Trailer Mix
I couldn't imagine that any movie preview this year would compare to the marvelous Where the Wild Things Are trailer released way back in March, but I should have guessed that if any came close it would be... the second trailer for Where the Wild Things Are: READ MORE >>
The Movie Review: ‘Julie & Julia’
Is Ashton Kutcher Behind The Birther Movement?
Well, no. Obviously. But it looks increasingly as though the forged Kenyan birth certificate released by birther Orly Taitz on Sunday may have been created by a mischievous Obama supporter: David Weigel has more here. --Christopher Orr READ MORE >>
It Depends On What The Meaning Of The Word 'hiding' Is
The New York Post, last week: Paramount: We're Not Hiding 'G.I. Joe' Paramount is denying a report it's going to forego press screenings for "G.I. Joe'' before its opening next Friday -- invariably a sign that a movie is terrible. AP, today: READ MORE >>
Who's Killing Newspapers?
Gabe Snyder has identified the perp: Spurred on by his editor, a Washington Post reporter complained over the weekend that we "stole" his profile of a ridiculous "generational guru" when we blogged about it on this site.... READ MORE >>
Jindal, Revisited (a.k.a., Department Of I Told You So)
Not that long ago, there was a widespread sense that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal was a GOP superstar in the making--and quite possibly the Republican with the best chance of beating Barack Obama in 2012--because he was, to some degree, a "Republican Obama": wonky, politically astute, "post-racial," etc. Such talk has cooled dramatically, thanks in large part to his disastrous response to Obama's non-State of the Union address back in February. READ MORE >>
Mad Muppets
This Week In Corporate Logos
Within hours of reading the news that Nickelodeon is dropping its iconic "splat" logo after 25 years of service, I see Andrew Sullivan drawing attention (via Consumerist) to a truly remarkable example of getting it right the first time: READ MORE >>
The New York Times On Cary Grant
On the front page of the Weekend Arts section on Friday, the Times published an above-the-fold celebration of the work of Cary Grant so backhanded and begrudging as to be genuinely mystifying. The occasion was a retrospective taking place at BAMcinematek, and the author was Mike Hall, who usually writes about television. Hall begins by noting READ MORE >>
The Movie Review: 'Funny People'
Is Judd Apatow the most committed moralist working in popular film today? If not, I’m not sure who would merit the title. Buried beneath the avalanche of fart, fat, and (most of all) penis jokes, Apatow is an adamant advocate of conventional social norms--and I mean that, incidentally, as a compliment. Pro-commitment, pro-marriage, and pro-parenthood, he makes the case not merely that love trumps sex but, more controversially, that it can be trumped in turn by deeper responsibilities. READ MORE >>
