Existentialtainment.com

I've decided to start a new little blog called Existentialtainment. I hope to turn it into sort of an online gallery of examples of existentialism in movies, TV, theater, music, popular fiction, and other forms of entertainment.

What's "existentialism?" Well, it depends on who you ask. I'm by no means an expert on it. From what I've been able to gather, it's the collection of issues that human beings face when they try to figure out what in the heck they are doing in the world and how they are supposed to behave. Should I accept the bad things in my life or try to change them? Am I responsible for all the results of my actions or just the ones that I can conveniently attend to? If I am unhappy, is that because of external forces or because of how I choose to think about the situation? If the Earth is eventually going to be consumed by the Sun and vanish from existence, what is the point of exerting any effort at all?

For many if not most people, these questions are at least partially answered by religious doctrine. But others of us, while we recognize that religion can have much to teach us about everyday life, find that religion does not answer all of our questions about how and why to go on living. We have to figure it out ourselves.

My favorite movies have always been stories of ordinary individuals trying and often failing to grapple with life, films like "The Graduate," "I Heart Huckabee's" and "About Schmidt." And last year, I discovered a couple of TV shows—"Louie" starring Louis C.K., and a British show called "Peep Show"—that humorously deal with the everyday struggles of everyday guys. Over time, as I've learned a bit more about existentialism, I started to realize that the thing that these favorite movies and TV shows all had in common was that they covered existential themes, like choice, responsibility, futility, alienation, resistance, integrity, and uncertainty.

Existential themes have always been well covered in literature, by authors such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, and by high-brow playwrights such as Samuel Beckett. But they also crop up frequently, if not so explicitly, in popular culture, and that's what this website is going to focus on.

We'll see how long I can keep it going. One feature of Existentialtainment.com is that it allows readers to submit their own examples of existentialism in entertainment. I've been encouraged that in just the first week, I've received and published three outside submissions, including one from Michael A. Britt, host of a popular psychology podcast called The Psych Files.

For the time being, over in the right-hand column of the front page I've added a list of links to the last five exhibits on Existentialtainment.com. It's right below the random photo and "Today's Death-Grip Pairing" (another new little web project of mine, on which more later).

The Prisoner

We're enjoying "The Prisoner," a 17-episode sci-fi/spy series from 1967-68, now out on Blu-Ray and available on Netflix. This unusually long opening sequence, which includes a commercial break, plays at the beginning of each episode in order to give even the casual viewer a complete understanding of the premise of the series.

The exteriors of "The Village"/prison were shot in a fanciful resort in Wales.

Nubbins: Let's Go to the Videotape!

WHDH Channel 7: Kitten born without feet searching for home

Well, Nubbins is now on the teevee. Yes, it would seem that local TV news really is just about two things these days: (1) Mayhem – fires, shootings, stabbings, abductions, flayings, etc. – and (2) Cute – babies, puppies, kitties, chickies, duckies, basically everything ending in "-ies." This nightly Mayhem Cute Show launches viewers from a cannon of terror, fear, and loathing into a soft pillow of candy floss. Presumably all for the benefit of advertisers, and unscrupulous politicians.

And despite what the report says, Nubbins didn't "adapt to" walking without hind feet. He's lacked hind feet from birth! He's not a human, with the ability to discern anatomical norms and abnormalities. To him, not having hind feet is just the way it is.

Finally, you won't read about this or see it on TV, but Nubbins was a wicked pissah of a foster cat. By far the most difficult cat Helen has dealt with in almost three years of fostering cats for the MSPCA. The lack of hind feet was really the least of it. He arrived as a tiny kitten, constantly meowing for no apparent reason. His mother, who also stayed with us at first, wanted nothing to do with him. He was inconsolable, except inside a jacket or shirt. Outside of that, he meowed bloody murder. In addition, he shat all over the place, seemingly uncontrollably. Could not use the litter box. After a couple weeks, Helen was ready to throw in the towel. Some foster cats are easily adoptable. Some need a little bit of medicine or socialization and they're ready to go. Nubbins was a mewling, incontinent, hop-a-long basket case, and it looked like he was doomed for sure. But, to their credit, the MSPCA folks told Helen to bring him back in for a look-see.

