I also loved The Life Aquatic and don't get the criticisms that (a) Bill Murray phoned in his performance, or (b) the movie was cold and flat (aside from the usual Wes Anderson super deadpan tone, which was more evident to me in Tenenbaums anyway). Loved Willem Dafoe's surly yet sensitive Klaus, Cate's gum-popping and Proust reading, Owen's southern courtliness. Loved loved the acoustic-Portugese Bowie covers. Loved loved the faux science and Henry Selick's animations of Crayon Ponyfish and Sugar Crabs. The only thing I didn't like was the plot twist at the end which seemed random and unnecessary.

I can't help but feel the movie was judged less on its merits than expectations. Perhaps Tenenbaums looked great after Rushmore because it had expanded his range and pallette, whereas this feels like Andersonian schtick. I don't know - but I enjoyed it and look forward to rewatching it on DVD.

Electra "not nearly as wretched as Catwoman".

Huh. One of the reviews I read said the opposite. Something like "when a movie makes you wish you were watching Halle Berry as Catwoman, you know something's wrong."

I can't help but feel the movie was judged less on its merits than expectations. Perhaps Tenenbaums looked great after Rushmore because it had expanded his range and pallette, whereas this feels like Andersonian schtick.

I think that's the case, too.

ETA: Regarding your tagline, I think my favorite joke was when they went to get the bond guy and in the corner of the screen was written something like "Day 23: Rescuing the Bond Company Stooge"

So apparantly Electra is about as wreched as Catwoman, give or take?

It had a pretty high Rotten factor: [link]

"Elektra girds her loins with less intensity of purpose than if she were scanning the darkness for signs of copyright infringement."

Funny: "Hmmm, where have I seen this before? Oh, yes, I saw it Wednesday night on television. Except her hair was pink. And I had eight more bucks in my wallet." -- Tom Long, DETROIT NEWS

Sad. I'll still see it. Have to. Source material compulsion.

I saw some trailers for it last night and yeah...they were pretty bad. But I'll probably see it, too. Goran! Pretty!

But I'll spend the movie wishing JG's chicken cutlets fall out of her bodice.

Regarding your tagline

Heh. I had about 20 different new taglines at various points in the movie. I want to go see it again.

Synopsis of Crash (no, not that one, another one coming out this year):

A provocative, unflinching look at the complexities of racial conflict in America, CRASH is that rare cinematic event - a film that challenges audiences to question their own prejudices. Diving headlong into the diverse melting pot of post-9/11 Los Angeles, this compelling urban drama tracks the volatile intersections of a multi-ethnic cast, examining fear and bigotry from multiple perspectives as characters careen in and out of one another's lives. No one is safe in the battle zones of racial strife. And no one is immune to the simmering rage that sparks violence - and changes lives...

Funny, powerful, and always unpredictable, CRASH boldly explores the gray area between black and white, victim and aggressor?and finds no easy solutions. The dynamic feature directing debut of Emmy Award-winning writer/producer Paul Haggis, CRASH stars Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillippe and Larenz Tate

How pretty is that cast?