The Executioner's Song (1983):

This is a filmed adaptation of Norman Mailer's account of the story of Gary Gilmore, who killed two men in cold blood and, when captured and convicted, lobbied for his own execution. Mailer continued to build on the genre developed by Capote's In Cold Blood, that being a form of journalism recounted with a literary structure and artistic flourishes. I guess one could call these works non-fiction novels, for lack of a better term. More details here

It was a TV movie. Although it was nominated for five Emmys (winning two) and featured a couple of noted film performers (Tommy Lee Jones and Rosanna Arquette), it has never been issued on DVD and is out of print on VHS as well, so a copy will cost you a bundle.

This is a shame in more ways than one. Apart from the fact that I'd like to see a high quality version of the uncut, unrated version of the film, I'd also like to see better quality images of the extensive Rosanna Arquette nudity, which exposed every nook and cranny of her body at one time or another.

Here are four zipped .avis (1, 2, 3, 4)

There are not my captures, but were taken from usenet. The person who did the captures took them from a European TV broadcast. The quality is not bad at all, but they are in Italian. (I think.)

Here are a few sample collages:

 

Rosanna Arquette

Other Crap:

Easy Sharing links for three film clips of the nudity from tonight's L-Word: (1, 2, 3)

Here's an "easy sharing" link to a video of the complete nude scene in Final Destination 3

The case for mocking religion.

Peter Benchley sleeps with the fishes

"The Worlds Most Perfect Breasts"

• They look like implants, but Howard Stern examined them and concluded they were real. As I recall, she even had X-rays to prove it.

"Actor Gary Oldman looks unlikely to reprise his role as Sirius Black in the next Harry Potter offering, after reports he has been mysteriously axed from the wizard franchise."

• The actor's manager says, "You will be shocked to learn there are no plans for Gary to appear in the film. To say we are puzzled is an understatement at the very least! We are left with no choice but to pursue other employment for him."

VIDEO: Meat And You: Partners In Freedom.

Dave Barry's guide to the Winter Olympics

• I've kinda given up on the Olympics since Scooby's team beat the Really Rottens. I lost a bundle betting on the Rottens. Years later, as I look back on it, I'm thinking the fix was in.

MICHAEL BROWN NAMED SECRETARY OF DEFENSIVENESS ... Stunning Comeback for Former FEMA Chief

• In his new position, Mr. Brown will be responsible for coming up with excuses for all of the other Cabinet-level departments “whenever they screw up,” Mr. Bush said.

How did you spend your weekend? Vice President Dick Cheney shot a man in Texas

• A new theme park for Republicans?
• Contrary to earlier rumors, the man was not Howard Dean
• (It was an accident on a quail-hunting trip)

Weekend Box Office Results, February 10-12, 2006

• Pink Panther came from behind to edge out Final Destination 3 for the top spot.
• The four new releases took the top four spots
• Most films performed approximately as predicted, but Curious George was a major positive surprise, approximately doubling the forecast!
• Buoyed by so much fresh blood, the weekend's total (as measured conventionally by the top twelve) was the highest of the year so far, and was 3% above the parallel weekend last year.

Berlusconi says he is the Jesus Christ of politics

• I think Chicago's Mayor Daley would have the best claim to this title. He often raised the dead to vote for him.

It's time to put away your Boba Fett and start in on erotic action figures!

"You guys have been pretty thoroughly traumatized by all the links we post with things that jump out and scare you. In case you wanted an idea of what you look like when that happens, here's a video of the typical response."

AstroPic o' the Day: "Was Saturn's moon Phoebe once a comet?"

Sharon Stone horrified by breasts

• For Sharon, it's all about the crotch

Best Animation Oscars to be presented next year in Tehran. 

Movie Reviews:

Yellow asterisk: funny (maybe). White asterisk: expanded format. Blue asterisk: not mine. No asterisk: it probably sucks.

