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Paul Newman plays a likeable rebel in "Cool Hand Luke"

“What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.”

– “Cool Hand Luke”

Paul Newman’s “Cool Hand Luke” is an anti-establishment classic

Cinema has always been the realm of the rebel.

Renegades, revolutionaries, outcasts and social pariahs have dominated the silver screen ever since Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp kicked an immigration official in “The Immigrant.”

Over the years, the rebel ranks have expanded to include the likes of Marlon Brando in “The Wild One,” James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause,” Kirk Douglas in “Spartacus” and Peter Fonda in “Easy Rider.”

But perhaps the most memorable rebel of the modern era is the title character in 1967’s “Cool Hand Luke.”

A decorated veteran with a sunny disregard for authority, Luke (Paul Newman) is sent to a Florida prison camp as punishment for drunkenly lopping the heads off of parking meters.

At first, nothing can faze the unflappable Luke. As the endless brutality of camp life begins to wear on him, however, he grows increasingly desperate to escape.

“Cool Hand Luke” features some of the most memorable lines in moviedom (“Sometimes nothin’ can be a real cool hand,” “What we have here is ‘failure to communicate’”) as well as scenes that have become cinematic classics. I challenge you to watch Luke’s battle to win the grudging admiration of his fellow prisoners by eating 50 hardboiled eggs, and not feel inspired.

Much of the credit goes to Paul Newman, who brings an unmistakable charm to his embattled everyman. His solid supporting cast includes character acting greats George Kennedy (who won his Oscar for his role as chain gang top dog Dragline), Strother Martin and Harry Dean Stanton — plus a young Dennis Hopper.

Watch “Cool Hand Luke” at 7 p.m. tonight at the Fremont theater, 1025 Monterey St. in San Luis Obispo. Tickets are $7.50 apiece.

You'll feel oh-so-cozy in a Tauntaun Sleeping Bag from ThinkGeek.com

Wondering what to get the sci fi geek on your list? Here are some suggestions

What do you get the geek who has everything?

Some holiday shoppers may find themselves struggling to answer that question.

Geeks, by and large, are a picky lot. And their preferences may seem peculiar to friends and relatives who aren’t, say, hardcore “Firefly” fans.

Fortunately, the folks at io9.com have plenty of gift suggestions for nerdy nephews, dorky dads and sci-fi obsessed spouses  — whether they’re fans of “Star Wars,”  “Transformers” or “Doctor Who.”

Pictured above is my favorite present — ThinkGeek’s Tauntaun Sleeping Bag, inspired by Luke Skywalker’s oh-so-cozy bed in “The Empire Strikes Back.” And you thought they smelled bad on the outside!

Seriously, though, this cute sleeping bag is a steal at $100. I  love the attention paid to even the tiniest details, from the plush lightsaber zipper pull to the “printed internal intestines.”

Other standouts from io9’s all-inclusive gift guide:

• Explore new planets with this totally awesome tricorder from “Star Trek: The Original Series.”
• Look and sound exactly like Optimus Prime from “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” with this voice-changing helmet.
• A must-have for “Terminator Salvation” fans: “How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips On Defending Yourself Against the Coming Revolution” by Daniel H. Wilson
• Now you, too, can enjoy a swig of the red stuff. “True Blood” vampires will love  Blood Caffeinated Energy Potion, served in a transfusion blood bag.
• Practice your “Zombieland” survival skills with the Zombie Shooting Gallery

Need more ideas for primo presents? The site also has a Sci Fi Fashion Gift Guide.

Suggestions range from a “Be Excellent To Each Other” T-shirt inspired by “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” to a trio of rad hats based on characters from the uber-popular Japanese cartoon “Naruto.”

You can find the awesome ninja socks mentioned at the bottom of the post at The Sock Drawer,  852 Higuera St. in San Luis Obispo.

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Image courtesy of ThinkGeek.com.

Back in the day, movie posters were works of art.

Designed and created with meticulous care, they featured stylish, stunning images of careworn cowpokes, grizzled soldiers, swinging hepcats and square-jawed super-spies.

