Steve Pond's Blog, page 2054
November 29, 2019
‘Tremors’ Film Review: Guatemalan Drama Explores an Evangelical Dad’s Attempt to Come Out
Summoning nature’s earth-shaking forces — first volcanic eruptions, now earthquakes — to serve as resounding signifiers of instability, Guatemalan auteur Jayro Bustamante’s two features to date roar as sobering assessments of systematic marginalization in a society unwilling to broaden its viciously narrow status quo. First, “Ixcanul” objected to corrosive misogyny and racism; now homophobia is the target in his sophomore social drama “Tremors,” which had its North American premiere last March at the Miami Film Festival and opens theatrically Friday.
Bustamante’s social pariah, a white man from the upper crust of society, is far removed, at least in obvious parallels, from the teenage indigenous woman chastised by her community for an out-of-wedlock pregnancy in the director’s debut. Their personal hells, however, emanate from the same phallocentric well of hatred. In both instances, Bustamante lets his embattled protagonists unravel without the empty promise of a fortunate resolution.
A masculine fellow by all traditional parameters, Pablo (Juan Pablo Olyslager) has attained all the essential components for the construction of a convincing façade, one that upholds the patriarchal ideal of a pristine heterosexual life. It’s precisely because he’s excelled for years in the role of a middle-aged office worker with a wife and two kids that, when he’s outed as a gay man, his ultra-religious family reacts in outrage. The lie upon which his identity was built instantly crumbles, because the tremors are both literally seismic and metaphorically personal.
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As if running away from bright colors the way the film’s protagonist does so from his truth, DP Luis Armando Arteaga paints melancholically elegant frames in guilt and frustration, using oppressively drab lighting and subdued hues. The sanitized interiors of churches and affluent residences contrast with the disheveled locations as Pablo’s “clandestine” desires emerge. Outside, Guatemala City — dressed in gray skies and urban grittiness — ensures there is no room for exoticism.
Olyslager’s eyes project Pablo’s plea for compassion when facing his estranged spouse Isa (Diane Bathen), who has dangerously equated his sexual orientation with pedophilia to punish him professionally; his hopeless disbelief when his mother wishes destruction upon him so that he will repent; and the futile appearance of courage early on, when the assertive Francisco (Mauricio Armas) reassures him they can be together. Lightness only comes briefly with “Ixcanul” actress María Telón, present here as Pablo’s housekeeper and his only ally within his now off-limits house.
Emotionally repressed, Pablo wallows in fearful anguish, unable to cope with his loved ones’ cruel rejection guised as concern for his soul. Olyslager internalizes such discreet suffering and expresses it only in longing gazes and painful frowns, resulting in a magnificent performance that should elevate the actor’s stature internationally. Drowning in conflicting messaging and guided solely by his desire to see his children, Pablo is soon dragged away from any semblance of freedom and back into the claws of religious dogma.
Also Read: Facebook Pulled Ads That Targeted LGBTQ Users With Gay Conversion Therapy
His mental state is not dissimilar to a broken vase whose pieces have been put back together. Even if the reassembling of his false code-abiding persona were achieved with the strongest of Christian adhesives, the cracks would still show. Pablo’s fragile standing in his role as a straight Evangelical won’t withstand the next inevitable tremor that rattles it and that terrifies him. Each time the ground rumbles, as does his conviction.
In the movie’s most upsetting sequences, Bustamante approaches conversion therapy with stark pragmatism, even during the most harrowing of humiliations. His take turns out distinctively more distressing than those in the recent American features “Boy Erased” and “The Miseducation of Cameron Post.”
This is the case not only as a result of the age gap, geographical specificity, or Pablo being a father, but thanks to first-time actress Sabrina De La Hoz, who plays a female pastor so convinced that her mission is righteous that she doesn’t hold back on degrading and dehumanizing the sinners under her command. It’s the type of villainous part Meryl Streep would get an Oscar for, but De La Hoz makes it truly her own with stern certitude.
