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Now that's a hell of a movie.

I just saw Ice Age 2. It was just as mediocre as I was expecting. Again, Skrat's quest for the acorn was the best thing about it.

Does Skrat ever get to eat his acorn? Or is he perpetually denied its acorny sustenance, like Tantalus or the Trix Rabbit?

I'm not even sure he wants to eat it; he just wants to have it. But he's definitely a Tantalus figure. In this one, he even dies and goes to a heaven full of acorns...only to be resuscitated before he can grasp the Giant Holy Acorn of Acorns.

They've got a big plasma monitor at the grocery store (in the cereal aisle; Kellogg's tie-in) that shows several Skrat scenes from Ice Age 2 (or, as it's translated here, The Epoch of the Icyness 2 ) over and over, so it's good to know there's no reason for me to part with money to see the movie.

Bought the 3-disc MR. ARKADIN, and watched the third, comprehensive version - basically the one where some film scholars attempted to take the myriad versions of the film and put the various bits together in a way that, to the best of their ability to tell, was the way Welles wanted it.

It's still a mess, but at least it's a comprehensible mess now. Lots of nifty bits, but there are too many moments where the characters actions or inactions just provoke loud choruses of WTF? I have to agree with a number of critics who say that Welles gives probably the weakest performance in the film - he has some lovely moments, but he's often way too hammy, and the makeup is hella distracting (worst beard I've seen since Jeremiah Crichton).

If it's Netflixable, I'd say queuing the third disc is worthwhile. I'm glad I bought it, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it as a purchase to anyone but committed collector. I am curious to hear the commentary on the first version, and I'm also interested in the episodes of "The Adeventures of Harry Lime" radio show that they've included.

So, I was rhapsodizing about Lloyd Dobler again this morning, as one does, and I came across this Washington Post article from a while back. [link]

I gotta say I never got the Jake Ryan thing. He's always seemed rather platicine to me--more of a prize than a real character.

I decided recently it's the combination of the two that ruins all real-life people for women my age. The wierd guy who loves the Perfect Girl can be as awesome as Lloyd OR the too perfect to be real guy can be awesome enough to love Sam -- there's nobody in real life who can live up to that.

Martin Blank has ruined me. I'm still impressionable in my old age.