Samurai sparred. Terrifying monsters menaced beautiful damsels in distress. Doomed lovers gazed out over sweepingly romantic vistas.

Today’s posters can look rather airbrushed and anemic compared to the majestic masterpieces of yesteryear. They tend toward tweaked-to-death digital images paired with second-rate lettering and cheesy special effects.

Luckily, a few folks are finding fresh inspiration in classic movie poster design.

Graphic designer Brandon Schaefer has created a series of amazing film posters, most of them for Friends of the Ashland Public Library in Ashland, Mass.

They range from subtle (“Innerspace,” seen here) to striking (“Blade Runner”, here).

In some cases, in fact, the posters far outshine the actual movies. Who wouldn’t prefer Schaefer’s sexy, stylish noir-style poster for “The Shadow” to Alec Baldwin flop?

Below are a few of my favorites. You can see more at Seek & Speak; I also recommend checking out Schaefer’s Flickr photo stream.

 ”Ghost Busters”

“The Life Aquatic”

“Network”

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”

“Planet of the Apes”

“Singin’ In the Rain”

“Sleeper”

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Thanks to io9.com for the tip.

Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States of America.

As millions watched this morning, Barack Obama took the presidential oath of office to become our nation’s first African-American president. I witnessed the historic event on NBC, simultaneously moved and relieved I wasn’t standing in the subarctic chill of the Capitol.

In celebration of Inauguration Day, here’s an assorted grab-bag of Obama goodies.

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One of the most striking images to emerge from the 2008 presidential race was the Obama poster created by Los Angeles graffiti artist Shepard Fairey.

The image captured the momentous nature of Obama’s campaign, and set a new standard for presidential portraiture. It also recalled one of the boldest graphic design trends of the past — the stylized Communist propaganda posters created by artists in the Soviet Union and China.

Now you can create your red, blue and cream portrait modeled after the Fairey poster, thanks to Paste magazine. Just download a photo of yourself, your dog or your favorite pop culture icon and watch the Obamicon generator works its magic. It’s all right here at ObamiconMe.com.

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I’ve also seen bales of great photographs chronicling Inauguration Day.

The Boston Globe offered this fascinating look at the up-to-the-minute preparations at the U.S. Capitol.

Taking a photographic record of the actual event were The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post. Great photos, all.

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Presidents and their personal foibles are a popular subject for Hollywood. From “Young Mr. Lincoln” to “The West Wing,” the movies have explored what makes the political machine — and our commander-in-chief — tick.

Here are some presidential films for your viewing pleasure this Inauguration Day:

“Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Start Loving the Bomb” (1964): It’s all about Peter Sellers, whose character, President Merkin Muffley, was named best fictional president by CNN.com.

“All the President’s Men” (1976): Journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, uncover the Watergate scandal that leads to President Richard Nixon’s resignation.

“Bob Roberts” (1992): Tim Robbins’ satrical mockumentary follows a conservative folk singer’s climb up the political ladder.

“Dave” (1993): When the president slips into a coma, a celebrity impersonator must masquerade as the commander-in-chief. Very cute.

“The American President” (1995): Political sparks fly when a widowed U.S. president and a lobbyist fall in love.

“Wag the Dog” (1997): A spin doctor and a Hollywood producer (Robert de Niro and Dustin Hoffman) scramble to cover up a presidential sex scandal.

“Air Force One” (1997): Watch tough prez Harrison Ford battle terrorists in this mid-air action flick.

“Primary Colors” (1998): President Bill Clinton was the real-life model for John Travolta’s smooth-talking Southern governor. Based on the best-seller by Anonymous.

“John Adams” (2008): This brilliant HBO mini-series follows the life and times of our nation’s second president.

“Frost/Nixon” (2008): Oscar buzz surrounds this tense drama, which pits former president Nixon against a British television journalist.

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With the Obamas and Bidens groove the night away at the tenth and final inaugural ball, locals will be celebrating the occasion in their own way.

The Central Coast Inaugural Ball kicks off at 5:30 p.m. tonight at The Graduate, 900 Industrial Ave. in San Luis Obispo.