Also Read: 'Will & Grace' Guest Andrew Rannells on His 'Subversive' Role as Gay-Conversion Therapist
Tragically, Pablo’s inescapable closet is as big as his country and as dark as the inside of the buried coffin where his hopes for happiness lie dead. In that tenebrous space where light cannot penetrate, but where he’s conditionally allowed to exist, he begs for the acceptance of those who would rather see him perish than deviate from the norm. It’s devastating to witness as he stabs himself with an invisible, yet very hurtful, dagger laced in Bible verses misconstrued to condemn him.
To its very last moment, “Tremors” is a prodigiously gut-wrenching demand for change; the film isn’t kindly asking for tolerance but bluntly exposing the torment inflicted in the name of a prejudiced God. It’s a magnificently unflinching film from a master director in the making, whose thunderous strength will surely make waves in Bustamante’s Central American homeland and abroad.
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Apple Designer Jony Ive, Who Helped Create the iPhone and iPod, Has Been Removed From Company’s Leadership Page
Apple design wiz Jony Ive has been removed from the company’s leadership page, indicating the man behind some of the tech giant’s biggest products, from the iPhone to the iPod, has officially exited the company.
Ive’s departure has been expected for months now, after he announced in June he’d be leaving Apple to start a new design company. His removal from the company’s leadership page was first reported by The Verge on Thursday.
Apple did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
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Ive had been with Apple since the early ’90s, ultimately taking the reins of its design team in 1996. While at Apple he helped refine its sleek, minimalistic approach to product design. Along with the iPhone, iPod, Mac and Apple Watch, Ive also led the team behind Apple Park, the company’s $5 billion corporate headquarters in Cupertino, California that opened in 2017.
During his nearly three decade run at the company, Apple rebounded from a faded tech has-been to the first trillion-dollar company — thanks in large part to the products Ive helped design.
Ive has since partnered with designer Marc Newson on LoveFrom, his latest venture. The company is expected to work closely with Apple moving forward.
Apple chief Tim Cook, in a statement in June, called Ive a “singular figure in the design world and his role in Apple’s revival cannot be overstated.”
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‘Atlantics’ Film Review: Mati Diop Offers Poetic New Take on Refugee Tale
“Atlantics” is Franco-Senegalese director Mati Diop’s first feature-length film, a supernatural-inflected romantic drama narrative that can occasionally feel stretched and thin in certain spots, like a cracking medium-length film padded out to feature runtime. Still, that’s no matter, because the film’s real coup is the victory it scores for greater perspective.
That’s perspective, of course, not just representation, because I don’t know that labels taken by themselves offer so much value. No queer filmmaker is great uniquely due to their sexuality, just like no — let’s say — Ecuadorian filmmaker is great entirely because of where their passport was printed. Rather, the specifics and particulars of any lived experience help shape an artist’s voice, giving them unique points of view that enrich their art.
And such is the case with “Atlantics,” a film that deftly entwines a new take on the refugee crises with a look at young female adulthood, and layers it with a dose of West African folklore. The film follows Ada (Mama Sané), a 17-year-old engaged to marry one man but in love with another. Shortly before her nuptials, Ada’s chosen beau takes off for a better life in Europe and seemingly perishes along the way — only to return as a spirit, capable of inhabiting the bodies of others.
Also Read: Director of 'Atlantics' On How She Merged Migration With Surrealism and Romance
Instead of following those who flee, Diop centers this refugee tale on the ones they leave behind – while using Ada’s romantic longing as a way to explore adolescent ennui of Ada and her circle of friends. With its attention to the pains of teenagers on the cusp of adulthood, “Atlantics” can sometimes feel in step with the films of Sofia Coppola, only stripped of the layers of privilege that are hallmarks of the latter’s work.
Indeed, Diop is sure to highlight the economic injustices that cause the men to flee but does so by evoking moods and tones of a place, rather than tallying the difficulties of its inhabitants. This specific place is seaside Dakar — a spot the director evokes in tight close-ups of sweat-drenched faces and in the ambient noise of waves crashing on the shore. And if the narrative can sometimes wane, the film’s enveloping atmospherics remain tight throughout. You are there, in this 17-year old’s headspace on the shores of Dakar — and that’s a perspective unique to “Atlantics.”
