Waiting patiently for Sheriff ‘Longmire’

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One of my favorite mystery novel series right now is Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire series, which follows the sheriff of a sparsely populated Wyoming county as, slowly and sometimes painfully but with dry humor, he recovers from the cancer death of his wife and keeps the peace.

Johnson’s Longmire is a tough guy with a soft heart. He’s no spring chicken — Longmire and his native buddy, Henry Standing Bear, served in Vietnam together — but he’s rough and ready. Longmire is more than capable of dealing with the kooks and criminals that pass through his county.

His vulnerability is his heart. Longmire worries — with good reason — about his smart and independent daughter, Cady, and tries to figure out his relationship with Victoria Moretti, his imported-from-back-east deputy who is as rough-edged as she is tempting.

The books have their fair share of action, often involving the inhospitable Wyoming terrain and a group of surly bad guys. But the Longmire stories won’t be mistaken for “Die Hard.” Longmire can defuse a situation as handily as he can brawl his way out.

In light of the success of cable TV series like “Justified,” A&E announced last year that it would turn Johnson’s Longmire books into a series. “Longmire” debuts June 3.

I hope they get the show right. Robert Taylor seems a little too young to play Longmire, and Lou Diamond Phillips will have to convince me he is Henry Standing Bear. Katee Sackhoff couldn’t be more perfect as Vic Moretti, though. Sackhoff has the perfect mix of sex appeal and hot-headedness to play Vic.

I’ve read all of Johnson’s books and I’m looking forward to the next, “As the Crow Flies.”

And I’m looking forward to — if a little anxious about — the TV version.

‘Hoosiers’ took us all the way to state

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When “Hoosiers” came out in 1986, I don’t think most of us here in Indiana appreciated what a singular accomplishment it was.

Sure, writer Angelo Pizzo and director David Anspaugh got plenty of accolades for their homespun story of second chances and redemption. But I was reviewing movies and writing about Indiana’s fledgling status as movie location at the time and while a few movies like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” eight years earlier, had been partially set in Indiana — here in Muncie, as a matter of fact — they weren’t shot here. The state film commission was trying to attract moviemakers here and “Hoosiers” seemed like the state’s entry into the grand and grandiose world of filmmaking.

It was not to be.

So we can appreciate “Hoosiers” for what it is: A touching, old-fashioned story about a former college hoops coach (Gene Hackman) trying for a second chance at a tiny Indiana school. The story is loosely based on the 1954 state championship game between Milan (called Hickory in the movie) and Muncie (with South Bend substituting in the film).

There’s a lot to like about “Hoosiers.” Here are a few of our favorite things:

Yep, that’s Indiana. The movie was filmed in the state and there’s no mistaking its lonely two-lane roads, flat cornfields and historic brick school houses. Not to mention the well-known Hoosier resistance to change.

“I thought everybody in Indiana played basketball.” One of the biggest things the movie gets right is the decades-long Hoosier love of high school basketball. The crowded little school gyms, the caravan of cars to away games, the hoops hanging on the sides of barns and in rural yards. We loved it all, right up the end of class basketball.

The casting. The players, the townspeople, the people at the games. There’s rarely a jarring moment.

Dennis Hopper. As the town drunk who knows basketball but invariably shows up at games and embarrasses his player son, Hooper was rightly nominated for an Oscar. It’s a comeback role for him.

Gene Hackman. It’s easy to forget just how good Hackman — who is apparently retired from acting these days — is, how easy he makes acting look. He’s perfect as the single-minded, not especially cuddly coach who doesn’t take any grief from players or parents.

And finally, the tape measure scene. When the players get to the state finals at Butler in Indianapolis, Hackman has them measure the distance to the rim. It’s the same as back in their gym in Hickory, he notes. The players laugh, releasing tension, but they’ve also been reminded that it’s just a game and it’s the same game they’ve been playing, every Friday night, in gyms big and small.

New ‘Avengers’ images: Giant flying snake thing and … Beta Ray Bill?

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At this rate, I’m afraid we’re not going to be able to hold out until May 4.

As anticipation for “The Avengers” builds and speculation about the elements of the movie works toward some kind of geeky online meltdown, new images and details continue to appear.

