The HE chorus has been repeating the same thing over and over…”ixnay on Gavin Newsom but goorah for Andy Beshear”…oh, yeah?

HE strongly suspects that a majority of the haters who saw red yesterday and went crazy toxic over a mild-mannered notion that Liam Neeson ought to take certain measures in order to look 63 again…

HE strongly suspects that many of these meltdown cases haven’t even caught one of Neeson’s finest films ever, 2024’s In The Land of Saints and Sinners, much less urged their friends to see it or talked it up on HE or whatever.

Some may have seen and admired it, I’m guessing, but the others need to wake the fook up.

In The Land of Saints and Sinners is “a Liam Neeson movie,” and we all know what that means. It means adherence to a certain slow-build formula.

Repeating for the record: To a steady and stalwart Neeson fellow who’s not looking for trouble and in fact would like to back off into a shelter or backwater of some kind, shit inevitably happens.

A slow burning, a gradually tightening situation, implications of tough terms, bad people up to bad stuff (including the threat of serious harm to a couple of innocent characters as well as to Neeson’s guy) until it all blows up in the end.

But the story, set in rural Ireland in the mid ’70s, pulls you in bit by bit, and the script has been carefully and compellingly written by Mark Michael McNally and Terry Loane.

In The Land of Saints and Sinners began shooting in Ireland (County Donegal, Dublin) in March ‘22. It premiered 18 months later at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. Netflix began streaming it on 4.26.24.

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Liam Neeson turned 73 a few weeks ago, and that’s fine. What isn’t entirely fine is the fact the movie stars are expected to look ten years younger than their age, and Neeson — no offense, love the guy — looks 73, if not 75.

You know where this is going. Neeson needs to lose the neck wattle, clean up the eye lids and eye bags, brighten (and possibly enlarge) his teeth, etc. The usual usual. He basically needs to look 63 again…is that such a terrible thing? It’ll extend his career, for one thing.

If HE can submit to certain measures, Neeson can surely do the same.

On top of which he probably needs to invest in the latest and most effective…uhm, performance pills, given his much-commented-about relationship with the makeup-averse Pamela Anderson, 58, who’s apparently not much of a stayer when it comes to boyfriends. A bit volatile, I mean. Two years or less. Rumor has it that Neeson is hung like a horse, but a voice is telling me he’s too nice of a guy to hook up with a hair-trigger hellcat. Just ask Jon Peters.

Source: https://www.objectiffestival.fr/news/articles/82nd-venice-screenings-dates/index.php

Radical concept: James Bond re-imagined as a cerebral, borderline-dweeby, George Smiley smarty-pants type…fully capable of self-defense but no one’s idea of fiercely aggressive. And no seducing the broads.

“Don’t give up”? “You have the power”? “Let’s not be defeated”? “I don’t regret a day of it”?

That’s it?

That thin, chirpy, vocal-fry voice….that vaguely sassy-whiney tone…the reflexive cackling.

Variety and THR are reporting that Jeremy Strong will probably play Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Network, Part II. As I undersand the situation, Strong wouldn’t be “taking over” the role of Facebook founder from Jesse Eisenberg as much as succeeding Eisenberg. Original Social Network author Aaron Sorkin has written the sequel’s screenplay, and will direct as well.

Candance Owens’ Zoom interview with the imprisoned** Harvey Weinstein posted yesterday (7.30.25).

I’m kinda rushed and am saying nothing at this juncture. Give me time. I’m listening and taking notes as we speak.

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This morning I read a day-old Chris Willman Facebook riff on Richard Curtis‘s Yesterday, and subsequently a 5.20.21 Uproxx / Vince Mancini piece about Jack Barth’s original screenplay (“Cover Version”).

This led me back to my original, six-year-old review (mostly a pan) of Yesterday (“Faker From The Heart“). And then to an article in which I passed along three alternate endings.

“Faker From The Heart,” posted on 6.29.19:

Posted six years ago: In the comment thread for yesterday’s McCartney Colbert riff, a guy named “Silver” mentioned an amazing ending for Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis‘s Yesterday — one that would have blown 100 million minds and restored Boyle’s reputation to where it was around the time of Trainspotting, Shallow Grave and 28 Days Later

It goes without saying that this kind of ending is so far beyond where Curtis, a softball peddler of romantic formulas, lives and creates that it could never happen with Curtis’ involvement, but imagine the seismic impact!

HE alternative. Intrigued by Jack Malik’s visit to his beach house, the 78 year-old John Lennon (Robert Carlyle) attends one of Malik’s concerts. Lennon wanders backstage after the show to offer congratulations, and joins a throng waiting for selfies and autographs.

Standing next to Lennon is an alternate-universe Mark David Chapman, who’s packing heat and looking to shoot Malik. Why? Because Chapman, like that older hippie couple Malik has spoken to in Act Two, knows all about Malik’s Beatle scam and is looking to punish him for being a fraud.

The quicksilver Lennon notices that Chapman is beset by dark vibes, and leaps into action when Chapman pulls out his snub-nose .38. Lennon punches Chapman in his Adam’s Apple and takes his gun. Malik is spared.

Alternate ending #2: Lennon tackles Chapman before he can shoot Malik, but is accidentally shot himself as they struggle on the floor. The horrified Malik cries out “somebody call 911!” and holds Lennon’s head in his lap as the elderly Liverpudlian slowly dies from his wounds.

Alternate ending #3: Malik is shot by Chapman but the assassin is quickly subdued by Lennon and other fans, and is arrested. Lennon kneels next to the wounded Malik, holding his hand and offering words of love and compassion as Malik draws his last few breaths.

The September 2019 consensus was that alternate ending #3 was the best. I agree.

I have no idea who painted this or how old it is or anything. Anyone? I just noticed it last night.

Will you look at those twinkle-toe beach sandals that Albert Einstein is wearing here? My mom used to wear summer shoes like this; ditto Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyck. I understand that genius types are usually indifferent to macho fashion statements and traditional male garb, but this is embarrassing, man!