“Atlantics” premieres on Netflix Nov. 29.
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‘Mickey and the Bear’ Film Review: Debut Feature Spotlights a Young Woman’s Difficult, But Not Hopeless, Coming-of-Age
In “Mickey and the Bear,” Mickey (Camila Morrone, “Never Goin’ Back”) is the kind of kid who’s had to grow up too fast. Looking after her father Hank (James Badge Dale) — who’s both a veteran showing signs of PTSD and an opioid addict — after her mom’s death from cancer has forced her to take on the duties of the house and to become her father’s caretaker.
She’s the one to make sure there’s dinner on the table, money to buy supplies, and that her dad’s prescriptions are filled. While other kids at her Montana school are wondering what they might do after graduation, Mickey’s halfheartedly resigned that this is her lot in life, to pick up her drunk dad from the local jail or hospital, to worry about him constantly or to watch out for his mood swings. But a series of events close to the end of her senior year cause Mickey to reevaluate her life and whether or not she should stay home and continue to weather her dad’s unpredictable behavior.
Mickey’s life may seem like a bleak picture, but writer and director Annabelle Attanasio does not leave her heroine in complete despair. Unlike Jennifer Lawrence’s star-making turn in Debra Granik’s “Winter’s Bone,” there are signs of hope in Mickey’s story, even as she gives everyone else in town surly looks and avoids talking about her future. Without her dad’s knowledge, she applies to college in California, a world away from her father’s abuses and neglect, but she’s unsure if she can make it work. Mickey’s internal tug-of-war between wanting to move on and reconciling with her ailing dad drives the narrative to its emotional conclusion.
The moving story also gives Morrone a chance to play a conflicted and heartfelt character. Mickey’s a teen trying to find her own way in life, but she’s saddled with an unfair burden of a dad who forgets her birthday, asks her for money, and occasionally loses control because of his drug dependency. In addition to the father-daughter drama, Mickey is also in the middle of relationship woes: Her longtime boyfriend, Aron (Ben Rosenfield, “Twin Peaks”), envisions a happy future together, but early on, he shows troubling behavior that causes her eyes to shift from looking happy to see him to reluctantly looking at the floor, maybe wondering why she’s in the same uncomfortable situation with him as with her dad.
As she draws away from Aron, Mickey meets the impossibly charming Wyatt (Calvin Demba, “Last Christmas”), a British transplant who’s almost too perfect an alternative. In this chaos, Mickey also butts heads against one of the doctors at the veterans’ hospital, Leslee (Rebecca Henderson, “Russian Doll”), who feels for Mickey and tries to help her out.
Also Read: 'Mickey and the Bear' Director and Cast Portraits (Exclusive Photos)
Through these complicated dynamics, Morrone navigates her character’s many highs and lows with a touching sense of authenticity, balancing Mickey’s need to be defensive against outsiders, her natural sense of playfulness, and her unending empathy and loyalty to those she cares about. Morrone’s performance is easily one of the movie’s core strengths.
Through cinematographer Conor Murphy’s lens, many of the scenes in Mickey’s world look slightly drained of color or underlit, as if surroundings have lost some of their brightness over the years. The movie’s rural settings often reflect Mickey’s isolation when she’s alone, biking past fields or the endless rows of trees. It’s gorgeous and sometimes idyllic, yet it’s impossible to ignore the thin layer of darkness clouding the experience.
Also Read: James Badge Dale Set to Star in 'The Incident at Sparrow Creek Lumber'
The story’s conflict brings up important subjects, like lack of help for veterans and the opioid crisis, but seamlessly integrates them into the plot rather than going the route of a message movie. Ultimately, this is all about Mickey and how she’s dealing with all of this pressure to stay or go.
