Saturday, January 31, 2009

BEST FILMS OF 2008, TAKEN, and THE VISITOR by Frank Palmcoast

When he's not watching, with beads of sweat, his fellow, legally blind, senior citizens parallel park, Frank Palmcoast is catching seven dollar movies at the local multiplex from sunny Pompano Beach, Florida. He's retired, he's angry at the world, he can't spell to save his life, and he hates Hollywood almost as much as Hillary Clinton, but that will not stop our irreverent, dementia fightin', AARP card carrying everyman from giving us a fresh take on all things Hollyweird. Besides, how can he pass up that marvelous senior citizen discount?


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Special treat Palmcoast fans! Our veteran, crack film journalist not only reviews Liam Neeson's return to mainstream cinema, Taken, but also offers up his top films of 2008 and a capsule review of the Oscar nominated - The Visitor

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FRANK PALMCOAST'S TOP 10 FILMS OF 2008

Here is the Palmcoast's picks for the Ten Best Pictures for the year 2008 AD and in their order of importance: #1, Slumdog Millionaire. #2, Grand Torino, #3, Rightious Kill, #4, Yonkers Joe, #5, The Wrestler, #6, Doubt, # 7, The Bucket List, #8, Wild Hogs, #9, You Don't Mess with The Zohan and Last but not least #10, Rambo. Number Ten, Rambo reminded me of when I was in Nam fighten those commies and for everyones information, as we speak they are working on Wild Hogs 2 for 2009. It doesn't get any better than that!

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If you have has enough of these depressing Academy Award films you will be rescued and not by Bourne or Bond but by Liam Neeson. There are slim pickens this time of the year, no big block busters but you will be rewarded by this classic action flick. In Taken, Neeson is a revenge seeking missile as a kick-ass action father hero.Having recently seen "Quantum of Solace" this Liam guy puts the new Bond to shame.The rage, the determination, the vengeance of the father was cheered on by the viewers of my show. Even the torture of the very evil guy and the shooting of a woman in the arm demonstrates to this critic, "desperate times , call for desperate measures and sometimes the answer to violent people is violence, perhaps we can learn from this.The so called critics want Benjamin Button movies and Palmcoast's wants"mess with the best and die with the rest".Taken reminds me of say Jack Bauer's saving his daughter, then I feel sorry for the terrorist. A relentless thriller that never ends. This movie is without a doubt preposterous in every way and you know what, I loved it. My two favorite lines from this flick, "I will find you and I WILL kill you and If I have to I WILL tare down the Eiffel Tower". I would give this movie 3 thumbs up but I only have 2. Most movie critics as well as our congressmen have lost their creditability! Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

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Just caught The Visitor on On Demand, Movie & Events, All New Releases. Found it interesting, extremely subtle and engrossing. First time for me to see the work of Richard Jenkins. The story line really impressed me and most timely. It affords me a new and different outlook on what's going on today and the many injustices that must occur. More people should see this picture.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Bedbugs LXV

Bedbugs LXV

Click here for an explanation of how Bedbugs is created.

Click here for the previous Bedbugs.


We here at BBF Central apologize for the tardiness of Bedbugs lately-
its creator was on an all-encompassing project; three chapters of Bedbugs
will debut this week in order to get back on track with weekly
Thursday installments. I'm sure the single-digit fans were worried,
but rest assured we will continue a little while longer.


Tell me a reason why since you didn't bother to
ten years ago. Each one will be good for a laugh in your
high contrast, victim-providing world. Don't publish it.
There's nothing good about it. I though I would have been
the one to save you too, but you were too busy hooking up
with your own twisted destiny that I can't be part of.
Lifting each one better dressed than the last manages to
blur the contrast in my retina twice in operfect sync. Last
warning you can get at this hour is the one that you've had on
you all along! Treat me like the angel I hope to be and you
might get a response. I hope to give one. I want to observe
and experience the outside. Forty to go? Unsure. Ask
the man on the phone. He will say something if you ask
him something! Try it when he calls. What's that sound?
You will catch up, can smell things in the next room that

I didn't bring home with me. Nightmarish? Hardly.
Just a slow sad crawl to the finish line. Nobody will
be there when you're done, infections are spreading.


Next chapter's seven phrases/groups of words:


-master of none
-waiting where it's warm
-she means well, I promise
-sleep while you can
-winter indoors and outdoors
-it picks up this year
-I knew it was here



-Adam

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE by Frank Palmcoast


When he's not watching, with beads of sweat, his fellow, legally blind, senior citizens parallel park, Frank Palmcoast is catching seven dollar movies at the local multiplex from sunny Pompano Beach, Florida. He's retired, he's angry at the world, he can't spell to save his life, and he hates Hollywood almost as much as Hillary Clinton, but that will not stop our irreverent, dementia fightin', AARP card carrying everyman from giving us a fresh take on all things Hollyweird. Besides, how can he pass up that marvelous senior citizen discount?

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Palmcoast ventures into very unchartered territory - India of all places!!!! Let's see what our senior reviewer has to say about the sleeper hit of 2008. 

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Slumdog Millionaire is a Million Dollar winner. The male lead Jamal Malik is the new Forest Gump.Bollywood meets Hollywood. I'm thinking of changing Hollyweird to Toiletwood.This flick simply stated is Oliver Twist and Great Expectations revolving around a TV show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire unfortunately without Regis. Having seen the road conditions in Mumbai, I'll never complain about traffic conditions in America. This picture is exiting and suspenseful right till the very end.If any one has spoiled kids, take them to see this flick and show them how much of the third world kids live. After seeing Bombay, Pompano Beach is looking REAL GOOD! At times, Jamal and Latika reminded me of Stalone and Aaaaaaadrian. Before seeing this film Grand Torino was my choice but for me Slumdog Millionaire is a SLUMDUNK for Best Picture of The Year. Yes, Yes for Oscar and that's my final answer!

