Category: Broken Girl Media

Film, Television, Radio, and Gaming

Aside from the whole “global pandemic” thing, one of 2020’s disappointments was how weak the revival of Reno 911 turned out.

I mean, I’m the same age as most of the cast, so I get how hard it is to return to something a decade later. And it was complicated, selling a show that aggressively mocks venal, lazy, incompetent, and racist cops in the context of everything that happened last year. So perhaps it was doomed to fail.

But as a fan of The State from way back in the day, it still bummed me out. Most of them —particularly Tom Lennon and Robert Garant— are super-successful people who can rest on their laurels, but I was really looking forward to a new Reno after the underwhelming revival of Wet Hot American Summer.

Improv isn’t evergreen, I suppose.

Wait but I gotta ask,,thoughts on Jennifer Connelly?

My thoughts are mixed.

I’m the only person alive who didn’t care for Labyrinth and never watched Career Opportunities, for starters. (Bowie just isn’t my thing.) I warmed up to her in Inventing The Abbots, and I obviously appreciated Requiem for a Dream. (So far, Pi is the only Aronofsky I haven’t liked.) But then she moved on to clunkers like A Beautiful Mind, and if it weren’t for Daveed Diggs, I doubt I’d have watched a single episode of Snowpiercer.

She’s a competent actress who can impress when correctly cast, but like Rachel McAdams, I don’t make an effort to see her in anything.

okay so we have your thoughts on olivia but what are your thoughts on taylor swift?

I loved Drew-looks-at-me Taylor, but she lost me on her relentless march toward pop fabulousness. And while she’s now back to making stuff I should like… eh. I just can’t summon any enthusiasm.

(To my surprise, the same thing has happened with Lana Del Rey… I haven’t even listened to a single track from her latest album.)

At this point, I’m far more enthused by the new Lorde single —”I’m kinda like a prettier Jesus”— and whatever Billie Eilish does next. I should also mention that I kinda love Miley’s pseudo-rock album, and I need to spend some time listening to both Liz Phair’s Soberish and Florence Welch’s goofy Disney tie-in for Cruella.

Things I learned watching TV last night.

On HBO:

  • Jennifer Aniston actually considered boning David Schwimmer, which just makes me sad.
  • Father Time is occasionally far more cruel to men than women. (Although in fairness, cocaine and alcohol did most of the damage to Perry.)
  • Kudrow is now The Hot One.

On The Masked Singer:

  • Fucking Jojo is 30 now. Jesus I’m goddamned old.

I didn’t know anything about River Phoenix till I saw your reply to ask that you found him pretty just the one time. That man lived a messed up life

I’m always surprised that Stand By Me has been forgotten so quickly, to say nothing of My Own Private Idaho. The former seems evergreen to me, although I know kids today don’t romanticize the 1950s… I mean, Kiefer Sutherland doing his ‘80s villain thing! Wil Wheaton before everyone started to hate him! Jerry O’Connell as the fat little kid who grew up to bang Rebecca Romijn! Corey Feldman before Corey Feldman’s life happened to him! The most beloved Stephen King property that no one bothered to read! It’s got it all.

Stand By Me (1985) – Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, River Phoenix, Will Wheaton

I can see how the latter would be more complicated, though. My Own Private Idaho was the difficult follow up to Gus Van Sant’s previous difficult film, Drugstore Cowboy… and made all the more difficult at the time because it was a gay auteur trying to sell a movie about pretty-boy street hustlers. Today I suppose it’s still difficult because Van Sant cast two straight actors as his leads. But it was a landmark back in the day, and presaged what was coming from River before that day at The Viper Room ended it all.

My Own Private Idaho (1991) — Keanu Reeves, River Phoenix

Yeah, his childhood and brief adulthood were disasters… but he’s one of those what-could-have-been people. Hard drugs and Johnny Depp… they should be avoided, kids.