I wonder if The Third Man was bumped because it's not American enough.

Given that it was a European co-production, filmed in Europe, by a British director, based on a British author, I'm not sure why it was there in the first place.

It stars an American, is all I could guess.

It's one of my Things, the way our lives affect other lives, the way we can have an impact on a greater scale.

But It's A Wonderful Life did all that so much better, without gagsome political subtext and cheesy CGI amputees!

eta: I should say, without a political subtext that is gagsome to me, as IAWL certainly has a grassrootsy communitarian-populist subtext that I like just fine but I'm sure other people find as gagsome as Gump's creepy creepy Morning In Americatude.

In short, I am a big ol' hypocrite. But still, anything FG did, IAWL did better to the power of 10.

Sean, if you feel so inclined, you can go to this page and listen to me caterwauling out-of-tune about Myrna Loy.

Corwood, that song is AWESOME!

But, Scola, I don't know if it's so much the magic in my heart as the idea of the story itself, one man having all these effects and ripples throughout American history. It's one of my Things, the way our lives affect other lives, the way we can have an impact on a greater scale.

Sure, that's a great concept. But in Forrest Gump, I just felt it was executed in a really lame and twee way.

Everybody express an opinion on a movie you haven't seen.

Citizen Kane is a stupid movie about a sled.

as the idea of the story itself, one man having all these effects and ripples throughout American history.

Couldn't you just like Zelig instead of the reactionary right wing Gump? Which basically says "even though American culture was retarded before the counter culture came along, it was better."

Given that it was a European co-production, filmed in Europe, by a British director, based on a British author, I'm not sure why it was there in the first place.

This is what I was thinking about with the two David Lean movies and, to a lesser extent, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. I know that one was financed by Warners, and Kubrick was as American as a 10-year (at the point) expatriate could be, but I can't remember if either of the Lean movies were totally British productions or not (I know BRIDGE... at least had William Holden in it).

I saw the movie when I didn't know anything about politics, so I didn't see any political subtext.

I've never seen Zelig.

Also, maybe I like lame and twee, sometimes. I'm pretty lame and twee. I think. Maybe.

Some quirkiness ages well, and some doesn't. Good: Julie Andrews in Sound of Music; Diane Keaton in Godfather. Not so: Liza in Cabaret.

Yeesh, Diane Keaton is terrible and wasted in Godfather. I love her, but that was a forgettable role for her. Her quirkiness in Annie Hall still works.

I like Liza in Cabaret. She's supposed to be hyper and shallow.

It's really not a personal attack, P-C. I still love you, man. Even if you like that terrible movie.

Unless you're secretly Swedish. You're not secretly Swedish, are you?