Interesting article on the HBO series Silicon Valley – I think this year has been off, in part for the reasons they mention, but in part because I think the ‘character feuding’ they describe has been largely a distraction – I think only near the end of the year do they belatedly get back on track with Gavin being the big nemesis, Jian-Yang causing problems like before and the characters succeeding in spite of themselves – the whole competition between Dinesh and Guilfoil (IMTHO) has been largely lame this year – before it was just college-boy one-upmanship but this year it seemed to get more ‘personal’ and just seemed lame.

One other thing to consider – if you aren’t IN the tech industry, they covered most of the rampant silliness in the first four seasons, so it’s not surprising they are running out of Bay Area subject matter to cover, at least to me – but Mike Judge is a very smart guy, he’ll come up with something good I’m sure….

HBO’s Silicon Valley is struggling to stay relevant

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Watched Point Break again a couple nights ago (It was on USA Network). Ah, what a guilty pleasure. This is one of my all-time fave movies, for several reasons:

1) It has everything that Keanu Reeves is reviled for (yar-dude dialog and acting) yet everything he’s perfect for (playing an ex-football QB who’s now an FBI agent, with the perfect name: “Johnny Utah”?)

2) It has Patrick Swayze (RIP :(), one of those rare onscreen combinations of sensitivity, philosophy, thrillseeking, surfing and violent rubber-masked bank robbery – no WONDER they called him ‘the Boddhisatva‘

3) It has Gary Busey – sadly somewhat absent from American film these days – but in his prime, nothing could touch him for over-the-top acting coupled with ridiculous obnoxious characters and mannerisms. What’s not to love? (See also: Under Siege – where he teams up with Tommy Lee Jones and Colm Meaney to battle Steven Seagal – classic ridiculous movie to rival even Point Break!)

4) It has bank robberies committed in broad daylight by crazy guys in President masks (Nixon, LBJ, Carter and Reagan) who seemingly have been at it for four years every summer, same m.o., and never been caught – until Keanu and Busey come along? 🙂

5) It even has Anthony Kiedis(!) in a bit part as part of a surfer gang briefly trying to beat the crap out of Keanu, until PS helps Keanu turn the tables.

Silly plot and dialogue aside – the film has some great action/montage sequences – most of the surfing scenes are slowed down and very pretty to watch, and the skydiving stuff is also very cool.

And the end doesn’t disappoint, even though it’s plainly preposterous. Keanu’s ‘vaya con dios’ ending line says it all.

Like another fave – The Fifth Element – this movie is just pure entertainment – what Hollywood was invented for (although now there’s also YouTube :))

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