Monday, January 19, 2009

SIN-E-FILE (Not-Ten Films of 2008)

"I have the sin of the Cinephile" - Jean Luc Godard

When will critics finally stop the madness of making top ten lists of the best films of the year? I have either been reading critics’ top ten lists or reading critics making fun of top ten lists, who then make their own lists. But rarely do they actually refrain from the temptation of making one. (As of now, the only top ten list I anxiously await is Frank Palmcoast’s.)

When you really think about it, not only is it silly to place one film above another for whatever reason, (What possibly could place #9 above #8?!?!?!) but it is true madness to compile a list when you haven’t seen every single film of that year. And, honestly, what critic has seen every film that came out in 2008? It’s like crowning Miss America when some of the girls haven’t even made the stage yet. I remember reading one critic’s review, from a significant weekly paper last year, of There Will Be Blood. The critic loved it and was lamenting the fact that his “Top Ten Films of The Year” list had been published just one week before he saw P.T. Anderson’s epic, otherwise he would have placed it in the #1 spot!!!

As the Oscar nominations are announced later this week, and some people actually start to believe that the five films that are selected are actually the five best films of the year, I thought I would do my part to acquaint you or to remind you of the best work that I have SEEN SO FAR that happened to come out in 2008, without telling you too much, so as not to ruin your viewing experience.

Happy-Go-Lucky – Mike Leigh crafts real characters hand-in-hand with his actors, and the drama (or comedy) is born out of them. This makes for truly satisfying cinematic experiences. And this one is by far my favorite. Sally Hawkins and Eddie Marson are brilliant. Makes you smile without insulting you for even one second! SO RARE!

Synecdoche, New York – One man’s crazy, unfiltered, noncommercial, epic vision brought to life with a $12.4 million budget. This DOES NOT happen. See it now on the big screen. Kaufman will never get final cut again, folks.

Let The Right One In – Those who call this a horror film are incorrect; there is no “fright” in it. It is disturbing in an interesting, stylistic way, not in a…well…“disturbing” way. It is, however, not only a fascinating vampire film with an abundance of superb filmmaking and perfectly subtle performances by children, but it stayed with me for some time after the credits rolled.

Also: Man on Wire, Rachel Getting Married, The Wrestler

Don’t Believe the hype: Slumdog Millionaire, Silent Light, Frost/Nixon, Gran Torino, Revolutionary Road

-Peter Rinaldi

Sunday, January 18, 2009

The Boxpress Music Time Show with Brian Hughes

Show #18: Celebrating Frank Sinatra's 93rd birthday: "Ecstatically Sinatra - Part II."


Brian helps celebrate Frank Sinatra's birthday by concentrating on the singer's bipolar musical nature: Sinatra always considered himself a manic depressive, so why not concentrate on the extreme lows and exuberant highs of Ol' Blue Eyes? In the first two parts of this four part series, Brian will concentrate on the "saloon" or sad songs of Frank's repertoire. In the final two parts - the high flying, fast paced, world-on-a-string swing numbers.


If you think you might want to listen to some more of my podcasts - please click below:

Show#11: "ELVIS"

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Start Talking: Michael Bernstein

Every episode will have a different person sit in front of the camera as I announce their character name and a brief description of them as if they were a guest on my program via satellite, except the person has absolutely no idea who they are playing or what I am going to ask until the words come out of my mouth. At which point they have to, simply, Start Talking.

Guest: Michael Bernstein

Watch this episode in HD here
Watch other Episodes of Start Talking:
Timmy Cassese
Jonathan Roumie
Melissa King
Jeremy Frost
Matthew Schwartzer

Matt Kaplan

-Peter Rinaldi

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

GRAN TORINO by Frank Palmcoast


When he's not watching, with beads of sweat, his fellow, legally blind, senior citizens parallel park, Frank Palmcoast is catching seven dollar movies at the local multiplex from sunny Pompano Beach, Florida. He's retired, he's angry at the world, he can't spell to save his life, and he hates Hollywood almost as much as Hillary Clinton, but that will not stop our irreverent, dementia fightin', AARP card carrying everyman from giving us a fresh take on all things Hollyweird. Besides, how can he pass up that marvelous senior citizen discount?

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Fresh and rested from his Southern, California trip, Palmcoast returns with his highly anticipated review of Clint Eastwood's GRAN TORINO

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Just back from Hollyweird and saw a GRAND flick titled "Grand Torino" or Dirty Harry when He retires or Archie Bunker meets dirty Harry or the Karate Kid of 2008. And without a doubt, Eastwood is by far my favorite bigot. Eastwood's character Walt Kowalski manages to insult just about everyone, sorta like the front row of a Don Rickles show. This flick is a bad drama or a subtle comedy or perhaps both. This may well be the Last Temptation of Dirty Harry. I had at times had to laugh at Dirty Kowalski squinting and waving his 44 magnum at a bunch of kids or calling a young priest a "27" year old virgin. I found Clint Eastwoods face interesting; it no longer looks weathered as it has for decades but now seems like petrified wood. His Grand Torino was made by the same industry that begs Congress for a hand out, in a city that's bankrupt and a country that can't do anything right anymore except make a movie like this! Yes, Virginia, there is a Walt Kowalski. He exists as sure as Dirty Harry or Archie Bunker. What a dreary world it would be without them!
Palmcoast
PS: While in La La Land saw the premier of "Yonker's Joe"--Don't miss it!