“Mickey and the Bear” is an impressive feature debut from Attanasio, one that shows a lot of promise in the way her movie explores characters and uncomfortable stories. When coupled with Morrone’s deft performance, Attanasio gives her lead character so much life and vibrancy. This is a raw, coming-of-age tale where who knows if there’s a happy ending. What matters for Mickey is survival.
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‘Les Miserables’ Film Review: Socially Minded Thriller Breathes New Life Into an Old Tale
Last July, the city of Paris echoed with cries of joy as thousands upon thousands took to the streets to celebrate their country’s World Cup victory over Croatia. The moment of social unity did not endure, but it left a lasting impression — shots of the celebrations play as an overture for Ladj Ly’s “Les Miserables,” which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in October and opens Friday, Nov. 29.
Mind you, the French director does not linger on the punch-drunk joy for very long; he is, after all, more interested in the hangover that would soon follow.
With his feature debut, Ly sets out to explore the various social and economic fissures that could take a society from collective triumph to revolutionary anger over just a matter of days – fissures that are hardly limited to France, and, as the Victor Hugo-evoking title would suggest, in no way unique to the 21st Century.
Also Read: 'Making Montgomery Clift' Film Review: Doc Liberates Screen Icon From His Gloomy Reputation
Set in same working-class suburb where Hugo situated much of his 1862 masterpiece, “Les Miserables” assumes the broad outlines of a “Training Day” like police thriller – following a wet-behind-the-years rookie and his trigger happy partners on one hellishly bad first day on the job – and uses it a springboard to flesh out a community while tracing its numerous fault lines.
As broadly described, the script wins few points for originality: After we spend the first act setting up the various factions and navigating the unexpected hierarchies between dealers, clerics, cops and Roma, things kick into high gear when a local youth captures a moment of police brutality, and all parties fight like hell to get hold of the tape.
Of course, Ly rather cleverly inoculates his film to charges of repetition by outright owning them. Of course, you’ve seen stories like before. The film freely admits, these exact same stories, these preventable tragedies and pointless injustices have been manifesting themselves for hundreds of years.
Also Read: 'On Broadway' Film Review: Documentary Offers Neon Lights But Not Much Else
What varies, then, are the specifics, the individual lives caught in the ever-turning gears. And on that front, the film excels, considering each faction with both empathy (which is common in a film like this) and a generous sense of humor (which is really, really not) that speaks to the director’s profound understanding and affection for a suburb that even many in France would flippantly consider a “no-go zone.”
Ly, who is the part of the same forward-thinking film collective that produced Romain Gavras, Vincent Cassel and the “Faces Places” co-director JR, conducts the proceedings with sharp formal acumen and openness to new technology. He alternates between sequences shot with a handheld, whiplashing camera and ones captured by an airborne drone, the uncannily steady images of which only reiterating that sense of grim determinism.
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What Does That ‘Man in the High Castle’ Ending Mean?
(Spoilers ahead for, you know, the ending of “The Man in the High Castle.” Like the headline says.)
There was no chance that “The Man in the High Castle” show on Amazon was ever going to get a neat and clean ending. The story is just too big to get a normal happy ending, and the novel on which the series is based certainly doesn’t have a traditional type of story ending. But the last scene of “The Man in the High Castle” might be a bit more ambiguous than we would have expected given the way things were going in the last few episodes.
So as we arrive at that final scene, things are looking up in the, ah, Prime Earth of this story. The Japanese have abandoned North America, and the Black Communist Rebellion is setting up a new, presumably much better government. The east coast has autonomy from Germany, and is now being run by a guy who clearly wants the Nazis gone. John Smith (Rufus Sewell), perpetrator of so many crimes against humanity, is finally dead and gone. These are all good things.
Also Read: Here's Everything New Coming to Amazon Prime Video in November
But after all that happened, there was still one last scene for “The Man in the High Castle.” The final scene takes us to the portal the Nazis built so they could travel to alternate universes. Something weird has been going on there all season, with the portal turning itself on a couple times and giving Juliana (Alexa Davalos) weird feelings that something is about to happen with it.
