Posts by George Cruz65

It’s becoming painfully obvious what happens when you let people who don't give a damn about skiing or water polo suddenly "take an interest" in them.

Honestly, it’s great to see our team sports making a comeback. Handball, soccer, water polo... we're just waiting on basketball now. 👍

George Cruz65 said:People! Why get all worked up over a niche sport that nobody on the global stage even knows exists? Everyone will have forgotten who won by Tuesday.

Look, Americans obsess over baseball and call their league winner the "World champion" even though nobody else on Earth cares—except maybe Cubans and Japanese people. Why should I care about what the rest of the world thinks? To me, water polo is actually pretty interesting.
And I have no idea why Mexicans would be the favorites in the final 😕. They're facing a team that just crushed the Canadians in the semifinals?! It’s a complete toss-up, 50:50.

Guys, let's go ahead and take down the Slovaks first! 😉

THE SLOVAK SEA KNOWS
THAT I LOVE IT
DUDU SHIMENCE...

If this tournament has proven anything so far, it’s that anyone can beat anyone. For water polo, at least, that’s not just a cliché anymore. I mean, look at the chaos—you could see the Germans take down the Spaniards and Italians only to get knocked out by the Canadians, or have everyone in a group just cannibalizing each other. Honestly, seeing a Slovak or a German in the semifinals wouldn't even shock me at this point.

On another note, our special teams were absolutely abysmal against Greece. We had players driving past defenders without creating a single scoring opportunity, while the Greeks were essentially going 5/6 through almost the entire fourth quarter. 👎 There is a massive amount of work to be done here.

With that win over the Greeks, we’ve officially secured first place and move on to the quarterfinals against the fourth-place finisher from group two—most likely the Slovaks.
If things don't go our way, we'll be rooting for the Italians against the Spaniards. First off, those Spaniards look much more dangerous to me. Plus, if the Germans beat Canada, it creates this specific loop between us, the Germans, and whoever wins that match. If Italy pulls it off, we top that group and dodge both the Canadians and the Mexicans (who have been the biggest threats in that other group so far). But if the Spaniards win? We're stuck in the bottom seed, and there's a 90% chance we'll run straight into the Mexicans in the quarters.

Finally, we actually had both our offense and defense clicking at the same time. To be fair, the defense wasn't even that bad, but once Vićan woke up in goal, everything just looked solid. I don't know how the Italians performed in their other games, but their offense was absolutely PATHETIC tonight. Either that, or our defense was just flawless.😕

Vilmos Zsigmond and his gritty, beautiful films: Liberation, McCabe & Mrs. Muldoon, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and the absolute mess—Heaven's Gate.

Walter Brennan (Stumpy), a true legend among character actors in all those classic westerns and films (Rio Brava, Three Godfathers, Red River, My Darling Clementine, The Westerner, How the West Was Won, The Far Country, Bad Day at Black Rock, The Adventures of Taj Sawyer, To Have and Have Not, Meet John Doe...), actually snagged the very first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. It was totally expected and well-deserved. 👍

P. S. Kamal, I'm glad I can have that kind of impact on you. 😉

This song popped up a few times in The Sopranos. Originally, though, it's from the movie...?

Sun is Sinking in the West
The cattle go down to the stream
The redwing settles in the nest
It's time for a cowboy to dream

Purple light in the canyon
that is where I long to be
With my three good companions
just my rifle pony and me

Gonna hang my sombrero
on the limb of a tree
Coming home sweet my darling
just my rifle pony and me

Whippoorwill in the willow
sings a sweet melody
Riding to Amarillo
just my rifle pony and me

No more cows to be ropin'
No more strays will I see
'round the bend shell be waitin
For my rifle pony and me
For my rifle my pony and me

There’s a fine line between a great prank and pure stupidity, and they cross it gladly and all the time.

A huge congrats to our guys, even if I'm a little late to the party. Everyone played out of their minds—if one guy stumbled, someone else stepped up immediately. Their path to the title was absolutely brutal; it couldn't have been any harder, which makes this win even sweeter.
As for Mirza, I honestly think he’s mostly been playing to fuel those fast breaks and leverage his speed. (Ufffff, did I just nail that description? 🙄 ) And when did the lion finally roar? Right when it mattered most.

P.S. I didn't go all out in red, but I did let the beard grow out just like Balić.

What did Jonathan say? I’m going to have a heart attack before I even make it home at this rate.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in. It’s clear we have some real experts here—almost every single question was answered perfectly. Here is the rest:

I. Quotes

Baby wants to get laid!

