@Scrawler2:disqus : sorry, I never got a notification for this.. Stupid threads!  I had mixed feelings about Syriana.  There were times when the film gets overwhelmed with its subplots and characters - and I think those moments of overwhelming-ness are its best, because it tries to give some sense of the issues as a…

Also from that episode, maybe my favorite exchange of that entire season:

Here's your capsule explanation:

Hello, straight-version of me.  I also put Fiona on top, with Frank somewhere in the top 10.  Cheers!

Some quick thoughts:

Do you see that diagram up top, with the hand and the keyboard?  The difference between C major (which is what the hand is playing: C-E-G) and C minor is the middle tone, the 'E'.  If the hand were playing an E-flat instead, the black key just above and to the left, you'd hear C minor instead.  Listeners tend to say…

I love this movie so much.  Not all of the sketches stick (and there's certainly some cultural gap involved), but the movie maintains such a consistently ridiculous tone from start to finish that you come out feeling dizzy.

@avclub-a43012a332fc066e7ecf57a9b678fb51:disqus : Yeah, I don't think I know anyone other than this commenter who thinks Dog Day Afternoon doesn't hold up: it's usually regarded as one Lumet's biggest triumphs.  In fairness @avclub-9972c46d0d80cfb94c14d0f62345b01e:disqus seems to be speaking to personal preference -…

@avclub-d10c3d8e2eab13e9d3db9f2c7d44a78a:disqus : Not that it's usually in the running for "great" films, but for pure enjoyment, my favorite Czech film might be Ikarie XB-1.

I prefer Fireman's Ball, but do you really need a deep knowledge of Czechoslovakian culture?  I think it's more directly, uncomfortably, hilariously funny than Blondes, but I love both.

Daisies is so amazing, it's ridiculous.

@Scrawler2:disqus : See, I had the opposite reaction: I'd have preferred ZDT to be more clinical, because I felt the attempts at character-building in The Hurt Locker were the film's weakest spots.  I agree with Mike that the opening half of United 93 is a masterpiece, and it's practically pure data.

I'm not entirely sure I understand your comment…  the article mostly avoids both the politics and the historical-document issue in favor of a direct critique of the film as such. Mike's analysis, as far as I understand it, shows that the film is trying to balance two separate genres and ultimately giving the short…

You missed the best gag of the night, where the two would dress up as fake award nominees and get announced along with the real slate.  Here's the first.  Here's the second.

@avclub-3be42d8a3412057f79af152555e39bd4:disqus : I'll back you up on this.  The problem with the scene wasn't so much that we knew the bomber was coming, but how badly and obviously the film leans on cheap irony to make its impact.  I'd be as if - to use Hitchock's famous example - we knew the bomb was under the…

yes yes yes yes yes

Goldblum's skeezy walk across the apartment while pulling up his pants may be my favorite Goldblum moment ever.  He's practically reptilian.

The conversation about Rilke's "To a Young Poet" kills me every time.

Because there will never be another Salinger movie after the "Uncle Wiggily"/My Foolish Heart fiasco, but I think Steers manages a reasonably good Salinger of his own.  His ear for dialogue isn't quite as perfect as Salinger's (at its best), but he also doesn't idealize children the way Salinger does, which is fine by…

FWIW: Once Upon a Time was Turkey's official selection for last year's Oscars, and it didn't even make the short list.  Which is too bad.