Pinochet was a benevolent dictator because he was a murdering thug who allowed a free-market economy.
But, like, dead people can't buy stuff. Or work 14-hour days, for that matter. I think there is some rethinking of this theory to be done.
Anthony Lane is snarky and I often disagree with him. Denby is humdrum and mildly cranky, and I often disagree with him. Manohla Dargis is entertaining enough that I'll read a review of hers for a movie I have no intention of seeing, ever. (I think for this reason they give her the crappy movies.) A. O. Scott strikes me as a bitter person, but sometimes a discerning one. I miss Elvis Mitchell something fierce.
Not by me he isn't. I'd much rather have Denby every week and put Lane on a plane back to England - preferably one that drops him somewhere about the spot Leo bought it in TITANIC (a film he praised to high heaven). I find him insufferably amused by himself, and if he was any more overtly bitchy he'd be Rex Reed.
Totally concur.
I miss Elvis Mitchell something fierce.
Yeah. I like most of the Voice film folks. I do like J. Hoberman a lot. Chuck Stephens used to be local and he was excellent. Really knew his stuff, everything from the domestically unreleased art films from Korea and Iran to the funkiest splatter films.
I miss Elvis Mitchell something fierce.
I totally agree with this statement. He had just a perfect balance of scholarship and fun.
Maybe it comes with the name.
DH's Batman Begins report, as given to me just now over the phone:
Oh hell yeah. Entertaining as ALL HELL. Batman fans will go crazy for it. The Batmobile rocks. Bale is the definitive Batman. Morgan Freeman is really good. Liam Neeson is really good -- playing his father-figure persona, but with just enough of a twist to make it really interesting. I want to see it again right now.
(There was more, but he was talking really fast.)
(He said the script had one major issue that was kind of a problem, and also predicts that I will be annoyed by the Chicago-ness of Gotham, and he's absolutely right, because I'm completely irrationally and unreasonably attached to Gotham being NYC.)
Whereas I'm totally geeking out at the idea of Chicago being Gotham--go home team!
I saw most of The Prophecy over the weekend (except for the first half hour or so) for the first time. Loved both Walken and Viggo, as well as the whole concept of Evil Angels and Lucifer ending up on the good side. For all the apocalyptic rhetoric being thrown around the screen, it was appropriately over the top and a very fun watch. (Viggo creeped me the hell out.)
When I went to Chicago, it totally felt like Gotham to me, so I don't mind that.
I know some Chicago scenes were filmed in Lower Wacker Drive, so they should look cool.
I was amused upon seeing a GPD (Gotham Police Department) car back when they were filming.
Prophecy
rocks. I love the semi-dead folks that Walken's character forced to work for him....
Chicago-ness of Gotham, and he's absolutely right, because I'm completely irrationally and unreasonably attached to Gotham being NYC.
But, like, New York
is
Gotham. That's all there is to say on the matter. And nto just because I grew up under the impression that all cities were like New York, but because of, like, history and tradition and shit.
(I know that, in the official universe, Gotham is, like, in lower New Jersey, and Metropolis is in Delaware. But that is S-T-U-P-I-D dumb.)
Spider-man 2
also insisted on dropping obvious shots of Chicago into a New York setting. (Avowedly New York, in that case.) What is with this blockbuster-superhero-comic-movie pretending-that-Chicago-and-New-York-look-at-all-alike business?