Today a new commercial tie-in to the movie was released featuring an Acura outmaneuvering New York street mayhem brought about by … yes, the giant flying snake thing we’ve been wondering about since we first saw it in the trailer released in late February.

We’ve already noted speculation that the big ol’ beastie was some kind of incarnation of Fin Fang Foom, an oddball dragon creature from the early days of Marvel Comics.

Online of late he’s being referred to as Leviathan. Not sure where that came from, but it’s pretty cool.

The Acura commercial featured shots of the creature/ship flapping its stubby little wings. Here’s what it looks like:

Meanwhile, some enterprising geek has analyzed shots of the alien warriors the Avengers face, using images from a TV spot that has debuted in the last week and theorized that the menace unleashed by Loki are denizens of the Marvel world of Korbin. The planet is of interest because it’s where Beta Ray Bill, an important character in Thor lore (try saying that three times fast), comes from.

Could the aliens be from Korbin? Could we see the introduction of the geeky but popular Beta Ray Bill, or at least overtures of such?

Does old Bill there look much like the alien at the top of this blog entry?

And don’t you think the giant flying snake thing could outrun an Acura?

‘Mad Men’ exploring the ’60s with ‘Tea Leaves’

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Tonight’s “Mad Men” episode, “Tea Leaves,” pushed the AMC series further along into the shank of the 1960s, with drugs, rock and roll and well, not as much sex as last week’s naughty lingerie cleaning bout.

Surprisingly, the episode put Don’s ex, Betty, in the spotlight as the character, played by an unrecognizable January Jones (who was pregnant for much of the filming of the fifth season), gets a real health scare.

Betty is gaining weight and wonders if it’s due to dissatisfaction over her life with Henry. But a doctor tells her he’s found a lump.

Jones, who has been handed an icy, unlikable character for much of the run of the show, gets to play sympathetic tonight. Even after she learns the tumor is benign, we feel for Betty. Especially when she reaches for daughter Sally’s unfinished ice cream sundae at the end. Don’t try to eat your way out of unhappiness, Betty!

Some other observations:

Pete continues to be a total ass. Admittedly, Roger is a jerk. But Roger’s a funny jerk. Pete’s prima donna complaining about his office space last week and his public pissing match with Roger this week over the renewed Mohawk Airlines account is like Betty’s tumor: It makes Roger sympathetic.

And what about Roger? I’m worried that he’s gonna off himself before the season is over. The silver fox seems increasingly desperate and alienated.

Harry continues to be a comedic highlight of each episode. Last week he was going on and on about his attraction for Don’s new wife Megan … while Megan stood behind him. Tonight Harry and Don go to a Rolling Stones concert to try to talk to the band about singing a TV jingle for Heinz. Harry breathlessly tells Don that he’s just talked to the band. But the Stones are elsewhere in the building. “Who were you talking to?” Don scowls, prompting Harry to eat 20 White Castles. Now Harry knows how Betty feels.

The 60s are here! The 60s are here! Don and Harry get offered a joint by a cute young woman hanging out backstage waiting for the Stones. The new black secretary is on the job. A new young copy writer who’s quick with his wits — and a good match for Peggy — joins Sterling Cooper Draper Price and single-handedly shakes up the Protestant-skewing makeup of the office.

Clients say the darndest things. Last week the bean makers wanted to see their beans carrying picket signs. Tonight the Heinz people asked for the Rolling Stones. Aren’t they cute when they don’t have a grasp of reality?

 

‘Anchorman’ and the ‘uncomfortable’ comedies

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Will Ferrell appeared on “Conan” the other night, flute in hand, to insult the show’s host, play flute with the band and, oh yeah, announce that he’s making a sequel to the 2004 comedy “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.”

Actually, if you buy the schtick, Ferrell himself didn’t appear. It was Burgundy, with his burnt orange blazer and 1970s haircut (really, in what time period did Ferrell’s TV news parody take place?), the pride of San Diego newscasters.

I’ll probably see the “Anchorman” sequel, either in theaters or on disc. I liked the original “Anchorman” pretty well and have more of an appreciation for it each time it plays on cable TV, which is pretty much all the time, alternating with “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Iron Man.”

But there’s no doubt that I squirmed about as often as I laughed while I was watching “Anchorman.”

