26th Mar 2012 Grouch Marx's Humour

Ahout Grouch Marx ~

Groucho grew up in a Jewish neighbourhood which had Irish-Germans on one side and Italians on the other. Hence 'The Marx Brothers' developed 'ethnic' accents, based on this background, as part of their comedy.

He walked with an extremely distinctive "chicken-walk" lope and sported an exaggerated moustache, a cigar and very bushy eyebrows. Groucho perfected the "wise-crack", quick repartee, which was sometimes amusingly insulting. In his later life he was frustrated by the fact that when he insulted someone they thought it was humour and part of his act when in reality he meant the slight.

Woody Allen thought him, "..the best comedian this country ever produced." Many people would agree. He died in 1977 at the age of 86.

 

• I would never belong to a club that would have me as a member.
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• Those are my principles. If you don't like them, I have others.
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• Women should be obscene and not heard.
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• I never forget a face, but in your case, I'll be glad to make an exception.
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• I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it.
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• Don't look now, but there's one too many in this room and I think it's you.
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• He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot, but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot.
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• Room service? Send up a larger room.
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• I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.
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• Now there's a man with an open mind—you can feel the breeze from here.
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• I didn't like the play, but then I saw it under adverse conditions—the curtain was up.
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• The husband who wants a happy marriage should learn to keep his mouth shut and his chequebook open.
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• Although it is generally known, I think it's about time to announce that I was born at a very early age.
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• Look, if you don't like my parties, you can leave in a huff. If that's too soon, leave in a minute and a huff. If you can't find that, you can leave in a taxi.
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• Last night I shot an elephant in my pyjamas and how he got in my pyjamas I'll never know.
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• How do you feel about women's rights? I like either side of them.
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• Politics doesn't make strange bedfellows, marriage does.
• From the moment I picked your book up until I put it down I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend reading it.
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• I could dance with you till the cows come home, on second thought I'll dance with the cows till you come home.
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• Military intelligence is a contradiction in terms.
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• Marriage is the chief cause of divorce. (Groucho should know, he was married three times)
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• Paying alimony is like feeding hay to a dead horse.
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• "Age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough."

Tags: grouchmarx

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26th Mar 2012 The Godfather - 40 Years On ...

The industry of culture and fashion registered the fastest acceleration of movements constantly in the 20th century, in it's consumers as well as in the production estimates, in the adaptation to the new technology as in it's chameleon-like accommodation of the ever changing new trends and new tastes. This makes what caused fury in the old days now we look at with compassion, because they got old disgracefully, using the jargon of critics.

But, in art, as in life, there are always exceptions. One of them is the film The God Father, the unforgettable trilogy of the legendary director/movie-maker Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel of Mario Puzo. The film was first premiered on the 24th March, 1972, 40 years ago. This trilogy is indisputably one of the few films that have aged gracefully, demonstrating great resistance to the pass of time, judging by the countless unconditional fans who observe the annual ritual attending to the re-showing of the series, about the life, 'work', notorious deeds and assassinations by gangsters, the Corleones.

These devoted fans enjoy each year the nearly 9 hour long story are not the same as the movie Geeks disguised as Batman, or Darh Vader, to to go to the premiers of super heroes with magical powers or Vampire superproductions, but devotees of cinematographic art, convinced, and found, that each time they see the same films, they discovered new tints and shades, subtle nuance overlooked in the past; and new openings for reflection. They are fans that appreciate and understand the profundity of the film art, and defend that condition against other popular but ephemeral and fleeting blockbuster films.

The stone solid characters are played by equally solid actors, every one of them. A tremendous amount of things have changed in 40 years, the actors are old or dead, the screens have widen from wall to wall, the influence of video and games, and we have attended orgies of mind boggling special effects and 3D images ...

Nevertheless, in the classifications of the best films in the movie history, The Godfather remains untouchable, firmly keeping it's position on the very top, next only to Citizen Kane in 2011. Perhaps due to the extraordinary insight of the story but believable, the amazing actors that portrayed their rolls of such complex characters, hard, tough and cruel on the outside, love & hate within, with faithfulness, loyalty, politics, tradition and their special brand of family values to juggle and balance ...

True and pure Cinema.

 

Tags: thegodfather

Prev: 26th Mar 2012 Ice Finger Of Death
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26th Mar 2012 Ice Finger Of Death

It sounds like a science fiction film of the B series. But it's a name referring to the the curious natural phenomenon. The brinicle or estalactita, the under water icicle was first discovered in 1960 but the first filming of it was not until last year. 

 

As brine from the sea ice sinks, a 'brinicle' forms, threatening life on the sea floor with a frosty fate. A bizarre underwater "icicle of death" has been filmed by a BBC crew, With time-lapse cameras. Specialists recorded salt water being excluded from the sea ice and sinking. As the water is heavily laden of salt, it sinks right down towards the bottom of the ocean, The temperature of this sinking brine, which was well below 0C, caused the water to freeze in an icy sheath around it. Any sea vegetation, sea creatures, anything at all freezes up in contact with it. 

Where the so-called "brinicle" met the sea bed, a web of ice formed that freezes everything it touched, including sea urchins and starfish. The unusual phenomenon was filmed for the first time by cameramen Hugh Miller and Doug Anderson for the BBC One series Frozen Planet. You can see it in YouTube called the 'Brinicle Finger Of Death'.

We are every now & then being reminded that in life, as well as in nature, there are some visually very beautiful things that could also be very dangerous even deadly.

Tags: icefinger

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