So in this scene, the American resistance has taken the facility where the portal is located from the Nazis, and we’ve got Juliana, Hawthorne (Stephen Root), Wyatt (Jason O’Mara) and a bunch of others hanging out in the portal room as it fires itself up. And once the portal stabilizes, out walks a whole bunch of people. These folks just stroll right through the room, not really acknowledging the people who were already present. And Hawthorne, the Man in the High Castle himself, walks through the crown and into the portal.
It was a very moving moment for me to watch, even though I honestly do not understand what it means. Juliani says these people are coming from “everywhere” but that’s obviously very vague. Was this some kind of metaphor, with the souls of those killed in the past two decades of atrocities around the world returning? Or was it really, literally happening?
Also Read: 'Jojo Rabbit' Film Review: Taika Waititi Insists That Nazis Can Be Funny
“The Man in the High Castle” doesn’t really provide anything in the way of setup for this turn of events, either way. It never established firm details about the travelers who had been bringing those alternate universe films to this version of Earth, and those films came from many more Earths than just the one the Nazis had been using the portal to travel to.
Was there some kind of parallel universe organization affecting events in this world the way the Nazis had been interfering in that other world they kept visiting? And they decided that now was the time to pay it a visit? Or maybe these were refugees who had fled this reality and were now returning?
Over at Entertainment Weekly, showrunner David Scarpa said the scene was intentionally ambiguous. “Part of the intention was to invite the audience to have their own interpretation of what they’re seeing on screen.” Though he does offer a tantalizing detail. “The portal is, essentially, open and it is going to remain open. In effect, what that means is two worlds have become one. There’s a doorway from one world into the next, and now people can move freely between them.”
Since the show is over now, that might be a detail I didn’t need confirmed, because it might keep me up at night as I try to figure out what that means. But since the show is over now, we’re probably never going to get a more real or informative answer than that. But even though I don’t get it, I like the scene a lot anyway. I like the vibe of it.
It feels like victory.
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Anonymous’ ‘A Warning’ Boots Donald Trump Jr’s Book From Atop NY Times Best-Seller List
“A Warning,” the foreboding book about President Donald Trump’s administration written by an anonymous senior official, has replaced Donald Trump Jr.’s “Triggered” atop the New York Times’ nonfiction best-seller list.
“Such poetic justice: ‘A Warning’ By Anonymous replaces Donald Trump Jr’s fake #1 book from atop the NYTimes bestseller list,” tweeted Tony Schwartz, who ghost-wrote the president’s “The Art of the Deal.”
Also Read: Republican National Committee Spent $94,800 for Copies of Donald Trump Jr's Book 'Triggered'
Schwartz went on, “Time for Anonymous to out him/herself.”
Trump Jr.’s book topped the list after its release earlier this month, but next to the title, “Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us,” there was a little dagger. According to Jonny Diamond at Literary Hub, the small symbol “means that a significant number of the books sales are a result of ‘institutional, special interest, group or bulk purchases,’ which likely means (at least in the case of conservative titles) that a right-wing think tank of some variety has bought pallet-loads of the book.”
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As it turned out, the Republican National Committee spent $94,800 on copies, listing the expenditure as “donor mementos.”
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As for coming forward, the anonymous senior Trump administration official who wrote “A Warning” — as well as the “I Am Part of the Resistance” op-ed for the New York Times last year — vowed Monday to reveal their identity at some point, saying, “Donald Trump has not heard the last of me.”
A representative for Twelve, which publishes “A Warning,” did not immediately return a request for comment.
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November 28, 2019
Here’s How Chrissy Teigen, John Cena and Other Celebs Celebrated Thanksgiving
Celebrities from across the entertainment industry took a minute on Thursday to wish their fans a happy Thanksgiving — with some also adding what they’re grateful for this year.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson quote-tweeted a message from the University of Virginia’s football team honoring Zola-Rain Barbour, a young woman battling a rare form of cancer. Johnson told her to “stay strong” and “you inspire all of us,” along with a heart emoji, before adding “happy Thanksgiving.”
