I'm booohred…") I love how low-fi it is (though I'm sure it is not the studio's intention!), and when I was beyond wee child status, I realized that the sense of humor this movie had going for it. In the opening Klytus/Ming scene where they decide to play around with a thing called "uhrrrrrrth", we see a panel of all sorts of disasters to push out and wreak havoc on our planet. One button is identified as "Earth Quake", even though they had never heard of "Earth" before! Oh, Flash… I love you, but this silliness…

I watched this movie years ago, and this is the role that made Clive Owen perk up casting agents and the movie press. He was FIRE in this role — so charismatic, amazing performer and able to glare sexily. Before Daniel Craig was announced as James Bond, Clive's performance in Croupier had many guessing he was the next 007. Croupier was super entertaining as well. I loved it, and still own the DVD to this day (now very vintage!) Also, Clive Owen did step up to the A-List eventually (he got lead roles and was nominated for an Oscar in Closer), but it wasn't a long run, alas. I blame his "new" teeth. It changed his face and the way he spoke. (It's not the full reason, but I blame it anyway!)

Brilliant summation of what I was hoping to see in Season 5, but while the discussion on racism should still can come into the picture, I hope Randall's start of a breakthrough remains the larger story arc. Randall's realization (or rather, revelation to us viewers?) that his obsessive behavior that without him the family break apart was one of the strongest writing this show has produced, with groundwork for it laid out over several seasons.

That would be painful. To be a qualified therapist means Laurel is sober, and cognizant of her past. With her training, she can't have left unresolved the child who either believed died (and would need proof) or is still living out there (but did not work out any closure)? Also, that therapist would be age 70+ in the present. Plausible to be still working as a therapist, but not too common perhaps.

Haha, you're giving good snark, @ams1001… William would have known this… and he didn't tell Randall? Perhaps William never bothered to check in with the mother of his child during her vegetative state (heartless!) or she died while in the vegetative state and didn't tell Randall otherwise (deceptive, and hurtful!) Maybe it really is the writers' plan to de-Saint William… which is good, but rather soap-opera-ish.

Then St William may no longer be St William! Will the show allow it? (I'm sarcastic to the show runners, not you @bybrandy!) Likelier story: Laurel lived, but like many tragic addiction stories, she never recovered, and died eventually. She had less hope to try and get clean and sober. I don't think (and certainly hope!) they would make her alive in the present. Laurel had addiction, not amnesia.

Hey, now Randall can understand what Kevin feels like, specifically on family dynamics! My speculation: Randall does investigate about his mother, and maybe even discovers she didn't die at childbirth, or from an overdose when he was born. Perhaps she did sadly succumb to addiction a few years later… I don't think she's alive in the present, because she just can't have decided to not do anything, to try and get her child back at some point in the 40 years. She obviously tried to have a healthy pregnancy, and had plans for him. What could be the reason for not doing anything?