My DVD of The Celluloid Closet arrived yesterday, and I watched it last night while folding and ironing my clothes. The special features are awesome; there's almost an hour of extra interview footage (Susie Bright, Rita Mae Brown, Quentin Crisp, Richard Dyer, Tony Curtis, etc.), as well as two commentary tracks (I want to say one was by Vito Russo, but didn't he die before the film came out?). I haven't listened to the commentary tracks, but the interviews are fascinating, and go into a lot more depth on several movies like Making Love and Philadelphia. Very cool.

I saw Skin of Our Teeth in a theater when I was little. It really, what's the phrase, freaked me out. I liked it, but I don't think I expected my first stage play experience to be so... out there.

Skin of Our Teeth! I only read it because it was in the same volume as Our Town, and the rest of the class was taking too long, but I ended up really enjoying it. Such an odd play-- I can see why Our Town is better known, but they're both very good.

Heh. JZ and I have had many arguments about this play. She loves it (though will admit it's a difficult production to pull off properly). I think it's a non-stop anvil-fest of ham-handed allegory.

Well, it is hard to pick up the anvils with ham-hands.

Tom Hanks is leading the way to star in the big screen adaptation of bestselling drama novel The Da Vinci Code. According to trade paper Hollywood Reporter, Hanks is the favorite to land the lead role of art historian Professor Robert Langdon in the big screen take of Dan Brown's book. The Oscar-winning actor is reportedly already in talks with Columbia Pictures studio bosses and director Ron Howard about the coveted role. In Brown's book, Langdon is the man who cracks the mystery of the renowned Holy Grail. The film is expected to begin shooting next year.

I think the script needs a folksy mentally-addled quadraplegic for Cuba Gooding Jr. to play.

I love Skin of Our Teeth, but a lot of that's due to playing Mrs. Antrobus in high school. It's a frelling fantastic role.

I think it's a non-stop anvil-fest of ham-handed allegory.

A DINOSAUR APPEARS ON THE LAWN.

I don't think I knew about anvils and ham back then.

It's a lot different if you see it performed--then the allegory becomes more satirical and playful and just right.

Signed,
In The Corner With JZ, Loving On Mr. Wilder

It's a lot idfferent if you see it performed--then the allegory becomes more satirical and playful and just right.

Eh, no. I saw it performed. JZ's theory is that you have to play it very fast, like Howard Hawks screwball so it maintains that lightness. You can't linger over the SYMBOLISM.

JZ's theory is that you have to play it very fast, like Howard Hawks screwball so it maintains that lightness. You can't linger over the SYMBOLISM.

I don't recall any symbolism. My memory of the play is a surreal journey through the trials and tribulations of humanity, jumping from time to time at will. It says what it says. I liked it better than Our Town, which didn't do a whole lot for me until the end of that one MSCL episode.