I never got that Cusack's character was in love with Huston's. I think that's reading a lot more into the film just because of a line toward the end Huston has where she tries to convince her son that maybe she really isn't his mother in an attempt to seduce him; because that's the only way she knows how to…

The word "pretentious" says more about the speaker than the subject. Find a better reason not to like something than that it tries to be better than what you think it should be.

Moreso than even Blue Velvet, this is the movie that sold me on the brilliance of Dean Stockwell. When he looks around and realizes he's in a trap? Wow.

1958's The Fly is one of the greatest sci-fi horror films of all. Up there with Alien, The Thing from Another World and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Bring up 9/11, watch tempers flare.

"Haunted, deeply felt performance…"

This is a great doc.

This is a great doc.

Reading through it appears everyone universally hates The Ward. Except me. It's a short, slick little piece of psychological pulp (the damned thing isn't even an hour and a half). It is by no means original, but I think it's a neat little callback to Jacques Tourneur-style thrillers.

That's a really good breakdown by D'Angelo, by the by. It does try way too hard to be cult and so it gets wearisome.  Kind of like that Repo! The Genetic Opera.

My wife loves this movie. I stupidly shared it with her via Netflix disk delivery back when it was scarce and the DVD cost like $40. That's a chunk of change to me. So of course that was on her wishlist for the next holiday.

"Up to 100% of selected items" is pretty funny.

I made this joke last week about yet another article about Affleck being Batman and had some guy jump at me for not wanting the AV Club to get pageviews. Of course when O'Neal does it, it's hilarious.

I agree with Hesler to a point. But anyone serious about film or literature or television or whatever has to go through a period of ignoring the present and diving into the history of their medium. Living for the present and only seeing things that instantly appeal to you cuts you off from things you wouldn't…

Oh, geez. It's just a gag. Don't be so sensitive.

Next headline:

Yeah, this Lady Gaga video is a desperate pseudo-arty attempt at legitimacy.

Let me briefly interrupt the conversation on Indian filmmaking genius Ray and ask why the heck you'd go with the bland, generic title of Dark Angel when I Come In Peace is a better descriptor and reminds the viewer about the completely awful/brilliant one-liner in the finale?

He looks good doing it, though, huh?

Where is she, Finch!?