Oooo. I know of capoeira in a dopey tangential way, but have seen very little of it, so that's neat. But yeah, I would kind of like to see it without FX-enhancement, since... that makes the stuff that's real easier to mentally dismiss as FX? But if Brazilians are more accustomed to seeing realistic awesomeness, it'd be more exciting to see supernatural awesomeness.

I watched Night Moves this weekend. I forget why it was in my Netflix queue, although I strongly suspect it was a rec from Criminal. Gene Hackman is a detective looking for a runaway teen and at first it's sort of meandering, and then it gets creepy, and then it gets complicated, and then all hell breaks lose. I liked it a lot. And as with a lot of the 70s neo-noir movies I've been working my way through, it's just so pleasurable to watch a movie that trusts you to have a brain.

Jennifer Warren is fantastically tough and brittle, and Gene Hackman is a grumpy bear, and James Woods is almost unrecognizably young, and, well, Melanie Griffith just kind of Lolitas around. And the ending is just brutal.

Afterward I read a couple of reviews saying that it's sort of Chinatown-esque and that the central mystery is kind of confusing, and I thought, "Well, no, it's pretty clear at the end that... oh, but wait... holy crap, it is confusing, and I didn't even notice!"

I watched Night Moves this weekend.

Ahhh, I love that movie and have written about it.

I might've even used the phrase "film blanc" to describe its sunblasted, overexposed look and the broad daylights quality of its evils.

Have you seen French Conection II?

Ahhh, I love that movie and have written about it.

Oooh, where? Well, "Anywhere I can read it now?" is probably a better question for my purposes.

I don't think I've seen French Connection 2. I technically saw the first one, but it was so long ago that I should probably start over and watch them both. Especially since I'm thinking of taking a long Xmas break anyway. I mean, what could be more festive than watching Gene Hackman lose his mind?

I mean, what could be more festive than watching Gene Hackman lose his mind?

In that case, throw in "The Conversation" and go for the triple.

Dark Shadows to start shooting next September/October!!

So, Sherlock Holmes wasn't terrible, but it also wasn't really very good. The acting and dialogue are great, but the plot and action scenes and set design were very meh. It's kind of going for a steampunk look, but it winds up feeling more like a cheap b-movie - there's just no texture to any of the CGI backgrounds.

I keep seeing the trailer on TV, and it looks like a lot of fun. Since I care more about the acting and dialogue than the action scenes and set design, I think I'll end up liking it.

(Actually, what I said to The Boy the first time we saw the trailer was "We are seeing that the day it comes out." He said, "It's Christmas Day -- we'll be with family!" I said, "They can come, too.")

I feel the opposite about the trailer, probably for the same reasons -- it just looks like a bunch of quips, instead of something of any heft at all.

In all seriousness, the thing I want most out of a Sherlock Holmes movie is one that doesn't treat Watson like he's stupid. I have optimism for this one.

The trailer has been all spats and explosions, but I can't explain why--I'm totally psyched for it and have told my sister we'll be there opening day too.

Back to School, Summer School or Fast Times at Ridgemont High

For our second '80s Movie Quote Quiz, we've chosen quotations from three classic, school-themed movies: Summer School, Back to School and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Your job is to pick which movie it came from. Do you have what it takes to earn your "seemingly useless pop culture knowledge" diploma from Mental_Floss High? The teacher is in...pop quiz hotshots.

I got 60%. I never saw Summer School and I don't remember many of the quotes from Back to School....

I got 70% This is what cable adds to your life.