Ferrell’s movie, directed by Adam McKay, is part of a genre of comedy in movies and TV that I call “uncomfortable” comedies. They’re not outrageous, go-for-the-gut comedies like “The Hangover” or “Bridesmaids,” although there are some uncomfortable moments in those hits. The really, truly uncomfortable comedies have as many awkward moments as funny ones.

When Farrell talks to his dog or spouts off bizarre threats and insults, you can’t help but think, “Are we supposed to laugh here?”

I’m not sure where the awkward comedies began. For much of the past four decades, there have been awkward sketches on “Saturday Night Live,” but I’m not sure all of those were intentional. I’m thinking the origins were a little more foreign than that.

“The Office.” Beginning in 2001, Ricky Gervais masterminded a British workplace comedy shot in realistic, mockumentary style. The U.S. version, starring master of awkward comedy Steve Carrell, began about four years later. Carrell and a handful of other actors, including Jack Black, Seth Rogen and a few more, are as adept at making us squirm and fidget as they are at making us laugh.

The U.K. version of “The Office” was actually predated by a show that, while it had uncomfortable moments, was best known for giving us this new generation of uncomfortable actors. “Freaks and Geeks,” which lasted a single golden season beginning in 1999, featured Rogen, Jason Segel and others. This tale of high-school losers is greatly missed, although I’ve had few more uncomfortable viewing experiences than watching Segel serenade his unrequited crush.

Some of the cast and creators of “Freaks and Geeks,” the latter including Paul Feig and Judd Apatow, have gone on to turn the awkward comedy into box-office gold with movies including, in Apatow’s case, “Anchorman,” “40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Saving Sarah Marshall.” Some of them also teamed on “Undeclared,” another late, lamented comedy series that ran for a single season beginning in 2001. The tale of lovable losers at college — instead of high school, as in “Freaks and Geeks” — felt like a sequel to “Freaks and Geeks” and even featured Rogen, although as a different character.

One of the best and most outrageous awkward comedies of recent years is “Borat,” Sasha Baron Cohen’s 2006 mockumentary — a style that lends itself to awkward comedy, as in “The Office” — about a crude faux-Eastern European journalist touring the United States. Part of what made “Borat” one of a kind was how Cohen seemed to fool the people around him into thinking he was legit.

A latter-day awkward moments comedy is “Portlandia,” an Independent Film Channel series featuring Fred Armisen. The show makes fun of a truly cool but oddball city, Portland, Oregon, with its artistic pretensions and offbeat characters. I tried to like “Portlandia” and might give it another try. But the show was filled with a few too many awkward silences and too few genuine laughs for me.

Maybe I’m just too awkward for it.

The Great Newspaper Comics Challenge Part 7

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It’s time for our weekly look at what’s funny — or not — in the Sunday funnies. Because surely there’s a modern-day successor to “Pogo?”

“Classic Peanuts” offers a take on Charlie Brown’s love/hate relationship with baseball. Charlie Brown’s on the pitcher’s mound and it’s raining. Lucy asks if he’s going to call the game. He tells her to get back out into centerfield. A pop fly ball is hit and … bounces off Lucy’s umbrella. That Lucy!

“Garfield” looks at a common problem for bloggers. Jon worries that no one is reading his blog. He theorizes that cute pictures of Garfield would generate clicks. But Garfield won’t cooperate. The last panel shows an extreme close-up of a mouth. Jon’s I think. With the entry, “Today I ate a smartphone.” Am I missing something?

“Wizard of Id” gives us our first April Fool’s joke of the day. The king is delighted to hear the soldier in the turret announce, “The king’s popularity is higher than ever.” But everyone else is laughing — until the king has them put in chains for playing an April Fool’s joke on him.

“Marmaduke” barks in response to the tweeting birds … and they all fly away. Are we sure that the creator of “Marmaduke” has ever seen a dog?

“Dilbert” features Catbert offering the pointy-haired boss advice on leadership. After Catbert tells him he’s being too panicky in his warnings, the boss says, “We’re doomed, and yet, I am not the least bit worried.” Catbert frowns. “That one had a creepy vibe.” And that’s not even the punchline. Pretty funny.

