Sky Captain was absolutely wonderful. The trailers don't even come close to doing justice to the look of it, and the directing & editing are just dead on. There was a huge section where I realized that the production design and order of set pieces were lifted almost entirely from Fellowship of the Ring -- they go to a mountain, where things go badly, and then they wake up healed in a beautiful peaceful valley, and then get chased across an impossibly narrow bridge over an impossibly deep crevasse by a giant monster with big flappy wings. Not that I didn't still love those bits, but it was very amusing.

What the "all CGI!" reviews of this film are missing, I think, is that this isn't a live-action movie with a lot of CGI; it's an animated movie with some composited live action. And I think that approaching it that way (making the look of thhe actors fit the look of the animation) works much better than trying to make CGI look "natural."

I guess the fuckwads are remaking the George Pal "War of the Worlds" (or possibly the Orson Welles version) and ignoring the H. G. Wells "War of the Worlds".

There's a competing version of War of the Worlds from Pendragon Pictures and director Timothy Hines that's just finished shooting. It's set in the 19th century, and is supposed to be a highly faithful adaptation of Wells.

Jessica just reminded me, re: Sky Captain, did any one else think "Rivendell!" when they showed Shangri-La?

That's great news, Matt, thanks for the info.

I went for a look and found these pics.

Nonian, I said "Rivendell!" out loud at that part.

I went to see Hellboy again last night (free screening at a local college). I don't know why I love that movie so much, I just do.

Nonian, I said "Rivendell!" out loud at that part.

Me, I said, "It's Attack of the Clones !"

I don't know why I love that movie so much, I just do.

Because a big red devil-looking guy sits on a rooftop eating milk and cookies with a ten-year-old and making fun of the square macking on his girl.

I saw Sky Captian today! I'm going to have to go back and see it again, because I missed some of the things that were posted in white font. but I won't mind seeing it again. It was lovely. I was reminded of some anime, especially Big O.

P-C and other Anne Hathaway fans -- she is one of the women that Premiere magazine is featuring in the October women in film issue. (Others are Angelina Jolie, Patrcia Clarkson, Queen Latifah, Liza Chasin, and Olivia de Havilland.)

We are watching The Apple.

It is... interesting.

I just saw Vanity Fair. Which was not all bad, although the social conventions weren't all that accurate. I found it hard to believe even an ambitious woman like Becky would be seen in public in that outfit she wore for the Indian dance number.

Reese Witherspoon looks marvelous in red, but -- and Susan will correct me if I'm wrong -- isn't red completely verboten for respectable women during the time period?