Helen Mirren's talent and career crush Bill Nighy like a grape.

I had dvr'd White Nights tonight and just watched it--I'd forgotten that Helen Mirren was in it as Barishnikov's ex-girlfriend/co-ballet-dancer! She's excellent in that scene where he's dancing on the stage to her "forbidden music," and she's sobbing in reaction. It's a small but pivotal role.

It also had John Glover as the American embassy contact in Leningrad. I knew that I knew him while I was watching, but couldn't place the actor until I saw the end credits. Oh, and Geraldine Page as his agent! And Isabella Rosallini in her movie debut! So many good actors were in this.

Not to mention Gregory Hines, who's just terrific, both in his dance sequences and in his acting scenes, especially the one where he's drinking in Siberia with Barishnikov and tells him his backstory while dancing.

Ah, Gregory Hines. Another one gone too soon.

Totally. I loved him in that movie. I loved that movie, too. Even the cheesy Phil Collins song, once upon a time.

What was the one he did with Billy Crystal? I liked that one too.

Running Scared. Loved that.

I first saw White Nights in the theater when it was released. I think it might have been the first time I remember seeing dancing on that level on the big screen.

Running Scared is a great Chicago film--I love both the car race on the L tracks and the big finale in the atrium at the State of Illinois building.

Hivemind: Do you think it's reasonable to expect that you can ask your box office cashier for "the Julia Roberts movie" and the cashier will know which movie you mean?

yes. there is only one of her movies out right now.

Yes. I would expect movie theater ticket people to be familiar with the movies currently playing: basic plot and any big-name stars involved.

But my expectations may be unrealistically high.

So I went back to see Coraline again before it went away, but this time in 2-D.

It's much, much more spectacular in 3-D. It's still a great movie, but the hyperreal intensity of the 3-D version is just absolutely transporting.

Three scenes in particular were much less in 2-D:

1. The first time they go to the garden.

2. When Coraline falls into the Other!Mother's web.

3. The Van Gogh starry night background when the lost souls escape.

But it wasn't just the tour-de-force set pieces that were less intense. The whole movie lost a lot of depth. The pairing of 3-D imagery with the actual, physical sets of stop-motion animation was used beautifully.

So. Still a great movie, but much more beautiful and intense in 3-D.