I thought the first Spidey was sloppy and foolish; I thought the second Spidey was sloppy and goofy. There is a fine distinction between the two, and I vastly prefer goofy given the choices.

Okay, there are people who enjoy Touch of Evil on a gut level, but they are in the tiny minority. When I think about trying to introduce my flatmate (who avowedly never watches B&W films) to old movies, I never, ever think of TOE. I mean, this is the woman who has no desire to see Casablanca or The Maltese Falcon, not even for the cultural competence factor, so it's an uphill battle no matter how you slice it, but yeah. NSM with the obvious appeal, at least not to most of its audience. I think its trashiness wasn't fun enough for me. When I feel complicit in the trashy, I can get hooked, but I found TOE's trashiness mostly just off-putting and annoying.

Love TOE and not in a film geeky way. Just in a pure WOW way. I also liked Gump--not enough to want to see it again, but I didn't feel like it was the simplistic polemic the right wing made it out to be. I loved the music and the little cultural references throughout and Sinise's performance, so that was enough to equal mild like.

Okay, there are people who enjoy Touch of Evil on a gut level, but they are in the tiny minority.

Well, except here, where we appear to be in the overwhelming majority.

I've never seen Casablanca, as I've been holding out for a big-screen showing to have my first experience of the movie. Actually, the Orpheum is holding one August 20th, so since I'm going to be tapped as a chauffer to my cousin's graduation the next day, I may see if I can line up a date for a nostalgic night at the theatre.

Except for all the lurkers who suport me in email.

Also the fact it's nowhere near the AFI top 100 -- if the vast majority of its viewers adored it viscerally, it would be a lot more in the cultural consciousness, don't you think? Whereas, I don't know many people outside of film devotees who have seen it, and of those, I don't know many who have loved it, except those who have spoken up here.

Yeah, but it plays at revival houses all the time, which implies that there is some kind of audience for it.

I've never seen Casablanca, as I've been holding out for a big-screen showing to have my first experience of the movie.

I'm not sure how the big screen improves Casablanca (though I haven't seen it in several years, so I may be missing something) -- but if you have the opportunity soon, don't let me stand in your way!

BTW, TCM is doing A Star A Day film festivals all through August. So if you're a fan of one of the 31 lucky stars, get the VCR or TiVo ready! (Plug: Jean Harlow is the star for August 11 -- and since she and Clark Gable were a popular team, he also stars in several movies that day!)

I've never seen Casablanca, as I've been holding out for a big-screen showing to have my first experience of the movie. Actually, the Orpheum is holding one August 20th, so since I'm going to be tapped as a chauffer to my cousin's graduation the next day, I may see if I can line up a date for a nostalgic night at the theatre.

If you can ever time a trip to Boston (Cambridge, technically) at the right time, the Brattle theater runs it at least once or twice a year. That's where the cult started, at least from everything I've read. I've never made it to a showing myself, but some day I will.

Also the fact it's nowhere near the AFI top 100 -- if the vast majority of its viewers adored it viscerally, it would be a lot more in the cultural consciousness, don't you think? Whereas, I don't know many people outside of film devotees who have seen it,

It would be pretty difficult for a vast audience to adore it viscerally if only film devotees see it.

Don't forget, it was significantly re-edited and re-released only a few years ago.

Like, 5 or 6 years ago now, right? 1998 or 9.

It would be pretty difficult for a vast audience to adore it viscerally if only film devotees see it.

What makes a regular not-film-lover person go see a movie? Buzz, someone dragging her, a liking for one of the actors, something else? (Actually, I don't really know -- I suspect there's some magical confluence of "what I'm in the mood for" and "what I've heard about this movie" and "whether I'm willing to risk my 2 hours and $10".)

I think, at this point, the film has a particular film-devotee-smell to it, that may be a bit forbidding. (I for one haven't seen a lot of Da Classix because they feel like homework, and I'd rather watch them because I want to rather than because I have to.)

I saw the movie because I was working on a thesis about film noir, and I liked The Lady From Shanghai a lot.