The Balcony is Now Open Mofo.

Hello Members of the Academy,
In a lone "shout out" to Oscar Sunday, I've been holed up bayside with Jiffy Pop, some Beaver Buzz (not what you're thinking, it's Canadian RedBull) and some choice picks from Aug's New Releases. BTW, dude, if you're out there, "American Wedding" is old...you need to "Aug"ment that back row selection... haha.

I did see "Crash" and can only say, you totally need some man-eating wheels like Stephen King's Christine or big rig Candy Cane if you're driving in LA. The vehicular and karmic mayhem in that sad flick was no joke. It's a good thing we can just shuffle down the Blvd to get to the library and the dirty bar. Even if you drive there's still only a 1/365 chance that Bumper B will smack your Intrepid or that the BMX mob will carjack your Lincoln Navigator. David Cronenberg's 1992 "Crash" rocked freaky car-nooky instead of racial tension.....either way your Volvo catches on fire.

Also, Hollywood's really got me big thinkin' about why flix on boxers are always destined to be "critically acclaimed", "feel good movies" about the "triumph of the Human Spirit". The Champ, Raging Bull (not so much), Rocky I thru infinite and now Million Dollar Baby and Cinderella Man ....WTF? Is it because some Italian/Irish- American brother or sister opens a can of whoopass on an Eastern European uber-nietzsche type? Think bad guys Ivan Drago, Max Baer or Billie the Blue Bear. That should have passed with the Reaganomics. Perhaps we like a little punch drunk visceral violence after all the fancy car chase/ gun-fight / nuclear Armageddon stuff that rocks the matinees. I don't know why people dig 'em but it's probably the same reason you can't get a seatin the Caddy on mud-wrestlin' Mondays. Triumph of spirit indeed.

Bloodhound Gang says "Yes I'm Siskel, Yes I'm Ebert and you're getting 2 thumbs up..."