My take on Taxi Driver is that its the type of movie I respect more than I ever want to revisit. Its well directed and acted and I "get" the story that's being told, but I don't want to follow Bickle around if I don't have to.

And let's just mention how amazing that Gangs of New York production design is! I love that Five Points set.

I agree with your sentiment, but at the same time, I think DiCaprio is just odd looking enough to look at home in 1860's New York. I think if someone were to take a daguerreotype of him in costume, he'd fit right in with a bunch of prematurely aged street toughs.

You need to go outside and get some fresh air. This isn't healthy.

So unlike long winded rapping dinosaurs that are doing their best to ruin WOT, here's some cool TV news, Tony Soprano's Escalade was sold at auction.

I didn't realize this was getting weekly reviews but I dug the pilot. It checked all the darkness and sleaze boxes I like for premium cable shows. It was interesting to note when I started IMDBing the cast, this is the first real acting role for a lot of the dancers (who dance for a day job).

Well, GI Joe had Scarlet, Lady Jaye, Jinx, and Cover Girl (in the beginning) for the good guys with Baroness and Zarana on Cobra. Plus Pythona if we count the movie.

The seams really showed through in Retaliation also. It definitely wasn't able to hide its "we filmed this all in Louisiana for cheap because of the tax break"-ness. Just a bad production all around.

And get some of that sweet, sweet Duracell cash. All those kids getting batteries not included Star Wars toys for Christmas. Duracell is going to have money to burn. And they just did.

I avoided the Noid.

Except GI Joe was the least sausage fest-y of all 80's cartoons.

In this thread, I defend Rise of Cobra. As someone that grew up on the Joes, it really captured the feel of a living cartoon. Retaliation, however, was a morbid disaster. Not even Ray Stevenson as a scenery chewing villain could save it.

I've watched the season (and all the others) twice and,in retrospect, I think the 8 episode structure works very well. If you want to get deep, on a meta level, the shorter season is a representation of how time speeds up as the closer we get to the end of our lives. There's just not enough time to do everything.…

Also, I like the little easter eggs planted in it that explain things from past movies/the future timeline before franchises like Back to the Future and Star Wars got credit for it. Things like an explanation for why the orangatuans, chimps, and gorillas all color-coordinate among themselves in the future.

Watching Carnivale or Deadwood as part of a four show rotation is craziness. You've got to go all in.

I also watched the pilot to Starz's Flesh and Bone. Dark, sleazy, and messed up. Just the way I like my premium cable dramas. Recommended.

Continuing the descent into the Madhouse of the original Planet of the Apes series, I watched both Escape and Conquest.

Yeah, I totally disagree with this notion that Spectre "isn't one of the good ones" that's bubbling out there. I echo your thoughts on the Villain Roundtable. Even though Waltz in shadow was one of the first things given away in the marketing, it all clicked with the whispering and Mr. Hinx's first impression.

In the What-If department, pictures of Megan Gale's (maybe even more beautiful?) Wonder Woman in George Miller's abandoned Justice League movie have shown up online.

Regarding old features, I miss Commentary Tracks of the Damned and Big Box of Paperbacks. Those were both before my commenting days, but well written articles about things that esoteric are what put this site on my map.