Guests are encouraged to dress in formal attire or historical period costumes. The event includes a DJ, dancing, free appetizers and desserts and a drawing for a Genuine Buddy scooter as well as Obama memorabilia.

Tickets to the event, which runs until 9:30 p.m., are $10.

The Inaugural Ball is co-sponsored by San Luis Obispo Grassroots Democracy, Democratic Women United and the SLO County Democratic Central Committee — with the cooperation of the SLO County Obama Team.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.slograssrootsdemocracy.org and/or www.barackobama.com and click on “events.”

Meanwhile, the Democratic Club of Santa Maria Valley celebrates the inauguration with a dance party in Orcutt.

The bash begins at 7:15 p.m. with a video of President Obama’s inaugural address. The festivities continue with snacks, a no-host bar and dance music provided by Dr. Danger, a local band that plays blues, honky tonk, doo-wop and psychedelic rock.

Tickets are $10 at the door, $6 for voting age students. Eventgoers are also asked to bring a donation for the local food bank.

The inauguration celebration will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. at the YOYO Hall, 725 Foster Road in Orcutt between Broadway and Bradley. Call 349-2708 for more information.

***

Image by Shepard Fairey.

Attention, future Spielbergs, Scorseses and Soderberghs.

The deadline is drawing near for the youth-only portion of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival.Entries for the festival’s Filmmakers of Tomorrow Showcase are due Jan. 15, 2009.

The short films can cover any subject or style. However, they must be G or PG-rated, less than 30 minutes in length and made by filmmakers ranging in age from kindergarten kid to high school senior.

This year, entries will fall into three categories: primary (kindergarten through sixth grade), middle school (seventh and eighth grades) and high school (ninth through 12 grade). All ages are eligible for $50 cash prizes awarded to Best Short Feature, Best Short Film and Best SLO County Film. Sweet!

All of the entries will be shown at the Filmmakers of Tomorrow Showcase — Sunday, March 8 in San Luis Obispo.

The event will also feature short films made by the participants of summer filmmaking workshops sponsored by the film festival and the Holser Educational Fund for the Performing Arts.

You can learn more about the youth film competition here or just fill out the entry form. Good luck!

Remembering Nixon: The man, the myth, the monster

Editor’s note: This blog entry was written by outgoing Tribune copy editor and Central Coast Nixon expert Jay Thompson. We’ll miss you, Jay.

When Richard Milhous Nixon died in 1994, the disgraced former president — born Jan. 9, 1913, in Yorba Linda, Calif. — was a respected elder statesman and an adviser to presidents.

At the funeral, the only U.S. president to resign was canonized by then-President Bill Clinton and Henry Kissinger, Nixon’s secretary of state, before an audience that included former presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Nixon was buried beside his wife, Pat, on the grounds of the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum and not far from the modest wood-frame house where he was born.

The funeral was a somber affair — with full military honors punctuated by 21 105-mm howitzer blasts — and a respectful farewell for a complex man who polarized the nation when he was alive and who has continued to make headlines since his death.

I like what gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson wrote about the April 27, 1994, ceremony:

“If the right people had been in charge of Nixon’s funeral, his casket would have been launched into one of those open-sewage canals that empty into the ocean just south of Los Angeles. He was a swine of a man and a jabbering dupe of a president. Nixon was so crooked that he needed servants to help him screw his pants on every morning. Even his funeral was illegal. He was queer in the deepest way. His body should have been burned in a trash bin.”

Harsh words indeed.

A new Ron Howard movie, “Frost/Nixon,” chronicles the series of televised interviews our 37th president granted to British journalist David Frost in 1977.

Frank Langella (Nixon) and Michael Sheen (Frost) reprise the roles the roles they created in Peter Morgan’s Tony Award-winning play.

No doubt the film will reopen the book on this complicated man, who dedicated his life to public service.

Many who lived through the Nixon years still hate the man, whose corruption soured a generation. If you wonder why people are often cynical about politics, look no farther than Nixon.

I attended the dedication of Nixon’s presidential library and museum in 1989, and have on my desk a Nixon bobblehead, presidential library coffee mug as well as a copy of a photo of Nixon shaking hands with Elvis Presley at the White House.

