I've heard about this on and off over the years, but had never seen it until Kottke posted a link this morning: It's a clip from "My Best Friend's Birthday," Quentin Tarantino's first film, ca. 1987. If I didn't know better, and I'm not sure I do, I'd suspect it's an elaborate prank. The young Tarantino who appears as a motormouth DJ is a pretty good caricature of everything we associate with Tarantino the actor — all the hyperkinetic, can't-sit-still, chew-the-scenery mannerisms are there in full. Fortunately, the things we associate with Tarantino the writer are present too — the black humor, the perfect pauses, the on-a-dime conversational switches. The directing? It's a wash. The thing's pretty primitive, but most of it was apparently destroyed in a fire at the lab. Still, it's a satisfying glimpse of one of our greatest, weirdest auteurs in utero.
Where Tarantino came from
Movie moments that "F***'d Me Up as a kid!"
Enjoy this brief compendium of horrific moments from movies that kept very young Gen-Xers and Millennials up at night, set perfectly to Queen's Don't Stop Me Now. Tag yourself: I'm Emil staggering away from the toxic waste tank in Robocop. READ THE REST
New trailer for Wonder Woman 1984, coming to the small(er) screen next month
The hotly-anticipated, and delayed, Wonder Woman 1984 will finally premiere next month on Christmas Day. A sign of an industry in transition, the movie will be simultaneously released in cinemas and on HBO Max, at no additional cost on top of the monthly subscription fee. READ THE REST
Watch: "A Eulogy for the Movie Phone Booth"
Little White Lies' Luís Azevedo and Jake Cunningham eulogize the phone booth as it appeared on the big screen. "Without one, Superman is just Clark Kent." That moment tickled me when I first saw the film on release day in 1979. What classic phone booth scenes did they miss? One of my favorites is below:… READ THE REST
Here are 30 bestselling apps and streaming services on sale for Cyber Monday
While Cyber Monday is ostensibly about helping you save money on holiday gift ideas, the true sneaky joy of it all is scoring deals on stuff for you. Friends and relatives are great…but let's not stop considering the home team in all this, OK? Sure, any of the 30 apps and streaming services included here… READ THE REST
They may look strange, but these wireless over-ear headphones are a 3-in-1 marvel
When a review begins by stating that the product stands as "the weirdest headphones you'll ever own," that has to at least get your attention. And make no mistake, the Human Headphones are unquestionably weird. But then again, it wasn't long ago that AirPods looked weird dangling from people's heads too. Makers Human, Inc., have… READ THE REST
How about a bidet? At these Cyber Monday prices, it might finally be time to make the move.
After you come out of your annual turkey coma, you probably don't wake up and think, "I'm gonna buy a bidet today." But if we're being honest, that probably isn't a statement you consider on most days. However, facts are facts. And among the mountain of offers competing for your holiday season dollars are some… READ THE REST