News media milking "the infamous 1994 Bronco chase," taking the footage out of the vault just one last time, to squeeze some juice out of it.

This is a distillation of why art is generally better than "current events" and a lot of what passes for "politics": if it's good, it's actually worth revisiting in depth when the person or people involved have passed on.

You younger ones--more or less anyone who wasn't at least six or seven at the time--could be forgiven for not knowing what an absolute circus the whole matter was then. It was the sort of "news event" for which tabloids seemed expressly designed.

I think Judge Lance Ito set the precedent for the Appeals Courts that Trump goes in front of.

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It's . . . been a while since I've seen the second and third installments, which I can't rate one way or the other, but the first Naked Gun, at least, is a good movie! The original Police Squad was also good; got cancelled way too soon.

DaveA wrote: Fri Apr 12, 2024 12:36 am The original Police Squad was also good; got cancelled way too soon.

Nah. Leave them wanting more. Much like Fawlty Towers it's all the better for being a short, strong run.

Naked gun trilogy was so awesome. Probably my fave comedy movie from all time.

That and Arizona baby.

A_Man_Who_Tries wrote: Fri Apr 12, 2024 2:01 am

DaveA wrote: Fri Apr 12, 2024 12:36 am The original Police Squad was also good; got cancelled way too soon.

Nah. Leave them wanting more. Much like Fawlty Towers it's all the better for being a short, strong run.

This happens to be a rare case in which the show's creators were vindicated by being able to wring a hit movie (with two sequels) from it. Overall it's not a big casualty. Probably helped that they were able to work in an R-rated context later on and not network TV.

Less will often be more, sure; way too many movies and shows today are overlong or padded out.

But a bunch of square-ass studio executives pulling the plug on something creative because it's "underperforming" is something I'll almost never get behind. You can currently find a decent number of YouTube videos about how studio executives often don't understand much about what makes a movie or show good, what sort of movies and shows people actually grow to like (instead of just tolerating and then forgetting about). They aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer.

Studio executives are businesspeople, and I've met no more than three in my life who placed the work on a parallel with its market potential. Some great people and all, but culturally stilted.

Police Squad as was, would have floundered quickly. Even the best jokes wear thin and it was always variations on a narrow theme, which can be a strength when you get out early.

Brutal Juice got their name from this commercial. Brutal, Juice. Brutal.

A_Man_Who_Tries wrote: Fri Apr 12, 2024 6:32 am Studio executives are businesspeople, and I've met no more than three in my life who placed the work on a parallel with its market potential. Some great people and all, but culturally stilted.

Police Squad as was, would have floundered quickly. Even the best jokes wear thin and it was always variations on a narrow theme, which can be a strength when you get out early.

Side note: I recently heard Police Squad is relaunching with Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin. I'm super excited to see how Liam Neeson pulls off what Leslie Neilson did. I have high hopes.