I have seen the whole Rabbitte Trilogy, but I'm not sure who else has. But I think "The Commitments" is still my favorite because I love soul in a deep and unholy way. But they were all funny...

We watched The Notorious Betty Page tonight. Was it supposed to be that ambivalent? Porn good! No, porn BAD!

Just finished Brick, which we liked pretty well, once we gave into the conceit. We didn't realize that it was going to be another iteration of Red Harvest until towards the end.

I thought that was Miller's Crossing(Look! Crosetti!)

The conceit of Miller's Crossing is that it's a hash of three sources, rather than ripping off one novel unattributed. So yeah, Miller's Crossing has some Red Harvest in it, although the main premise comes from The Glass Key and the climax from Nathanael West's Miss Lonelyhearts.

Speaking of movies featuring treachery and betrayal, I saw CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER last night. To quote (or more likely paraphrase) Crow T. Robot, "No one in this movie knew when to stop decorating!"

That said, it was unbelievably gorgeous, like SUSPIRIA-era Argento got hit on the head and thought he was a Chinese Kurosawa. The action scenes were stunning too, both for the choreography and the sheer massiveness.

I feel like half an hour of backstory was missing, though, as I couldn't figure out what the Emporer had done to set off the Empress (if, in fact, she seduced her stepson to set events in motion, I don't get her motives, but it didn't really look like reckless passion either - she seemed very calculating, and the poisoning certainly was in response to the nature of her infidelity). I also think Chow was miscast, as he is at his best when playing charming or conflicted, and he was neither here.

All in all, I really liked it, but it's may be the first movie I've seen where the scenery chews the actors.

Bwah! Great way to put it, Frank.

I did not even read this review, but feel the need to quote the summary of it (both, I presume, by a combination of A. O. Scott and his editors):

“Smokin’ Aces” is a Viagra suppository for compulsive action fetishists and a movie that may not only be dumb in itself, but also the cause of dumbness in others.

Tell us how you really feel, dude!

The conceit of Miller's Crossing is that it's a hash of three sources, rather than ripping off one novel unattributed.

Whereas Brick is pretty much the one I mentioned in high school.

RED HARVEST is essentially the template for YOJIMBO which begat FISTFULL OF DOLLARS which begat LAST MAN STANDING which begat...

Right? I really need to read that some day soon.