In “Beetle Bailey,” the men of Camp Swampy are complaining about Cookie’s meatballs. Sarge advices him to make something they would like to tear apart with their teeth. Cookie makes … cookies that look like Sarge and the men are eating them up. I’m confused. Is “Don’t ask, don’t tell” over or not?

“Foxtrot” offers “Game of Thrones” as it might be filtered through a “My Little Pony” sensibility for an April Fools Day joke. And, you know, it works.

In “Hi and Lois,” Lois cleans up the house all day and then wonders aloud if mother birds ever look forward to an empty nest. I sense a very tragic Lifetime movie in the offing.

An April Fool’s joke backfires for “Dennis the Menace.” He’s trying to be funny, but he convinces Margaret that she’s gorgeous and that he wants to hear her practice piano. I sense a very tragic Lifetime movie in the offing here too.

Okay, now we’re getting into the spirit of this special day as well as the spirit of horribly embittered and disappointed mothers. In “Family Circus,” all the kids thank their mom for vegetables, come home with perfect report cards and thank mom for taking them clothes shopping. “April Fool!” those devilish Keanes announce. Tragic. Lifetime. Offing.

And finally in “Non Sequitur,” an alien and a little boy tell a little girl they’re calculating when an asteroid will strike earth. She realizes it’s April Fools Day. Whew. After she leaves, they go back to calculating the date of impact. Wow, thanks, Wiley, for spoiling the spirit of April Fools Day! (And thanks for the plot of a SyFy Channel movie.)

If you’re scoring at home, that’s five April Fools Day jokes and three potentially tragic tales of parenthood gone off the rails.

Movie classic: ‘Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger’

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There’s a strong case to be made for 1982 as one of the great, if not the greatest, years of all time for science fiction, fantasy and horror films. I’ll get into that at another time.

But just as 1982 was a high-water mark for genre films, the summer of five years before, 1977, was a turning point.

Why? “Star Wars.”

George Lucas’ space opera, for many years the highest-grossing and most popular movie of all time, was the “two” in the one-two punch that began in 1975 with Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws.” There had been summer movie blockbusters before, of course. But “Jaws” then “Star Wars” made the summer months a place for movies of the fantastic: Science fiction, action, horror and — in recent years — comic book movies reign in the summer.

In my mind, the modern movie era turns on “Star Wars.” Everything is divided into before and after “Star Wars.”

But another, much lesser-seen, gem came out in 1977: “Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger.”

The movie was the third in a series of films, based on the classic adventure character of Sinbad, that special effects genius Ray Harryhausen made for release in the U.S. by Columbia Pictures. The series — whose earlier installments were “7th Voyage of Sinbad” and “Golden Voyage of Sinbad” — stretched clear back to the 1950s and featured different actors in the lead role, so it hardly seemed like a series.

The “Sinbad” movies were Saturday afternoon popcorn features, unlikely to be mistaken for art. But each had their own charms.

Some of the highlights of this installment:

Harryhausen’s effects. Harryhausen, who pioneered and perfected stop-motion animation — the art of moving model figures in small increments while exposing frames of film, creating the illusion of movement — practiced his craft into the 1980s and “Clash of the Titans.” Computer-generated effects are the standard now and give filmmakers possibilities they couldn’t dream of decades ago. But Harryhausen’s effects have their own kind of charm and their own kind of realism. Is the movie’s baboon character (actually a good prince, turned into an ape by an evil witch) as realistic as the CG simians in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes?” No. But it is effective and as crucial to telling the movie’s story as modern-day computer creations.

The creatures. The highlight of any Harryhausen movie (which were directed by a variety of filmmakers, but always bore the stamp of the effects genius) were the imaginative monsters. Aside from the effects work, the choice and design of creatures (in this film the mechanical Minaton and the horn-in-the-forehead Troglodyte) is always a delight. Harryhausen probably reached his peak with Medusa in “Clash of the Titans,” but the creatures here are great.

The cast. The movie’s casting has a “Huh? What?” quality to it. There are a couple of legacy actors (Patrick Wayne, son of John Wayne, as Sinbad, and Taryn Power, daughter of Tyrone Power), as well as Patrick Troughton, who had played the lead role in the popular British sci-fi series “Doctor Who” in the 1960s.