Stay strong, Zola-Rain. You inspire all of us
Happy Thanksgiving ???????????? https://t.co/ouCh2Q2w0R
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) November 28, 2019
Also Read: Watch Dwayne Johnson and Danny DeVito Crash a Wedding in Mexico and Serenade the Bride
John Cena, another WWE-turned-Hollywood star, tweeted he was “thankful for the lessons, the love, and the challenge of life.” He added that “millions of you” have helped make him who he is today, before finishing with a simple “thank you.”
On this and everyday I am thankful for the lessons, the love, and the challenge of life. Millions of you, thru the good and bad, have made me who I am today. Thank you. #Happythanksgiving2019 #happythanksgivng
— John Cena (@JohnCena) November 28, 2019
Guitar virtuoso Eddie Van Hallen shared a cute picture of his dog, along with a makeshift caption, to go along with his Thanksgiving well wishes. Joining Van Halen in sharing dog pictures on Thursday was actress Minnie Driver, who said her pup was “pulling off cosy-Thanksgiving and also” a “Virgin Mary” look.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!#Thanksgiving #HappyThanksgiving #Happythanksgiving2019 #family #kodyvanhalen #November #music #Thankful #ThanksgivingDay pic.twitter.com/O6pfooyDHe
— Eddie Van Halen (@eddievanhalen) November 28, 2019
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My Dog, Bob, pulling off cosy-Thanksgiving and also The Virgin Mary. ???????????????????? #Happythanksgiving2019 pic.twitter.com/UVjBqQNQlt
— Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) November 28, 2019
Sylvester Stallone, meanwhile, jumped on Instagram to share an interesting Rambo-meets-intimidating-turkey piece of art. “Happy Thanksgiving! Go for it today!” Sly said to his nearly 12 million followers.
View this post on Instagram
Happy Thanksgiving! Go for it today! #agentnickyc @slystalloneshop
A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone) on Nov 28, 2019 at 1:30pm PST
Not to be outdone, fellow action star and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger posted a 4:25 video reflecting on his decades helping out at a local youth shelter in Los Angeles on Thanksgiving. “I am thankful for every opportunity that this great country has given me,” Schwarzenegger said in his accompanying caption.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Arnold Schwarzenegger (@schwarzenegger) on Nov 28, 2019 at 10:52am PST
Also Read: Al Roker Rumbles With a Man-Sized Stick of Butter at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (Video)
Comedian Gilbert Gottfried went for the laugh with his tweet, showing a Spider-Man float in a compromising position.
Spider-man gives America something to be thankful for. #HappyThanksgiving #Thanksgiving #Happythanksgiving2019 pic.twitter.com/2sZdW2btS3
— Gilbert Gottfried (@RealGilbert) November 28, 2019
Director M. Night Shyamalan tweeted he was “very thankful to be able to tell stories to everyone around the world. Lots of love to all your families.”
Want to wish everyone a #Happythanksgiving2019 So very thankful to be able to tell stories to everyone around the world. Lots of love to all your families.
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) November 28, 2019
La Toya Jackson also gave a shout-out to her followers, along with a nice turkey cartoon.
Also Read: Brothers Osborne Thanksgiving Day Halftime Performance Marred by Sound Issues
Happy #Thanksgiving to all! I’m thankful to be able to engage with you guys!????#Happythanksgiving2019 #TurkeyDay #TurkeyTrot #Thankful #life #live #Love #latoyajackson #Grateful #ThankfulThursday #MacysDayParade pic.twitter.com/Cnl18b1X5U
— La Toya Jackson (@latoyajackson) November 28, 2019
Chrissy Teigen not only shared a standard “happy Thanksgiving” tweet, but went a step further, joking in one video she was “cheating” on John Legend, while he unknowingly grooved to music while wearing headphones.
good morning!! happy thanksgiving!! don’t forget to take the bag out of your turkey!!
