Forget It, Jake

• Random Pop Culture:
• Two days ago when I said what I had at home from Netflix, Steve commented that he had seen Changeling and loved it. I concur. Changeling is a GREAT movie. I don't know why I slept on it so much -- it is directed by Eastwood, after all -- but don't make the same mistake. Jolie puts forth a truly brilliant, Oscar-worthy performance. The best thing you can say about an actor's work is when you forget it's the actor and lose yourself in the character. That has to be especially hard for someone as remarkable and attention-grabbing as Jolie, but she pulls it off. Add in a nice supporting job by Malkovich and a large number of very competent character actors and you get a well-acted movie with an enthralling story.
• The LAPD must have been really f***ed up during the 1930s. How many movies have been made about its corruption? More on that below.
• Can we get a round of applause for Hakeem Kae-Kazim's work as Ike Dubaku on 24? Really good job of taking this evil maniac and adding a soft side when dealing with the girlfriend.
• Random Hatred And/Or Love:
• Grand humor in the household tonight as my dog let loose a cacophony of flatulence that could have drowned out the end of the 1812 Overture. While he was sleeping, no less.
• Monster Matchup: LAPD Movies vs. Chicago PD Movies
• As mentioned above, there a number of movies that deal with LAPD problems during the 1930s. Off-hand, other than Changeling, I can come up with great films such as Chinatown, The Maltese Falcon, Die Hard, and the obvious Chinatown spoof Who Framed Roger Rabbit? In addition, there have been some movies dealing with later time periods, such as L.A. Confidential, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Die Hard, and Crash. I'm sure there are some other ones as well. You also get some pretty good movies that deal with the Chicago police. Off the top of my head, you have The Untouchables, Chicago, The Fugitive, and North by Northwest. The star of this matchup is Dan Aykroyd, who appeared as an L.A. Cop in Dragnet after he had made Chicago police look like fools in The Blues Brothers. L.A. gets a bit of an advantage because Hollywood would find it easier to shoot locally. So you get some more good movies like Beverly Hills Cop I and II, but some awful ones as well like Beverly Hills Cop III and Demolition Man. I want to lean towards Chicago because The Untouchables is my favorite movie ever, but I think of Jake Gittes and Sam Spade and Axel Foley and it has to be a no-brainer -- the winner is LAPD movies!