And then there’s Jane Seymour. The actress, who had made a big impression in the 1973 James Bond movie “Live and Let Die,” was a highlight of “Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger” for any red-blooded male.

Jane, rocking incredibly long, straight hair, was dressed as improbably as any sword-and-sorcery movie heroine: a top that’s little more than a bikini with sleeves, a hip-hugging skirt and — most exotic for Midwestern boys like me — gold chains around her hips.

Yowza.

“Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger” was not fated to be the equal of “Star Wars” or the other genre hits of 1977, including “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” at the box office or with audiences and critics. But thanks to Harryhausen’s creatures and Jane Seymour, it lives on in the Saturday afternoon memories.

 

New images: ‘Man of Steel,’ ‘Avengers’ on Disney XD, ‘Beware the Batman’

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Images, we got images. Nah, it just doesn’t sing.

But nevertheless, we’ve got lots and lots of images.

In the days, weeks and months leading up to the debut of a new TV show or the release of a new movie, set photos and officially sanctioned photos of the cast turn up online and in magazines. But the geeks among us also enjoy seeing logos and promotional pictures.

So today was a bonanza, with new images released for “Man of Steel,” Disney XD’s “Avengers” series and “Beware the Batman,” the new Cartoon Network show.

First the big-screen movie, “Man of Steel.” It comes out in June 2013, but we’ve already seen set photos like this one of star Henry Cavill:

It is a cryin’ shame how that guy has let himself go.

Anyway, today came the release of the new “Man of Steel” logo, showing the Superman shield.

I think it looks pretty good. And I’m definitely pleased they’ve made the shield bigger on Supe’s chest than it was in “Superman Returns.”

If you haven’t seen “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” on Disney XD, you should check the half-hour animated series out on DVD. It’s a good show that feels very close in spirit to the Marvel comic. It also seems to dovetail nicely into the “Avengers” movie coming out in May.

Anyway, here’s a new photo from the Disney XD series showing what would appear to be a greatly expanded cast that includes the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and Wolverine. Some online comments said the picture reminded them of “Justice League Unlimited,” the Cartoon Network classic of the DC Animated Universe. What do you think?

Can you name all the heroes? I was stumped by only one.

Lastly there’s “Beware the Batman,” the new Cartoon Network series coming in 2013.

The image is pretty cool and hopefully the computer animation is a little more polished than in the new CN “Green Lantern” series.

But can any cartoon depiction of the Dark Knight ever top the classic “Batman: The Animated Series?” I can’t imagine it.

‘Justified’ building to something with ‘Measures’

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More than a few episodes of this third season of “Justified” have felt like slow-burning set-ups for what’s to come. And as I’ve said before, I have no problem with enjoying the build-up considering how enjoyable series creator Graham Yost’s tale of Kentucky cops and criminals is.

Really, I could watch an hour of offbeat Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), charismatic lawbreaker Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) and their supporting players just hanging out.

Last night’s episode, “Measures,” again felt like the series was building to its season finale in two weeks.

This season overall seems to have fewer stand-alone episodes, especially compared to the first season.

Anyway, here’s some highlights:

Art and Raylan. As Raylan’s seen-it-all boss in the Lexington U.S. Marshals office, Nick Searcy makes Art a highlight of every episode. Last night he went out into the field with Raylan because of Detroit mobster Quarles’ threats. Art and Raylan are both smart asses, but Art has a career full of experiences to back up his remarks.

Michael Ironside! The veteran tough-guy actor, whose resume ranged from the cult classic horror film “Scanners” to “Top Gun” to providing the voice of Superman villain Darkseid, turned up as a soldier for a Detroit mob boss. I wish Ironside was a regular.

Neal McDonough as Quarles. Set up to be the smooth, violent mobster who comes in from Detroit to take over the local drug trade, Quarles started the season as a dapper killer with a gun hidden up his sleeve. But as his efforts to set up shop in Kentucky unraveled — thanks in large part to homegrown criminal Boyd Crowder — Quarles has become a lurid oddity, an Oxy-popping, homicidal maniac who, last night, robbed and killed a couple of drug dealers. With a sword.

Boyd Crowder. Nuff said.

 

Have the nerds inherited the earth?