Blue Velvet

Movie 2. - And this The Death of a Salesman...
- It's The Death of a Salesman.
- It's Duck Productions !

The Unforgiven

Funny How? You tell me! You think I’m some kind of clown? Am I just here to fuckin' amuse you? What exactly do you mean by "funny"? Funny how? Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK IS SO FUNNY ABOUT ME?

Goodfellas

Goodfellas.

It sounds like a love scene, doesn't it? But it isn't. It's Alien 3, where Ripley addresses the beast.

Of course I’m respectable. I’m just old. Politicians, streetwalkers, and crumbling skyscrapers—they all eventually earn respect if they manage to stick around long enough.

Chinatown

II. Genres and Subgenres

Hollywood comedies from the 30s and 40s—think Howard Hawks or Frank Capra—are something else. They’re defined by that witty humor, those eccentric characters, and those sharp, biting dialogues. Doesn't it just feel different?

Screwball

What is that term French critics coined for those moody, pessimistic flicks? It’s usually used to describe those 1940s and 50s crime movies featuring dark underworlds and protagonists who are nothing more than cynical, disillusioned loners. Film Noir.

Film Noir.

A secondary title for Westerns, especially those B-movies.

Horse Opera.

Blaxploitation films from the 70s—think Yaphet Kotto and Pam Grier.

Blaxploitation.

Crime, action, and thrillers where two leads are partners with totally different personalities—often from different racial backgrounds.

Buddy Buddy

III. Directors and "their" actors. You need to pair the director's name with the actor they collaborate with most frequently—or vice versa. Well, except for one specific question.

Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro.

Robert De Niro and Jack Lemmon directed by Billy Wilder.

John Carpenter and Kurt Russell.

Max von Sydow and Ingmar Bergman.

Clint Eastwood dedicated his movie "Unforgiven" simply to "Sergio Leone and Don Siegel." Which two directors was he talking about?

Sergio Leone and Don Siegel

The Elmore Leonard Connection. Movies based on the master's work. Low-life. dijaloga.

The latest Quentin Tarantino flick, based on that Elmore Leonard novel "Rum Punch."

Jackie Brown

Steven Soderbergh's 1998 movie explores that unusual connection between an FBI agent and a bank robber, based on the novel by E. L.

Out of Sight

Barry Sonnenfeld’s black comedy about a small-time crook and debt collector who gets hooked on a job in the film industry...

Get Shorty

A classic Delmer Daves western about a farmer (Van Heflin) who has to hold onto a captured outlaw (Glenn Ford) until the train pulls in.

3.10 to Yuma.

An '84 political thriller where two American officials (Robert Mitchum and Robert Hudson) attempt to mediate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on Elmore Leonard's novel "Pick-up."

The Ambassador

Ambassador. No diesel.

This was the first movie where a then-famous actress appeared nude. A certain American actor did it, too.

Ecstasy (Hedy Lamarr & Zvonimir Rogoz)

Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi dystopia was originally slapped with an X-rating. After some heavy-duty editing in the cutting room, it finally hit theaters with an R rating.

Clockwork Orange.

Which Dutch actress was the first to perform an explicit hardcore scene—specifically fellatio—in a mainstream movie?
In *The Mambo Kings*, she plays the beautiful Dolores, the woman the Castillo brothers fall head over heels for.

Maruschka Detmers (the movie is "Devil in the Flesh")

The first adult film ever released into wide theatrical distribution. With a massive $40 million haul, it stands as the most profitable erotic movie of all time. Its title actually became part of the everyday lexicon.

- Deep Throat

5. The first animated film to ever receive an X-rating.

- Fritz the Cat

Miscellaneous

1. What’s the name of the award founded back in 1943 by eight foreign journalists working in Hollywood?

- Golden Globe

2. Everyone knows those nine massive letters on the hills overlooking Los Angeles. But did you know there were originally thirteen? What was the full sign supposed to say?

- Hollywoodland

3. One of the most iconic characters in cinema history made his debut in 1922 in this German film…

- Nosferatu

4. Which British engineer revolutionized how we capture and play back sound back in 1965?

- Ray Dolby

5. During WWII, which actress was actually asked by the U.S. government to cut her signature long blonde hair? Apparently, women trying to mimic her style kept getting their hair caught in factory machinery during wartime production.

- Veronica Lake

6. In 1992, a remake of the 1945 romantic comedy "Christmas in Connecticut" hit screens. Which famous actor took the director's chair for this one?

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

I did some digging online and managed to scrape together 30 questions divided into six different categories. I should probably clarify: these aren't exactly meant for the hardcore cinephile elite. They're more along the lines of movies you'd catch on local network TV or during a standard run at the local multiplex. But hey, if that's your thing... who's complaining?

