On the 20th Anniversary of “The Truman Show,” I explain why it’s one of the best movies of the 90’s and one of my personal favorites of all time. A powerful religious allegory, a razor-sharp media satire, and a drama for the ages all wrapped into one movie; it’s the best film ever made that…
Edward Snowden is a Fame Whore
On the 5th anniversary of the Snowdean leak, AL explains why Snowden is a weird symbol for privacy, wonders if whistle blowers should have a documentary film their leaks, and why most people don’t care about Snowden’s revelations: our fear is not that people are listening, but that no one is listening. In 2016, we’re…
Bad Movies Revisited “The Phantom Menace”
In the wake of “Solo”‘s flop, AL revisits the despised “Phantom Menace” and makes the case that it’s actually not the WORST “Star Wars” movie. He talks about the prequel trilogy’s real arc (the seductive lure of fascism) and ranks all the Star Wars movies.
Samantha Bee (and Most Liberals) Went After Ivanka Trump for the Wrong Reason
The worst thing about Samantha Bee calling Ivanka Trump a “cunt” isn’t the word itself—unlike our British cousins (who say it as much as “shit” or “damn”), Americans have always been rather churlish about an insult that, really, is much less offensive than “bitch” if you really think about it. The worst thing is why she was…
Reviewing AND Ranking All “The Americans” Seasons
It was a long, torturous journey for me as “The Americans” went from one of my favorite shows in season one to my most unlikely hate watch by season 5. Luckily, the sixth and final season was the best since season one, but I wasn’t entirely sold on the series finale. Ultimately, if you missed…
Listing the Worst Traits of All Past Presidents, and How Trump Has ALL of Them
If you went into a mad scientist’s lab and tried to concoct a worse President than Donald J. Trump, I’m not sure you could do it with 50 Igors and several decades to experiment. Although Trump displays little in common with most former Presidents (especially the good ones), if they do have a flaw, you…
300 @ 30–Episode 29: Journaling, Not Just For Pre-Teens
AL talks about why you should keep a journal to track your “Quiet Calories,” exercise, TV watching/eating habits, and also your moods to see how it’s all connected to food.
Movie Reviews: “Book Club” Vs. “Deadpool 2,” Vs. “I Feel Pretty” Vs. “Avengers 3”
For no real reason other than I was kind-of bored, I decided to just review all four of these movies against each other. Who will come out on top? It’s surprisingly difficult since they’re all pretty close in quality… Book Club…Judging by “50 Shades Freed,” a movie about 70-year-old women reading “50 Shades of Grey”…
By Shunning the Excellent “Roseanne” Reboot, Liberals Fall Into Another Trap
Dan and Roseanne Conner are fat. They are old. They are not genetically-blessed. They have never made more than lower-middle class wages. They are still working in their 60’s. They have severe health problems. And they live in an uncool city in a less-cool state that doesn’t touch an ocean. In other words, they are…
What “The Terror” Taught Me About Leadership: Franklin (Bush), Hickey (Trump), Little (Paul Ryan), and Crozier (Gore/Clinton)
For an in-depth review/recap of the finale, check out the article immediately below this one, but if you’re interested in learning how to apply the lessons of “The Terror” to your own life, this is the right place. Because while the show may seem entirely foreign to your everyday life, including your workplace–arctic setting, period setting, British…
TV Review: The 5 Saddest Moments on “The Terror” Finale
The easiest way to make sense of all the (emotional) carnage on last night’s finale of “The Terror” is just to list it… 5. “Close”…Last night’s arc of Lt. Little was one of the more devastating. Almost all of Crozier’s loyal officers are either dead (Tobias Menzies’s excellent Fitzjames, the senselessly murdered Lt. Irving who…
Movie Review: “First Reformed” is Terrific
For those lucky enough to see Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed” this past weekend (and it’s only in 4 theaters currently so it might take a while to reach you) you’ve seen the type of film Alabama Liberal might make if he stumbled onto a financier with lots of money and no immediate need to see…
Movie/TV Review: “Fahrenheit 451” (the Book) is More Relevant Today than Ever
Coming out only 4 years after George Orwell’s more famous “1984” was published, Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” isn’t given nearly as much credit as it deserves for predicting the future. Although a debate has raged about whether Huxley’s “Brave New World” or Orwell’s “1984” is the more prescient work, I actually think “Farenheit” deserves to be (at…