The Grouchy Editor

I haven’t seen Wicked the movie. Apparently, it’s pretty good. But I already have an issue with the film that has nothing to do with “wokeness” or the stars’ obnoxious press interviews.

Here’s my thing about musicals, in general: I like them — if the music is good. Rodgers and Hammerstein cranked out one great play/movie after another largely because their tunes were so memorable. Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady (not Rodgers and Hammerstein, but you get the point) — those 1940s-‘50s shows included tunes that I still enjoy.

I watched some Wicked videos on YouTube and there was nothing special that I heard. “Defying Gravity,” for example, spotlights what I dislike most about musicals: actors belting out some gaudy, generic number that doesn’t say “catchy tune,” but rather “Look at me! Listen to me! I’m singing!”

Theater kids may dig that shit, but it bores me.

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The Helicopter Heist

This is one of those foreign shows (Sweden) that fly under the radar on Netflix, which is sometimes justified, sometimes a shame. The title sounds like a rip-off of Money Heist; the plot synopsis also seems “been there, done that.”

But damned if this miniseries didn’t hook me. I liked it for three main reasons: The lead characters were compelling; the plot had me alternately rooting for the bad guys and the good guys; the heist itself was magnificent. Oh, and I really dug the musical score.

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Tier lists are all the rage on YouTube. I thought I’d make my own. It’s a subjective ranking of horror movies, from Universal classics to recent offerings. It’s how I feel about them. If you don’t like my rankings, tough titties. Click on the image for a larger view. If you still can’t read the titles in the images, it’s because Tiermaker sucks. Tough titties.

© 2010-2024 grouchyeditor.com (text only)

There’s much gloating by MAGA over the results of the election, which is understandable.

The right is tickled pink** over America’s decision to spank the libtards and to “save democracy.” The left is in despair over its failed attempt to “save democracy.”

But the fun is over, or should be over, for the right. The media isn’t going to give Trump a honeymoon, and the left isn’t going away. The Dems have two months left to squeeze in as much (more) damage as possible.

Time to stop celebrating and get to work.

** My online editor informs me that “tickled pink” is an overused phrase. But is it? It used to be cliche, but I don’t hear it anymore. Time to bring back “tickled pink.” 

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Heavy sigh. The Grouchy Editor website was attacked, again. This time, images were affected.

We are working to clean up old posts, but there’s a lot of work to do. Thank you for your patience, and for saving democracy.

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Is there anything to this list, which is making the rounds on Twitter?

If so, it might explain quite a bit of the recent, suspicious behavior by our beloved celebrities.

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We sometimes wonder if our site gets targeted for attacks because of our penchant for posting naked (or near-naked) ladies.

We won’t let that deter us. The girl below clearly wants everyone to enjoy her tits. Who are we to object?

© 2010-2024 grouchyeditor.com (text only)

Who’s the Mole?

In his first term, Donald Trump appointed numerous people to high-level positions who wound up stabbing him in the back.

Odds are, at least one or two of his new appointments will work to undermine his agenda, again, in his second term.

But who will it be?

Who’s the mole?

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Best Thing About the Election

It’s nice that Trump won, but to me there’s something better:

David beat Goliath.

Despite all odds, the “little people” took on Big Media, Big Pharmacy, movie stars, colleges, corporations, and global “elites” … and kicked their ass.

Democrats claim to be for “marginalized people,” but every institution in the country was against the Trump voters … and the institutions lost.

Big win for The Deplorables … and democracy.

© 2010-2024 grouchyeditor.com (text only)

Get ready for more of this. See below.

Post-election Musings

In the early 1960s, television went through a period when it was dominated by “hillbilly chic.” The most popular sitcoms were shows like The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres, fish-out-of-water comedies in which rural and urban cultures clashed.

The most important show of that ilk was The Andy Griffith Show. I don’t recall it as being overly religious; I do recall its message of the importance of strong community. (If there were few people of color on the show, it’s because that demographic reflected reality: there were few minorities in many small towns.)

I know this because I grew up in my own version of Mayberry, North Carolina: a small town in Minnesota. When I say small, I mean 1,300 residents — small. Not what you’d call cosmopolitan, but there was a strong sense of community.

After the 1960s, I did what so many young people did and moved to the big cities: Dallas-Ft. Worth for 20 years, then Minneapolis for 25 years.

I am currently reading a book of Kurt Vonnegut speeches, which he delivered in the 1970s. In the speeches, Vonnegut laments the lack of community and epidemic of loneliness in America — 50 years ago. Sounds similar to 2024, does it not?

One thing Vonnegut does not recommend to people seeking a replacement for old-fashioned community values: turning to government.

My unsolicited advice to young people on the left and the right: If you are unhappy with your life, consider moving to a smaller city. Not so small as Mayberry or where I grew up; that’s too small. But perhaps towns in the 10,000-50,000 range. You know, big enough to have some of the creature comforts we’ve grown accustomed to, but not so big that you can’t make friends.

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Call me wicked, if you must, but this picture makes me smile:

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If you’re old enough, you probably recognize the photo at the top of this post. It’s from the 1999-2000 saga of Elian Gonzalez, a Cuban boy at the center of an international custody dispute. After his mother drowned while transporting her boy to the United States, relatives fought to keep Elian in Florida while his father sought to have him returned to Cuba. The famous picture shown above was taken when INS agents stormed the house and seized young Elian, who was later returned to his father.

If Trump follows through on his promise to begin mass deportations, get ready to see a lot more pictures like this one. The media are salivating at the prospect.

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And we are told that Trump is the intolerant fascist?

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Bill Maher is making more and more sense these days.

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I’ve noticed this twice now, while I was watching YouTube promos for the upcoming season of Wednesday. At the very end (or beginning) of the video short, in an almost-subliminal, blink-and-you-miss-it moment, images of Jenna Ortega in sexy Wednesday mode appear on the screen.  What’s up with that? Are they deep fakes?

© 2010-2024 grouchyeditor.com (text only)

We’re seeing lots of barely suppressed glee from conservatives in recent days, and it’s giving me deja vu. It worries me.

It’s too similar to the optimism on the right two years ago when we were told to expect a “big red wave” at the midterm elections. 

Yeah, that wave petered out, didn’t it?

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Say what you will about Biden, he’s certainly going out with a bang. Or a bite.

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Non-political stuff (movies & TV)

Left to right: male chauvinist pig, heroic female, serial killer

Woman of the Hour (above) — Director-star Anna Kendrick wanted to send a message about misogyny in America in her movie about a woman who meets a serial killer on The Dating Game (allegedly based on a “true” story). I watched and concluded that Kendrick sends her message about misogyny by making every male character in the film — including the “good” guys — evil, stupid, or weak.

In other words, Kendricks’s movie about misogyny is misandrist. Grade: C

Escape at Dannemora — This originally aired on Showtime some years ago, but it’s now on Netflix. The eight-part series about a prison escape in 2015 is mostly absorbing and suspenseful. But there are slow sections. It should have been six or seven parts. Grade: B+

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Horror flicks are having a moment. Every month seems to mark the premiere of another critically acclaimed chiller (Heretic, The Substance, Strange Darling, to name a few). 

The problem for me is that I still feel burned by last year, in which a mediocrity called Talk to Me was widely praised as horror flick of the year. It wasn’t. And so, as they say, “Fool me once ….”

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Last but not least, the video below is making the rounds on X. I can’t seem to take my eyes off this girl’s impressive … dive:

© 2010-2024 grouchyeditor.com (text only)