Matt

I came away from the movie believing that it was making the copy that saved her from the curse. Which is why, when she made the copy to save her son she had him push the buttons etc. And at the very end he says something like "What happens to people we show this to." Esp. since he didn't die at the end.

We watched Secretary last night. I'd been avoiding it, being a little too strung-out for psychological stuff, but my husband swore on a stack of DVDs that it was a comedy. For proof, he pointed to a couple reviews on the DVD cover that say "This is one funny movie!"

It's not a comedy.

I can see how people might consider it a comedy. I don't, but then I only really consider "comedy" to be something designed to get big yuks, like Starsky & Hutch; Dude, Where's My Car?; Austin Powers; Deuce Bigalow, etc.

I realize that my *personal* definition of "comedy" is more towards the broad, slapstick end of the definition. But I don't think Secretary is a "comedy" any more than Lost in Translation and Garden State are (and I've heard them both described as comedies).

However, definition is all in how you view the movie, and like I said above, I can see how people might consider any of the 3 non-comedy movies (Secretary, Lost in Translation, Garden State) a "comedy."

Certainly, they all have comedic moments. But those movies -- to me -- are really just thumbnail sketches, of a sort, or, if you like, cross-sections of life. And life definitely has comedic moments, but that doesn't make life -- to me -- a comedy. That's WAY too simplistic.

My best comparison, I guess, is that Secretary is just as much of a "comedy" as BTVS is -- or, more to the point, isn't.

Guy Gavriel Kay's novel, The Lions of Al-Rassan, is in development.

"Zwick Feeds the Lions

Warner Bros. has attached Ed Zwick to direct period epic "The Lions of Al-Rassan," an adaptation of a Guy Gavriel Kay novel about the collision of religions in Spain during the Middle Ages that melds fact and fantasy.

WB acquired the book. Bull's Eye Entertainment's Cathy Schulman will produce with Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Bedford Falls' Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz and Rick Solomon. Bull's Eye partner Bob Yari is also involved in a producing role.

Vera Blasi ("Woman on Top") will write the script.

The book is a historical fantasy set at the beginning of the Christian re-conquest of Moorish Spain. A triangle forms between two warrior princes and a female doctor in the fictional locale of Al-Rassan.

There are allusions to the Crusades-era religious clashes between Jewish, Catholic and Muslim factions. But the author veils the faiths and introduces magical elements into the historical framework.

After sticking to a historical track on "The Last Samurai," Zwick found Kay's literary device irresistible. "He has done something remarkable in imagining a very compelling world, which has some basis in history, and yet departs in a way that adds a kind of magical realism," Zwick said. "That is a blend I've never seen before and feels like a different way to approach an epic story."

Zwick said he will likely get back behind the camera on a project this year, while "The Lions of Al-Rassan" is being written.

Blasi, who also scripted "Tortilla Soup," has written historical biopics of Pontius Pilate and Galileo that haven't been made. WB exec Courtenay Valenti will steer the project, and Donald Zuckerman and Eduardo Rossof will be co-producers."

I really enjoyed that book.

Watched some trailers on the Apple site.

XXX: State of the Union - They're replacing Vin Diesel with...Ice Cube? Well, Are We There Yet? was number one this weekend. And Samuel L. Jackson doesn't even get trailer billing, while Scott Speedman and Xzibit do?

Bride and Prejudice looks good. They're playing raas and everything!

Sin City looks pretty cool, and damn, that's a lot of stars. And Alexis Bledel taking what looks to be a pretty dark role, at least in comparison to everything else she's played.

The Jacket also looks vaguely interesting, since I'm into that sort of thing. And Keira Knightley also seems to be playing a slightly darker, edgier role.

There's a huge article on Million Dollar Baby in today's USA Today, which makes the point (and pretty well, though I skimmed) that it's a movie to see now because there's a huge twist that can't stay secret much longer. Which is annoying, because I fall for that shit, especially when I think it's to be a good movie (as opposed to The Sixth Sense, or something).

And no, I'm not sure why I whitefonted either. There are no plot details in the above paragraph. But it was news to me.

Alexis Bledel taking what looks to be a pretty dark role,

I read that as Alexis Denisof at first, and I was all "woo-hoo!"

Is it a HUGE twist?

I don't know.

But really -- it's a boxing movie full of Oscar-winning actors. What sort of ending do you think it's going to have?

The Clint Eastwood character is a transvestite.