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) November 28, 2019
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) November 28, 2019
She followed that up with this instant Thanksgiving classic. Definitely turn the sound on.
don’t turn the sound on pic.twitter.com/tRkx5vahvp
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) November 28, 2019
We’ll never look at basted turkey the same way again. Meanwhile, we hope you’re having a great Thanksgiving — and a great start to another busy holiday season.
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Thor the Bulldog and 6 Other Very Good Boys and Girls From the 2019 National Dog Show (Photos)
Thor the Bulldog dropped the hammer on the competition on Thursday, beating out 2,000 other dogs in taking home the top prize at the National Dog Show — and likely setting himself up for a tasty Thanksgiving feast, too.
The champ is a 2-year-old dog and weighs about 60 pounds. He is, as you’d expect, a very good boy.
“Thor is an active and sweet dog and very athletic,” handler Eduardo Paris said after the event aired on NBC. “You should see how high he can jump. He loves to play with his kennel-mate Chihuahuas, and he has beautiful construction, I think that’s why he won.”
Thor technically won the “Best in Show” award earlier this month at the NDS event in Philadelphia, but didn’t get his national shine until it aired earlier today.
He wasn’t the only cute pup that competed in the NDS this year, however.
Thor’s final six competitors included a Golden Retriever, a Havanese, an Old English Sheepdog, a Pharaoh Hound, a Siberian Husky and a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. And believe us, they were all very very good boys and girls.
Check out another picture of Thor in the next slide, followed by some of the other lovable hounds afterwards.
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Al Roker Rumbles With a Man-Sized Stick of Butter at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (Video)
The Roker household is officially a margarine-only home now, probably, judging by how Al Roker spent his Thanksgiving morning fighting off a man-sized stick of butter at the Macy’s Day Parade on Thursday.
The “feud” started with Roker approaching the man — dressed from head-to-toe as a stick of butter, complete with the word “butter” spelled out vertically across his body — and imploring him to get out of his shot. It seemed jovial enough.
“I hate to butter you up, but you’ve got to move on, okay? There you go,” Roker said, before playfully shoving the butter guy aside.
“Get out of here ya butter,” he said during another dust up. “I can’t believe it’s not butter!”
Also Read: Al Roker Defends Rochester Meteorologist Accused of On-Air Racial Slur
Roker’s holiday spirit seemed to dissipate a little later, though, as the butter guy once again ran into his shot as he was darting past parade goers. “Butter you turkeys, butter your hams!” the butter guy appeared to yell towards the camera.
A miffed Roker turned and dryly added: “and that’s why everybody loves clowns. Yeah.”
You can check out a quick compilation of Roker Vs. Butter below:
Happy Thanksgiving from Al Roker and this stick of butter. #MacysParade pic.twitter.com/QaAboXpV6b
— Ryan Bloomquist (@ryanbloomquist) November 28, 2019
The rivalry didn’t go unnoticed on Twitter, naturally, with even “Hamilton” mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda tweeting a brief clip of Roker’s shove.
Also Read: Al Roker's Revenge: Cabbie Who Passed Him Up for 'White Guy' Pleads Guilty
Roker did a shove to a butter pic.twitter.com/O39z1ofAap
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) November 28, 2019
Al Roker pushing butter away is my 2020 New Years resolution #ThanksgivingParade
— elatticus (@elatticus) November 28, 2019
Al Roker was ready to throw hands with a guy dressed as a stick of butter
— lil jeep evangelista (@StudxmeatMuscle) November 28, 2019
Al Roker can describe his job today as “wearing a helmet and screaming at people who are cosplaying as breakfast” what a country amirite
— Austin L. Ray (@austinlouisray) November 28, 2019
Al Roker just got accosted by an anthropomorphic stick of butter and had to shove him off screen before frantically cutting to commercial
I don’t understand why more people don’t watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
— Lindsay Ellis (@thelindsayellis) November 28, 2019
In related news, this was Roker’s 25th time covering the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Congratulations on your silver anniversary, Al.
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