Harold Ramis Dead at 69

Harold Ramis, of the most influential comedy writers, directors, and actors of the last 40 year has died at the age of 69. Ramis got his start as a writer and performer with The Second City in Chicago, where he performed with comedians like John Belushi and Bill Murray. 

Ramis would go on to have great success in the world of film, his first major film was the 1978 classic National Lampoon's: Animal House which he wrote with Doug Kenney and Chris Miller. Ramis would collaborate with Bill Murray on a six films, including Caddy Shack, which is famous for it wild improvisation. 

Ramis was not limited to just behind the camera. He both wrote and starred in the Ghostbusters films, which was the highest grossing comedy of the 1980's. He would team up with Murray again in 1993's Groundhog Day, which has been considered his masterpiece. Ramis's films have become staples of American culture have a style all their own. His comic voice is one that will be sorely missed.

Review: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Director: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
Starring: John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin
Genre: Cult Comedy
Year: 1975
Run Time: 88 Minutes
How: DVD

Monty Python has come to epitomize the world of irreverent comedy and their 1975 classic Holy Grail is no exception. From the opening credits which consist of a completely unrelated toothpaste ad, some moose related subtitles and a seizure inducing llamas, you know your in for quite a trip.

For the uninitiated, the film is roughly based on the legend of King Arthur (played by Graham Chapman) and the Knights of the Round Table. In true Python fashion each actor plays a number of parts. For example, The incomparable John Cleese plays Sir Lancelot the Brave, Tim the Enchanter, and the Black Knight. The rest of the Knights of the Round Table include Sir Bedevere the Wise (Jones), Sir Galahad the Pure (Michael Palin), and Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot (Eric Idle).

This marked the first time any of the Pythons had stepped behind the camera. Directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones. Gilliam would go on to direct such films as Fear and Loathing and The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, while Jones would direct the other two Monty films Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life.

As many fans know, this film had a notoriously small budget. It was filmed entirely at one castle, just shot from different angles. The crew didn't have enough money for horses and thus those infamous coconuts migrated north.

Every single scene in this film is a classic, full of memorable lines and  that is not an exaggeration. It will remain one of my favorite films, one that never get old no matter how many times you've seen it. Holy Grail is a testament to what can be done with a small budget and will forever leave us wondering about the air speed velocity of various swallows. 

Score: 9.7/10

What Else I Watched This Week (2/17)

• Game Of Thrones (HBO)
• Dexter (Netflix)
• The Olympics
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail (DVD)
• Queen: Days of Our Lives
• Led Zeppelin: Dazed And Confused 

Stuff I Found on the Internets: Vol. 3 Olympics Edition

• Some Math Behind the Speed Skating Uniform Controversy 
• The Biggest Problem for Electric Cars.... The Grid
• A New Tool That Seals Bullet Wounds in Seconds With High-Tech Sponges
• We are Getting Closer to Achieving Nuclear Fusion Using Lasers
• The Fastest Way to Cook Ravioli 
• 8 of Your Favorite Cult Movies Brought to Life as 8-Bit GIFs
• Yarn muscles'' 100 times stronger than human muscles

New Fantastic Four Cast Annouced

Thought that the Fantastic Four franchise would get a rest after those lack-luster 2005 movies? So did everyone else. That hasn't stopped 20th Century Fox from bringing it back for the summer of 2015. The film will be directed Josh Trank (Chronicle) and will

star Kate Mara (House of Cards) as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Miles Teller (Project X) as Mr. Fantasic , Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station) as the Human Torch, and Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot) as The Thing. However Teller and Bell could possibly change, as its has been reported that the two are not yet officially attached to the film.

Guardians of The Galaxy Teaser Released

The latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy film. If your like me and know nothing about the Guardians of the Galaxy, heres a quick crash corse. The Guardians are a team of adventurers led by Peter Quill a.k.a Star-Lord, portrayed by Parks and Rec's Chris Pratt. Along side Pratt will be the explosive Rocket Racoon, played by Bradley Cooper, the deadly and green-skinned Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillan) and tree creature Groot voiced by Vin Diesel.

Stuff I Found on the Internets: Vol. 2

• DARPA's New Space Plane (Infographic)
• Some of the new Technical Innovations
• This Guy has WAAAY too much time on his hands
• DARPA is developing "transformers" that look straight out of Attack of the Clones
• A site devoted to thew wealth of documentaries available on Netflix
• 9 of the Most Beautiful Buildings We Ever Tore Down

This Week on The Internets: Vol.1

Image: Courtesy EADS

• More Drones!
• The Best Science and Engineering Visualizations of 2013
• The Chevy Volt of Jet Liners
• Some Awesome Doors
• Oculus Rift Could be the Future of Film