And I now just saw that other like-minded folks have already asked the same thing. Next time, I'll look before I cross.

Ah, there it is. Beat me me to it.

@avclub-22eda830d1051274a2581d6466c06e6c:disqus is right about that bit with Paul Rudd. But, as I recall, that wasn't even the the thing that Smith describes (in one of his earlier collection of essays, I think "Silent Bob Speaks" ((?)) ) as setting him off against "Greasy Reesey."

Thanks. I'm puddy when it comes to Mariel Hemingway.

I honestly don't remember. I can tell you that I watched the Criterion DVD - does that disc include Voices of Light?

I like the way they think.

Lord, Joan of Arc is powerful stuff. I'm well overdue to watch it again, but I've been putting it off because I know that once I watch it again, as you described, I'll pretty much be in a comatose state for the rest of the day.

The weather was lovely in Houston this weekend, which offered a nice counter-balance to the more chilly goings-on in my living room; it turned out to be a bit of a Michael Haneke weekend over here.

I saw it Thursday night with a buddy, who, like me, is a fan of the books. We walked out of the screening, completely silent, lighting up our cigarettes and trying to grapple with our quiet, confused disappointment.

Agreed. John Green already set a pretty decent bar for himself with the likes of "Looking for Alaska" and "Paper Towns" (I'm not a fan of "An Abundance of Katherines"), and he really takes it to another level with "The Fault in our Stars."

They're right. Mr. Kravitz, believe it or not, is one of the better things about the movie. He's on screen for all of a combined couple of minutes, but he makes them count.

I recently read a positive review of another Haneke film (The White Ribbon, which is excellent), and the critic recalls an incident to compare to Funny Games that is both hilarious and right-on-the-money.

That one definitely made me physically ill when reading it, to the point of memory-burn - I remember where I was sitting, how old I was, what the weather was like, etc, when I read that. But it was two things that made me feel so nasty: general revulsion at the story, which is disgusting, and a more specific, growing…

That bit with the box of donuts always gets me.

Agreed. And don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the hell out of Ichi. But it's so absurdly over-the-top and ridiculous, and in the best way. Ichi is just a fun romp, if that's your sort of thing.

TOAST MEAT!

"Exhausting," @avclub-a8cf86b7e95be74b1204e22a9aab9cd0:disqus , is maybe the best word to use in describing "Come and See." And I don't mean that disparagingly - I'm glad I watched it and have recommended it to friends. I haven't seen it since my first viewing, and would even want to watch it again, but that's a flick…

It sucks, too, because some of the best conversations I've ever had (this is just me; dunno about y'all) with *friends* have been about politics and religion. But, agreed, I would be wary of bringing up those topics on a first run of dates with a new person. I suppose there is the high risk/high reward factor if the…

While living in Chicago, my buddy back in Texas shoots me a worrisome-sounding and vague text message, as if he were having an especially bad day.

"How long until she let you out of the bag?"