Beltmann

I stand by my conviction that Quiz Show is one of the greatest American movies of the '90s. I actually saw Booty Call in the theater, as part of a triple feature that included The Sixth Man (Marlon Wayans) and McHale's Navy (Kelsey Grammar). True story.

I’m working about 75 hours a week this semester (no exaggeration). I haven’t seen a new film in a few weeks, which tells you a lot about my schedule. I can’t believe I haven’t had time to see Shutter Island yet. Speaking of Scorsese... all of you who rightly recognize The Aviator as one of Scorsese’s greats are welcome to join my Oscar party on Sunday night. Ballots are $5; winner takes the pot. Well, I don't think that Avatar is one of the ten best movies of the year. But of course it deserves the Oscar, and here's why: The Oscars aren't really about recognizing enduring artistic me

A rather touching video: Roger Ebert Shows Off His New "Voice"

That description doesn't remotely do justice to what Up in the Air achieves. On a surface plot level, sure, it can be reduced to that arc. But what separates the movie from the pack has little to do with that arc, and everything to do with the intangibles, including sophisticated characterizations, an uncommon humanity, a surprising depth of feeling, and a unique, mature tone. All of those things elevate the movie far above the usual pablum; in fact, they are the mark of a smart, thoughtful, accomplished talent behind the camera. What's nifty isn't the premise; what's nifty is the executio

One of my favorite pieces by Ebert was written last February, ten years after Gene's death. It's a beautiful, perceptive, artful piece of prose writing. That's the thing about Ebert: He's known as a skilled critic, yes, but his real secret is that he's a skilled writer, period. I discovered Ebert as a teenager; one of the first "movie books" I ever bought was his 1988 collection of reviews. Since then, I've moved on to other, more scholarly critics, but I remain amazed at his unparalleled ability to discuss sophisticated cinematic topics in a way that the average newspaper reader can imme

Thought I had a line on some last-minute tickets, but it fell through...

I am genuinely pissed that I missed that set list.

I love irony.

Malick's movies are always closer in spirit to poetry than to conventional narrative, which is precisely their greatest virtue. To gripe that his movies lack plot is to really, really miss the point. (The New World is one of my favorite movies of the decade.)

But the people already have the power to impose that limit, whenever and wherever they see fit. As long as we have the ballot box, no amendment is necessary to limit a public servant's career. What term limits really does is remove options from voters--an amendment might not be undemocratic, but it does strike me as a violation of the principle of representative democracy. But like you, I'm sympathetic to the other side, too.

I agree with this. Statesmanship is a lost art, especially at a time when you can gain power more easily by demonizing your opponent as someone who, say, pals around with terrorists. I understand the appeal of term limits, but the problem is that it paints with too broad a stroke and takes power away from the people. It's another kind of government intervention that shrinks freedom, by assuming ordinary citizens can't make decisions for themselves--in this case, it assumes the public can't be trusted to decide who ought to represent them. If the people are happy with their incumbent, then

Yeah, terrific example. Before Sunrise is a good movie, but Before Sunset is a great movie because it expands and deepens and matures the emotional insights in a way that's consistent with how the characters have experienced more life. (Sunset is actually one of my all-time favorite movies.)

There's a place--no, a need--for loyal opposition, but the Sarah Palin / Tea Party axis is something else.

Right. And if Sarah Palin had fulfilled her elected term, and then decided to move on to book tours and Fox News, that might have been cynical and money-grubbing, but it would not have been quitting. It would have been a change of ambitions, which is entirely her right.

Public servants are obligated to fulfill their term. They are not obligated to keep serving beyond that duration. Once the term is up, their reason for moving on is entirely their decision, and therefore irrelevant. Evan Bayh might be leaving for cynical reasons. I dunno. But I do know that it doesn't matter, because he is not obligated to run for re-election. As long as he fulfills his elected term, there is no cut-and-run.

One reason a new edition can't compete with old ones is because old ones have the unfair advantage of being seen by the forgiving, wide eyes of childhood--and then forever benefit from the magical, transformative powers of nostalgia. New ones receive no magic; they only face the more discerning, more jaded eyes of adults hoping, in vain, to feel twelve again. I thought Crystal Skull was okay. It certainly has its howlers, but then so does Temple of Doom, which really, really doesn't hold up. (That said, my adult eyes think Raiders and Last Crusade have aged reasonably well.)

JohnO's version of reality is like a cartoon where all the dialogue was written by a half-awake Sean Hannity. To criticize Bayh for being a quitter while praising Palin's decision requires a special brand of super-partisan, hypocritical, irrational blinders. I mean, defend Palin's decision to resign if you want; I suppose a case could be made. But to then turn around and suggest that the guy who actually is fulfilling his contract is somehow more of a quitter than the person who left halfway through her contract is, simply, laughable. It's also profoundly unserious. I'm normally nicer th

The Color of Money was okay.

That's what I was thinking, too. Parts of Hombre Lobo also sound quite a bit like Shootenanny.

I sympathize with Gilliam's point--and also mourn the sorry state of affairs for independent cinema--but Gilliam seems to be knocking the Hollywood business machine for, um, behaving like a Hollywood business machine. What else is new?

Scorsese Eyes New Fare For Taxi Driver With von Trier in the mix, I wonder whether The Five Obstructions might be a template, where von Trier demanded a film director remake his own film five times under five different sets of rules. Something tells me this won't actually happen, though. But I'd love to see De Niro back with Scorsese for something.

Agree on both counts. I pissed off a friend when I said that Revolutionary Road is like a smarmy, left-wing Sarah Palin, making the shallow assertion that the "suburbs" are somehow less real than anywhere else. Plus, while Winslet and especially DiCaprio each have great moments in the film, too often both seem like they are “acting” rather than embodying the characters. Although I liked A History Violence a whole lot more, Eastern Promises was still probably one of the best films of its year (was that 2008?). It’s no accident that this dense, shadowy mystery, which sinks deep into the tat

I couldn't help but notice a certain resemblance between Zak Starkey and Nigel Tufnel...

Like paulgermain, my favorite is the black one that is a tribute to the famous Ramones shirt: Also like this one: I also like a gray one that says "Attack with Love" along a guitar fret. I have a few others in regular rotation. My least favorite, though, is the flaming orange one with a "Kay-Settes Starring Butchers Blind" logo. Just too damn orange for me.

In terms of the subtext, which raises questions about our response to terrorism, and the power of fear. Documentary filmmakers are definitely fair game! (I plan to show a number of nonfiction films and clips.) Any ideas?