"Last Exit to Brooklyn"

Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989) is a slice of life story set in 1952 Brooklyn, and is based on a highly controversial novel that had years of legal trouble in the UK. Hubert Selby Jr.'s "the author" defense was pretty much that this was real life, and he personally knew people like all of those in the story. This is typical of his style, as evidenced by Requiem for a Dream, which he also penned. A dead cat crawling with maggots is equally real life, but I would not hang a photo of it on my wall. The novel was rather episodic, making the screen play a real challenge. They used a labor strike, which affected everyone in the neighborhood, to tie the various characters and their stories together. Main characters include the man hired by the union to manage strike headquarters, who was abusing his expense account and was rather brutal to his wife (Maia Danziger), probably because he was a closet homosexual, a gang of hoods, a man whose rather corpulent daughter, that he thought was a virgin, who is 7 months pregnant, a hooker (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who makes her living attracting service men in bars, and then having the gang roll them, and several colorful gay characters.

One of the arguments for the prosecution during the pornography hearings about the book was that the descriptions of the sex and violence were very graphic. They tried to remain true to that in the film. It was mostly shot at night, and not well. Nearly every frame of this film has motion blur.

Maia Danziger shows buns and breasts. Jennifer Jason Leigh shows breasts in a lengthy gang bang sequence at the end of the film.

IMDb readers say 6.7. It won several minor awards for editing, direction, an Leigh's performance. It is well acted, and is probably the best possible film adaptation of this book. Unfortunately, this film fails the Siskel test for me, in that there is nobody in the film I would willing spend an evening with. It is not widely available. I screened a region 4 DVD, and the video quality is not at all good, but I suspect that is the fault of the original film. There are lengthy text features that go into detail about the book's legal problems. This is a C. If a gritty and true to life film about unsavory characters in your idea of fun, see this one.

Jennifer Jason Leigh Maia Danziger

"Tattoo"

Tattoo (1981) is a film that most of you are probably familiar with, and I have covered it on VHS before. It is the story of a tattoo artist, Bruce Dern, who kidnaps a famous model, Maud Adams, and gives her a full body tattoo. For those who don't remember it, you will want to read through Scoopy's review (http://www.scoopy.com/tattoo.htm) before continuing.

I clearly enjoyed this film far more than Scoopy did. I agree with his plot outline, and also with all of the strong points he mentioned. I enjoyed two other aspects of the film immensely. First, I saw the Maud Adams character as a little lost, but basically sympathetic, and had little trouble imagining what it might be like having her one saleable feature, her body, completely and permanently defaced by this somewhat likable man. He treated her far better and with more respect than others in her life before he hit on his rather unusual plan to rescue her.

I also thought the film makers did a wonderful job of developing the Bruce Dern character with an economy of effort and no exposition. We learn during the opening credits that he became interested in tattoos in the Army, we learn that he is an obsessive compulsive, and that he was the product of an abusive father and a door mat mother. Unfortunately, once the tattooing started, they were pretty much out of story until the inevitable ending. Thus, 2/3 of the film is pretty much marking time, but is peppered with nudity. The tattoo art work is superior.

Maud Adams does full frontal and rear nudity in at least two scenes in clear light. Anne Andersen, as another model, shows breasts.

IMDb readers say 4.8. I would call it a C, as a unique premise that didn't allow for a good third act. Nonetheless, it is wonderful eye candy.

Anne Anderson Maud Adams

Scoops-
A little something odd today....

I've seen this gal Triana Gamaza on a few things. Last Comic Standing, Part Deux for one. And a magazine or two. Has her own website and although she's a tad on the scrawny side and sports a couple of tats, she looks okay.

The first thing is picture of her in a bikini. Looks just fine.

Triana Gamaza

Wish she would get herself good and nekkid, but no. Or so I thought. And then I was fooling around and found these caps from Scorpion of a certain T. Gamaza in Passion Cove. Real nekkid. Fully frontally so. Triple B performance. And some advanced lesbotronics.

Triana Gamaza in "Passion Cove"

Crimson Ghost also capped that show. Well, lo and behold, T is Triana. Uh huh. The Ghost's last cap shows the same tat in the same place on a gal sporting the same face. Don't know how funny she is but if she did her act in the buff I would be entertained.

Triana Gamaza in "Passion Cove"