Movies, Shows, etc
Step Brothers
I had the joy of introducing this to S, who had never seen it before. Not sure she totally got it. Then again, I don’t know if I did, either, the first time I saw it. A delight for me, though. It also made me look up and re-read this piece. Unadulterated Joy: An Oral History of ‘Step Brothers’
A-
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy
Perhaps the height of Will Ferrell silliness.
A-
Bridesmaids
This has been in rotation on cable lately, and I’ve caught parts of it three different times. It probably makes me laugh harder than the two movies above. The fact that our girls are old enough to wander by and watch for a bit makes it a little uncomfortable for me, though.
A
Strapped (Spring Training)
For the latest edition of No Laying Up’s budget travel series, the boys went to Arizona during baseball spring training season. All kinds of baseball goodies mixed in with the golf. This season doesn’t quite hit as well as others, but it is never a bad way to spend 90 minutes or so.
B+
Pearl Jam – 1991–08–23 Seattle, WA
This is pretty awesome. A PJ concert from less than a week before they released their first album. Every song sounds awesome. They were locked in from day one. I wonder what happened to that dude in front of the cameraman with the weird tick where he kept shaking his head. Hope he’s doing alright.
A
Destination NBA: A G League Odyssey
This was really interesting. Especially the older guys who have been hanging around awhile. I don’t remember Gabe York from college at all, but that dude is a stud. I had checked out on the Pacers by the time he got his late-season call up last spring. Always fascinating to see athletes like him, who absolutely destroy at the level just below the highest level, but for one reason or another, can never make it in the bigs.
A
Shrinking
Bill Lawrence made some adjustments to his Thoughtful Comedy slider, brought in some terrific actors and collaborators (Jessica Williams is a revelation), and cranked out yet another fantastic show. Funnier than Ted Lasso and often as touching. I laughed as much watching this as any show in recent memory. Pretty much every one of the main actors is outstanding. You know Brett Goldstein is involved thanks to the liberal use of the word fuck. An excellent way to spend five hours of your life.
A
John Mulaney: Baby J
I didn’t find this as hilarious as his previous stand up shows. Not sure if that was because most of it is about his stint in rehab, and the intervention that led to that. Some of the humor seemed a little forced and uncomfortable.
B
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Not your average D&D adaptation. This hits most of the touch points of the genre, but remains loose and silly. Not quite a send-up of fantasy movies, although it can border on that at times. Seems like a movie that can delight both fantasy fans and those who normally wouldn’t be drawn to the genre.
B+
The Bear, seasons one and two
S had not watched this at all, so I gladly binged both seasons again with her. Loved them both again. As with any re-watch, it was fun to pick up on little nuggets I missed the first time, or assess episodes slightly differently knowing what comes next. “Forks” is still my favorite, but I did like “Fishes” a little more than I did the first time. And Carmy is still a putz for fucking things up with Claire.
A, A
Shorts, YouTubes, etc
The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach knows exactly how Ayo Edebiri used to cut her onions
Moss-Bachrach seems very different from the character he plays. Which I guess is the job, right?
Why Pac-Man won
This went directions I did not expect. Also a good reminder of how crazily popular Pac-Man was for a long time. I think it was the summer I turned 12 pretty much every gift I got had a Pac-Man tie in.
Life as the Last Fire Lookout
Some amazing footage in this piece.
David Letterman Was in on Andy Kaufman’s Outrageous Bits
Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lawler on Letterman Full
Joaquin Phoenix’s Infamous Appearance With Dave
One day I fell into a rabbit hole of famous Letterman appearances. Time well spent.
Bob Barker’s Letterman Top 10 Lists
This was shared a lot after Barker’s death.
8000 runs: a love letter to running
Brief Beau Miles bullshit is better than no Beau Miles bullshit.
A weekend away after the hardest year of my life
Then he shared this, which both explains why he’s been less active this year and is a beautiful love letter to his wife.
Why US Malls Are Dying (And Why European Malls Aren’t)
I’m no economist or urban planner, so I have no idea if his arguments are valid or not. He misses a key point that plagues one of our local malls: people getting shot there every couple of months. That kind of puts a damper on cruising for babes like Linda Barrett at the food court. If you’re 17, of course. I don’t cruise the food court for babes anymore. That would be weird.
Perfect Carrier Landing: Step-by-Step BREAKDOWN
I got sucked into a bunch of this guy’s videos one night.
The White Stripes – From the Basement
I miss the White Stripes.
DIRT Episode 5 — Ireland
Like pretty much anything filmed in Ireland, this is amazing. We have some relatives that were just over there. It is high on my list.
Sample Breakdown: The Most Iconic Hip-Hop Sample of Every Year (1973–2023)
The is amazing, even if I knew very few of the songs from recent years.
The Better Boarding Method Airlines Won’t Use
I don’t fly a ton, but I’ve seen a lot of stupid shit when boarding planes over the years. Pretty much every system will suck because people either don’t understand it, pretend to not understand it, or simply choose to ignore it. As always, people are the worst.
Announcers Getting Angry
Announcers Getting Angry | Part 2
Some of these are great.
Max Homa vs. Tom Kim | The Titleist One Club Challenge with No Laying Up
I love stuff like this, especially when it is high level golfers like these guys and they can show off both their imagination and their skill level.
Open Season: Neil’s Week At The Open Championship
I’m not really a camper, so camping out in cold, rainy England to be closer to the course where the Open is being played sounds truly awful.
The 2023 Barkley Marathons Documentary
I will never not be fascinated by the Barkley Marathons.
How to Correctly Load your Dishwasher…
This fits nicely with my recent Old Man Tendencies post. Some of these suggestions fit with my methods, some run counter to mine, and a couple were brand new to me.
What it’s like for an Army Paratrooper to step into the air over a drop zone
True story: when I was like 12, 13, I really wanted to be in the Army. Not sure if I specifically wanted to be a paratrooper but I would imagine it was on the list. Very glad I never truly explored that career path, as I’m guessing my fear of heights would have been a problem.
Wendy Breaks Down Her Most Iconic Guitar Parts and Her New Rig!
I can’t play guitar, so much of this is far too technical and sounds like people speaking a foreign language. But it’s worth it to hear Wendy Melvoin play her guitar lines from “Purple Rain.” Stuff like this also makes me respect musicians even more. It’s one thing to come up with a cool song. It’s another thing to navigate all this technology to help make the output match the sounds they hear in their heads. The number of possibilities seems staggering. It also helps me understand why it takes Adam Granduciel years to record new War on Drugs albums.
How Vinyl Records Are Made (feat. Third Man Records)
Super cool. At first I thought the lacquer cutting process had to be done for every album pressed. Then I realized that’s just where the master that vinyl will be pressed from is made.