Go ahead, fire away. I'll get back to you tomorrow.

I. Quotes

Baby wants to get lucky!

Movie 2. - And this... The Death of a Salesman...
- It's The Death of a Salesman.
- It's Duck Productions !

Funny How? You tell me! Are you implying I'm some kind of clown? Am I just here to fuckin' amuse you? What exactly do you mean by "funny"? Funny how? Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK IS SO FUNNY ABOUT ME?

Goodfellas.

Of course I'm respectable. I'm just old. Politicians, prostitutes, and ugly buildings—they all eventually become respectable if they manage to stick around long enough.

II. Genres and Subgenres

Think about those classic Hollywood comedies from the 30s and 40s—the ones by Howard Hawks or Frank Capra. They’re defined by that playful wit, eccentric characters, and razor-sharp dialogue. Isn't there something special about that style?

What exactly is Film Noir? It’s a term coined by French critics to describe those moody, pessimistic flicks. We're talking about those gritty crime stories from the 40s and 50s that dive deep into the dark criminal underworld—where the protagonists are usually just cynical loners who have long since lost all illusions.

A common nickname for Westerns, especially those low-budget B-movies.

Blaxploitation films from the 70s—think Yaphet Kotto or Pam Grier—specifically made for Black audiences.

Crime, action, and everything in between—specifically those movies where you get two leads paired up as partners with totally clashing personalities, often crossing racial lines.

III. Directors and "their" actors. Next to the director's name, you should list the actor they collaborate with most frequently—or vice versa. Except for one specific question.

Martin Scorsese

Robert De Niro and Jack Lemmon

John Carpenter and Kurt Russell.

Max von Sydow.

Clint Eastwood dedicated his "Unforgiven" simply to "Sergio Leone and Don Siegel." Which two directors was he actually referring to?

The Elmore Leonard Connection. Movies based on the master's work. Low-life. I'm ready. Send over the text you want me to work on.

Quentin Tarantino's latest movie, based on Elmore Leonard's novel "Rum Punch."

Steven Soderbergh’s 1998 movie explores that intense connection between an FBI agent and a bank robber, based on the novel by E. L.

Barry Sonnenfeld's black comedy about a small-time crook and debt collector who gets hooked on working in the film industry...

A classic Delmer Daves western about a farmer (Van Heflin) who has to hold onto a captured outlaw (Glenn Ford) until the train arrives.

A political thriller from '84 where two American officials (Robert Mitchum and Robert Hudson) try to mediate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on Elmore Leonard's novel "Pick-up".

Ambassador. No diesel.

That was the first movie where a famous actress appeared nude. Even one American actor did the same.

Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi dystopia originally carried an X-rating. After some heavy editing at the cutting room table, it finally hit theaters with an R rating.

Who was the Dutch actress who pulled off the first explicit hardcore scene—specifically fellatio—in a mainstream movie?
In "The Mambo Kings," she plays the beautiful Dolores, the one the Castillo brothers fall head over heels for.

The first adult film ever released through regular theatrical distribution—it pulled in a staggering $40 million at the box office. Can you believe that? It remains the most profitable adult movie of all time, and its name has become part of our everyday vocabulary.

The first animated movie to ever receive an X-rating.

VI. Miscellaneous

What was the name of that film award established back in 1943 by eight foreign journalists accredited in Hollywood?

Everyone knows about those nine massive letters perched on the Hollywood hills. But did you know there used to be thirteen? Does anyone actually remember what the full name was?

The most screen-tested cinematic character of all time first surfaced back in 1922 in a German film...

What was the name of the English engineer who revolutionized sound recording and reproduction back in 1965?

5. Which actress was actually asked by the U.S. government during WWII to cut her signature long blonde hair because women trying to mimic her style kept getting their hair caught in munitions factory machinery?

6. In 1992, a remake of the 1945 romantic comedy “Christmas in Connecticut” was filmed. Which famous actor took the director's chair for this version?

Oops, one too many...

From what I remember back in school—or more accurately, from watching Marty Mystery—Neanderthals actually lived alongside Homo sapiens. There were multiple Ice Ages too; the last one happened, if my memory serves me right, a few tens of thousands of years ago, when humans were pretty much everywhere.
I’m not usually one for feature-length animation, but this one was actually decent. Plus, Višnjić sounds way better than anything you'd hear on ER.🙂

Absolute cinema. After watching it, I went back and devoured everything by James Ellroy available here, and I can't recommend his work enough to anyone who loved the movie.