Rock Liebster

So there’s this meme going around called the “Liebster Award”; it’s basically a way to pass around questions and draw attention to other blogs. I’ve been tagged by three people (that I know of; if I’ve missed one, sorry!), so I figured I’d knock out a post to answer the questions. There are a few rules associated with it, but a: I’m not always good about following rules, and b: most of the rules relate to passing the award on. While there are many bloggers who I think are worthy of a spotlight — if I’m following you, and/or if I’ve featured you in my Weekly Weblinks, you’re almost certainly one of them — I suspect that anybody I could tag either doesn’t want to do it or has been tagged three or four times already. So like a few others I’ve seen, I won’t be passing it along — but if by chance you haven’t been tagged and want to have been, consider yourself tagged and steal 11 questions from the people who asked me questions. I’m sure they won’t mind.

The other rules are that I have to post eleven things about myself, and answer 11 questions from the people who tagged me. Since three people tagged me, that’s 33 questions. Plus 5 more from a fellow rule-breaker. So here we go.

Weekly Weblinks: Reboots, Remakes, and Recall

Bandwidth issues may be slowing me down, but they’re not stopping me from making my rounds. It’s Friday morning, so it’s time for our weekly assortment of blog posts and news links, complete with a shiny new graphic I spent my downtime creating. In fact, this edition of the Weekly Weblinks is just a bit heavier on the news than it has been, and I’m not skimping on the blog posts either. There are a few reviews of new movies, a review of a much-reviled comic book movie, and a review of one of the greatest comedies ever made.

On the news front, there are quite a lot of things to cover, from rumors and news on comic book movie directors, to a surprising film adaptation, a film franchise which is getting rebooted, and — refreshingly — one which isn’t. So read on for the Weekly Weblinks!

Favorite Films: Sneakers

“So, people hire you to break into their places… to make sure no one can break into their places?” “It’s a living.” “Not a very good one.”

I suspect that any occupation develops its own subculture over time, and I’m certain that any subculture develops its own cultural touchstones. I’m a computer programmer by trade, so over the years I’ve had ample opportunity to discover what films are considered “must see” movies among computer geeks. Office Space is a popular choice; we can relate, and we’ve all worked with those people. The Matrix is also commonly discussed, though in reality it has about as much to do with programming as Star Wars has to do with farming. I’m not a big fan of Hackers, personally, but it comes up too often to dismiss. And a few benighted souls might throw the name Swordfish around. They usually don’t last long. But if you want to earn my respect as a computer film geek, you need to know the meaning of the phrase “Setec Astronomy”. 1992′s Sneakers is the best film ever made about hacking, blending comedy, mystery, and suspense with a nearly-completely realistic portrayal of computer security.

But suppose you’re not a computer programmer, or hacker, or security guru; after all, statistically speaking, you’re probably not. Does Sneakers have anything to offer for you? How about a narrative that never bores, that spices things up with the occasional laugh-out-loud one-liner, and is directed by the man behind the Oscar-nominated Field of Dreams, Phil Alden Robinson? How about an amazingly star-studded cast, with Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, River Phoenix, David Straithairn, Mary McDonnell, Ben Kingsley, and James Earl Jones? Of the major players in the film, the only one not to have already been at least nominated for an Oscar by 1992 was Straithairn — and he’d finally get a nomination in 2006 for his role in Good Night and Good Luck. It may not be possible to find a movie with a more densely-packed star cluster.