Nixon’s the one — my favorite president — to hate.

So as “Frost/Nixon” opens in selected theaters, I’d like to present the cultural legacies of Richard Milhous Nixon in three categories: music, TV and film.

***

TOP FIVE NIXON FILMS

5. “Dick” (1999)

Two high school girls (Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams) wander off during a class trip to the White House and meet President Nixon (Dan Heday). They become the official dog walkers for Checkers, Nixon’s pooch, and Nixon’s advisers as the Watergate scandal unfolds.

4. “Where the Buffalo Roam” (1980)

Bill Murray stars as Hunter S. Thompson in this comedy chronicling the gonzo journalist’s rise to fame and his relationship with Chicano attorney Oscar Zeta Acosta (Peter Boyle).

3. “The Assassination of Richard Nixon” (2004)

This drama, which stars Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Don Cheadle, is based on a real-life incident. In 1974, a man tried to hijack a jet with the intent of crashing it into the White House and killing President Nixon.

2. “Nixon” (1995)

Oliver Stone’s three-hour biopic is, according to a disclaimer in the film, “an attempt to understand the truth” about Nixon (Anthony Hopkins). It chronicles the president’s personal and turbulent political life. Joan Allen plays Pat Nixon.

1. “All the President’s Men.” (1976)

Alan J. Pakula’s film is based on the 1974 book by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein (played by Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman), two Washington Post reporters investigating the Watergate scandal from the arrest of the burglars to the resignation of the president.

The film won two Oscars and features a cameo by Frank Wills, the private security guard at the Watergate office building who alerted police. (In 1994’s “Forrest Gump,” Wills takes Forrest’s call complaining about men with flashlights disturbing his sleep while he is staying in the Watergate Hotel.)

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TOP FIVE SOUND BITES

5. “The Checkers Speech” (Sept. 23,1952)

Nixon was the Republican candidate for the vice president when he was accused of accepting $18,000 (about $140,000 in 2007 dollars) in illegal campaign contributions.

He told a national audience that his wife Pat didn’t own a mink coat, but instead wore a “respectable Republican cloth coat” and that his family was going to keep their cocker spaniel, Checkers.

The speech was a milestone — one of the first uses of television to appeal directly to voters — and it kept Nixon on the GOP ticket, saving his political career.

4. “You won’t have Nixon to kick around …” (Nov. 7,1962)

After failing to defeat California Gov. Pat Brown in 1962 (losing by 300,000 votes), Nixon uttered the famous line in what he described as his “last press conference.” He took his family to New York and began what historians call the “Wilderness Years” preceding his successful 1968 presidential campaign.

3. “Sock it to me?” (Sept. 16, 1968)

“Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In” comedy-variety series debuted on NBC on Jan. 22, 1968, and ran 124 episodes over the next five years.

Some of the show’s classic catch phrases were: “You bet your bippy,” “Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls” and “Sock it to me.” (When castmember Judy Carne was tricked into staying the last phrase, she was was hit with a bucket of water).

A dry Nixon appeared on “Laugh-In” less than two months before the election, and asked “Sock it to me?”

His opponent, Hubert H. Humphrey, was also invited on the show, but he declined. It may have cost him the election.

2. “I’m not a crook …” (Nov. 17, 1973)

With the Watergate controversy heating up, President Nixon denied his involvement in the cover-up during a televised press conference. He told an Associated Press reporter that “people have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook.”

1. “I shall resign the presidency …” (Aug. 8, 1974)

In an era of afternoon newspapers, the banner headline for Aug. 8, 1974, was Nixon’s intention to resign. The embattled president gave this 15-minute televised speech that night.

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TOP FIVE NIXON SONGS

5. “Campaigner” by Neil Young (cover by Isis)

4. “Tricky Dicky” by Country Joe McDonald

3. “Kings” by Steely Dan

2. “Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

1. Piano Concerto No. 1 by Richard M. Nixon

“I was in the music business briefly…. Roadie for Metallica. Speed of Sound tour. Bunch of assholes.”

