while he's never made a movie I loved to itty-bitty pieces, most of the films I've seen by him have been competent in a commercial family-oriented way.

I think what bothers me about Chris Columbus' movies is that they are presented as family oriented fare and they have all struck me as portraying some pretty messed family dynamics, as well as presenting really atrocious behavior as a successful problem-solving technique.

Most of his movies have left me feeling quite ill.

I don't hate him; I just think he's fine. Competent, commercial, like you said. So I figure he won't add anything to what Larson did that's any better than the original. And I wouldn't really try to talk anyone into loving the show at this point, anyway.

Just got back from seeing Monster-in-Law. While I have to admit that it was probably worth the matinee ticket price (largely thanks to Wanda Sykes and the filmmaker's choice to introduce Michael Vartan's character while shirtless and running in slow motion down a golden sunlight-drenched beach), it really didn't live up to its promise or make much sense.

• Vartan's character couldn't possibly have grown up that innocent and naive with a mother as manipulative as Fonda's character and a string of stepfathers passing in and out of a revolving door.
• There's no way that Fonda's character would have brought in the sharklike ex-girlfriend Fiona as part of her schemes. She would have recognized that character for the scheming man-eater she was at first sight, and moved heaven and earth to keep her as far away as possible from her son years ago.
• Fonda's change of heart in the last 10 minutes was so unbelievable it completely threw me out of a movie that was taking a lot of disbelief suspension to begin with .

I, also, can't stop watching the trailer.

The odd thing about Rent, (for me, anyway) is that I never realized I knew the music until I started listening to the showtnes channel on launch. "Season's of Love" came on and I just knew it. Sang the whole damn thing at my desk and then looked to see which show it was from. I was totally surprised to see that it was Rent. And why would I know it? Never saw it, didn't own the music. Then it occured to me. When my best friend and I lived together, it was ALL. SHE. LISTENED. TO. For a year and a half. It's amazing what sinks in and stays.

Yet, the Pythagoren Theorem? I always have to seriously think about.

Last night I watched Far From Heaven. It was pretty, pretty, pretty, just as I expected, but I also liked it quite a bit, which I wasn't quite expecting.

From what I'd heard, I was expecting to find it gorgeous, but slightly boring.

I enjoyed Donnie Darko. It also rather made sense to me (I saw the director's cut, though, which may have influenced that).

Not particularly liking Rent, I have no thoughts on the film adaptation, apart from that overly sentimental seems like not the way to go with it, if you want to retain any of the "street cred" the show has.

I don't know; the show's kind of overly sentimental itself. It could work.

I did not explain sufficiently, I think. IMO, there is enough sentimentality inherent in the story, that adding it in with the direction takes the show from "touching, but relatable", to eye-rolly Hallmark.

Ah. Point taken and agreed with.

I just saw this on a friend's blog:

Orders 1 through 65 
1 - Tuna Salad sandwich. Lightly toasted.
2 - Shine boots.
3 - Brush your teeth and go to bed.
4 - Coffee. Sugar. No cream.
5 - Clean blaster.
6 - Move in an unnaturally fluid CGI manner.
7 - Stop removing your helmet.
8 - Consider, but do not perform, self castration.
9 - Do something to set yourself apart from the crowd.
10 - Get back with the crowd, mister.
11 through 56 - Create gigantic circular man-ass-daisy-chain sandwich. 
Remember - making love to your clone does not make you gay. Just vain. 

57 - Perform self castration.
58 - Stop and smell the flowers.
59 - Tell a stranger "hello" today.
60 - Coffee. Cream. No sugar.
61 - Around the survivors, a perimeter create.
62 - Coffee. Black.
63 - Coffee. Two sweet-n-lows. No cream.
64 - Coffee. One equal. Extra cream. The fatty stuff too, not that
coffee-mate shit.
65 - Pretend that everything is fine with the Jedi. We're all one big 
happy family.