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It wasn’t that long ago that fans of comic books, monster movies, science fiction and other nerdy stuff had to be fairly closeted about their pop culture choices.

I still remember the look on a guy’s face who, when I was a teenager, looked at the paperback book in my hand and read the title: “The Martian Chronicles.” This was Ray Bradbury. The author was — and is — considered a literary lion, for pete’s sake. But the guy glanced from the book cover to me and looked as if I had been perusing the latest issue of “Nuns and Nazis.”

God only knows what would have happened if I had been reading the latest issue of Famous Monsters magazine.

So I still feel a little lightheaded over the rise of geek culture. Not just the number of big-screen, big-budget movies based on comic books. I’m kind of getting accustomed to that.

No, I’m thinking about the TV shows — at least one of them based on a Podcast — that are not only devoted to a celebration of geek culture but even feature honest-to-goodness, real life geeks.

These shows portray the real-world versions of geeks like those in “Big Bang Theory” — without the Hollywood veneer. More about “Big Bang” in a bit.

Here’s a run-down of the geek and nerd equivalents of Johnny Carson:

“The Nerdist:” Back in the day, Chris Hardwick was that snarky guy with the big voice on “Singled Out,” the MTV game show. A couple of years ago, Hardwick began “The Nerdist” podcast, an online audio look at geek and nerd culture featuring not only fans but celebrity guests.

Hardwick and “The Nerdist” — which also features genuinely funny geeks Jonah Ray and Matt Mira as regular panelists — got somewhat wider (or different) exposure when BBC America tapped the three to appear on a “Nerdist” TV series.

Only a handful of episodes have appeared so far, but they feature Hardwick, Ray and Mira chatting with geek culture demigods like Wil Wheaton and Nathan Fillion. The shows — available On Demand and no doubt online — are breezy and silly and don’t have any more substance than your typical talk show. They are, however, about the kind of geeky stuff that your parents used to hate.

“Talking Dead:” Hardwick packed up his geek shtick — but unfortunately not his sidekicks — and hosted this AMC talk show that followed episodes of the channel’s hit “The Walking Dead.”

Although the focus is narrow — it’s all about “The Walking Dead” — the show is entertaining and offers some insight into the series. The episode following the season finale of “The Walking Dead” featured the show’s creators announcing the actress who will play Michonne but also included one of the show’s funniest bits: An “In Memoriam” video montage of zombies killed off during that evening’s episode.

“Comic Book Men:” Somehow AMC has become the channel for nerd talk shows. Airing on Sunday nights along with “The Walking Dead” and “Talking Dead” is “Comic Book Men,” a series set in director Kevin Smith’s New Jersey comic book store.

Smith makes appearances but the series is focused on Walt Flanagan, manager of the store, and three employees/layabouts, Ming Chen, Mike Zapcic and Bryan Johnson.

All four guys are opinionated and entertaining. Chen, the low man on the totem pole, is like the Gilligan of the series.

It is Johnson, sporting a wild mane and wooly beard, who is the show’s highlight, however. Johnson’s online bio indicates that he has acted and directed in projects associated with Smith.

In “Comic Book Men,” Johnson is portrayed as an archetype familiar to anyone who has spent time at a comic book store or convention: The guy — usually older — who always seems to be hanging out, offering up sarcastic comments and withering put-downs. Johnson makes that stereotype immensely likable, however, through his genuine wit.

If “Comic Book Men” has a fault it is that I don’t think it realistically portrays a comic book store in one respect: Nobody ever buys anything! Most of the interaction between the employees and the public comes when people come in hoping to sell old comics or “Catwoman” Barbies. It’s like a nerd version of “Pawn Stars.”

Not even a roundup to non-fiction geek talk shows would be complete without a mention of “Big Bang Theory.” One of the most popular shows on TV, the CBS sitcom is about four geeks who hang out together, playing online games, going to a comic book store and obsessing about sex.

There’s a pretty divisive view of “Big Bang Theory” online. A lot of geeks consider it patronizing and shallow. It is, of course. But it’s no more patronizing or shallow a look at a group of friends than … well, “Friends” was.

And “Big Bang Theory,” like its real-life counterparts, offer a view of geek culture that not even Ross in the depths of his museum-geek persona could reach.