– The Dude, “The Big Lebowski”

CineFile Video of Los Angeles has created the unthinkable: T-shirts that celebrate your favorite film directors, based on your favorite rock concert Ts.

Werner Herzog, meet Danzig. Van Halen? What about Swedish director Lars Von Trier?

The Fassbinder shirt is modeled after Metallica, the Ingmar Bergman shirt after Iron Maiden. Punk rock gets a shout with this Black Flag-inspired T-shirt honoring Hungarian director Bela Tarr. Meanwhile, American auteur Brian De Palma gets a tribute styled after — who else? — Def Leppard.

Brilliant, no? I predict that legions of movie buffs will be seen roaming Toronto, Venice and Park City, Utah, in these awesome tees.

The shirts are also available via MondoTees.com, the same company that sells such cinematic wonders as Baseball Furies pants (“The Warriors”) and Steve Zissou beanies from “The Life Aquatic.” If you want to prove your undying love for Don Knotts or “Death Race 2000,” this is the online store for you.

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Thanks to John (of John and Dani fame) for the tip.

Shirt design courtesy of CineFile Video.

According to the Associated Press, the 11:42 a.m. quake made buildings sway and triggered a few evacuations . However, there were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries.

The quake, estimated at magnitude 5.4, was centered 29 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles near the San Bernardino County city of Chino Hills, the AP reported.

As it so happens, the quake shook the very spot where Profiles in History is preparing for its huge movie memorabilia auction.

Superman’s suit. James Bond’s cuff links. The Holy Grail from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” It’s all there.

Here’s an excerpt from the AP story by Robert Jablon:

Joseph Maddalena, who runs the historical documents and memorabilia dealer Profiles in History, was on the phone in his office in Calabasas, near Malibu, when the earthquake struck. He quickly put down the phone and ran to check on his 14-year-old son who had come to work with him as he prepared for a Thursday auction of 1,100 pieces of Hollywood movie memorabilia.

“Our building shook pretty good,” he said after discovering his son and his employees were unharmed and the building was fine.

“The window in my office kind of bowed out but it’s all right now. Everything is fine,” he said.

Pretty funny, huh?

Somehow I feel I might be responsible. I did write about the auction, after all.

Based on Frank Miller’s hard-boiled graphic novels, “Sin City” is a place seething with crime and desperation. Its inhabitants are tough guys and even tougher dames, serial killers, corrupt cops and murderous priests.

There’s snappy dialog. Brutal action. In short, this is modern film noir at its finest.

The movie employs state-of-the-art digital technology to mirror Miller’s stylized comics, depicting everything in glorious black-and-white with shocking splashes of color.

Robert Rodriguez, who shared directing duties with Miller and Quentin Tarantino, also helped write the deliciously dark score.

Catch “Sin City” tonight at 7 or 9:15 p.m. at the Palm Theatre, 817 Palm St. in San Luis Obispo. Tickets are $7.50.

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If crooks and gun-toting hookers aren’t your thing, try the classic romantic movie “Sleepless in Seattle.”

When his eight-year-old son Jonah calls into a late-night radio show, scores of women across the nation hear Sam Baldwin’s story of love and loss.

One of them is Annie Reed (Meg Ryan), an East Coast gal who’s looking for real romance.

Sam (Tom Hanks) thinks Annie is just another lovelorn woman.

His son thinks she’s perfect. Inspired by the doomed lovers in “An Affair to Remember,” he arranges for the would-be couple to meet at the top of the Empire State building on Valentine’s Day.

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan spend just two minutes of screen time together, but they have solid chemistry as the wounded widower and the optimistic single gal both looking for “the one.”

They played another on-screen couple years later in “You’ve Got Mail,” a high-tech remake of “The Shop Around the Corner.”

“Sleepless in Seattle” plays tonight at 8 p.m. at the Dolphin Bay Resort and Spa, 2727 Shell Beach Road in Shell Beach.

Free lawn seating begins at 7:30 p.m.

Moviegoers also have the option of a three-course dinner served on the patio, starting at 7 p.m. That costs $49 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations are required.

Call 773-8900 for more information.