It turned out that the constant mewling was due to ringworm (not a worm actually, but a fungus–the same fungus that causes athlete's foot). Poor Nubbins was in a constant state of itchiness—that's why he preferred to be inside a jacket, so he could wriggle around and rub against the fabric and get some relief. And the incontinence was due to a common and easily-treatable intestinal parasite; it cleared up almost instantly after he went on some medicine. Still, the ringworm meant that Helen had to don special protective gear and dip Nubbins into a foul lime-sulphur bath about three times a week for eight weeks or so. Our permanent cat, Tego, also had to be dipped once as a precaution, and they had to be kept strictly separated.


But, sure enough, under Helen's care Nubbins did start to get better. He stopped mewling. He started using the litter box like a champ. And he started growing and getting stronger. Since he was cooped up in a cage inside a closed room all by himself, Helen spent at least an hour with him every evening, usually watching an old episode of "Columbo" on her laptop.

Nubbins's last couple of weeks with us were the best. Reasonably sure that the ringworm was gone, we let him out of quarantine. He and Tego got along famously, chasing and playing and hanging out on the couch or on top of the bookcase. Tego has been a "big brother" to a lot of the foster cats that come through here, but he got along especially well with Nubbins.

It's a little strange to see all the local coverage of Nubbins. To Channel 7 viewers, he's apparently irresistable. To Helen and me, he's a huge headache that turned out well. We're glad that he'll likely be going to a good home with lots of carpeting.

Pretty Darn Good: Reaper

Hey, here's a new TV show that's actually worth checking out: Reaper. It's from Kevin Smith and stars Leland Palmer from "Twin Peaks" as the Devil. The show is about a slacker who finds out that his parents sold his soul to the Devil before he was born. Such an obvious premise; amazing no one has done this show before.

On the radio, Smith called it "derivative in all the right ways," which is true. There was DNA from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Ghostbusters, plus a Seth-Rogin-type character and a "Forty-Year-Old Virgin" workplace milieu. Plus, it's on the C-Dub!

Once again, I must emphasize: LELAND PALMER FROM TWIN PEAKS IS THE DEVIL in this show.

Visit cwtv.com/shows/reaper

24 Live Blog: 8:00 - 10:00 am

8:10 am Bauer jacks a Cherokee Grand-Theft-Auto-style. Doesn't all the veering and fishtailing around corners take more time than it's worth?

8:24 am Shouldn't Jack be wearing his seat belt? Hey, Curtis isn't wearing his either. Now, Jack and Curtis have a moment. Great to hear a nice big helping of that stilted "24" dialogue: "hundreds -- maybe thousands -- of victims" ... "a peaceful resolution to all of this."

8:25 Suburban mom proves wily by failing to properly treat Kumar from "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle's" wound. Her also-wily son Eddie Vedder goes into kitchen to get Kumar some water, palms a knife, this isn't going to work out well....phew, he decides not to chance an attack.

8:37 The writers have done a good job of writing the dialogue in the civil liberties theme in a way to appeal to people on both sides of the issue....Whoops, a body cavity search has just been announced.

8:41 Dr. Bashir from Deep Space Nine and the suspect are both wearing their seatbelts. Kudos, Dr. Bashir.

8:44 Curtis's day is made as he gets to establish a perimeter, check that, a MOVING PERIMETER.

8:46 Memo to Tac Team: The roof is not the best place for your doughier snipers.

8:56 Jack: Fayed might have a "nucular" weapon.

8:58 "I need to speak to the president, Priority 3?" Doesn't that sound a bit low?

9:00 Good to see that Buchanan is right on time with his early-episode Exposition Phone Call.

9:05 Take your jacket off and stay awhile, Mr. President!

9:11 Come on, Suburban Dad, disable the component. And, where did he find a working pay phone?

How much do we hate the UPS whiteboard commercials?

9:14 This has been another edition of American Backstory Theatre, starring Chloe and two of her boyfriends.

9:21 President Wayne Palmer, how I love your out-of-fashion goatee beard.

9:22 As usual, international terrorists require a written contract before agreeing to an amnesty offer.

9:31 Remembering Eddie Vedder's touching offer of his friendship necklace, Kumar wishes he didn't have to kill him.