Interesting idea. Maybe that's part of Lucas's scheme. But I was watching (what else) the Red Letter Media critiques of the prequels, and they wondered if Lucas even understands Star Wars. Sure, having Yoda jump around and lightsaber the crap out of clones makes for good swashbuckling, but it pretty much negates the…

I DIDN'T COME IN HERE FOR NO AUTOGRAPH!

Excellent trolling, Afghamistam.

If you're still thinking about it, I recommend checking it out. The audience I was with gave it a standing ovation, and standing audiences are never wrong.

I did see "Natural Selection"! That was the most unexpectedly best followup to "Metropolis" ever. What else did you like?

Saw this at Ebertfest a few weeks ago
I didn't know anything about slam poetry (and I still don't, arguably), and seeing the movie with a big, appreciative audience charged it in a way I might not have experienced if I'd seen the movie at home.

Just in case anyone read this far…

If it makes anyone feel better, Stalin didn't die peacefully. According to biographer Edvard Radzinsky, Stalin was poisoned by Beria and a few others he was preparing to knock off. After the poisoning, they left Stalin paralyzed and incontinent on a couch until he kicked off, claiming he was just an old gent who…

I also want to send this feature some love. There were a few entries I didn't participate in for various dumb reasons, but I still read the books and thought they were worthwhile. Thanks!

I liked the use of Farnsworth, I hope for more than just the feeling of being smart when I recognized him.

Thanks Scrawler, you said the words I was trying to come up with. ("I found that the historical people/places/events gave a depth of field to the story"). And I'm glad to know that Gold's Oakland might really have existed.

What's your favorite Carter?
I liked the Carter who, for the first time, attacked an expense ledger with childlike glee…logging the streetcar fares and leaving out the guillotines.

Thanks guys!

One thing I remember about animal abuse: in Victorian times, the first child-abuse laws got passed because people argued that there were already penalties for cruelty to animals.

So about celibacy, and electricity, and being left alone: what was up with the scene where Carter discovers his mother's vibrator?

I'm not sure that Carter's father understood anything besides that fact that Jenks "let" the boys into the collections room. I think it didn't even occur to him that Jenks would really have locked the kids up. I think Mr. Carter thought something like this: kids left alone for days -> kids freak out -> kids tell him…

That's a good question. Here are some contextual things I can think of:
* Carter was a hometown boy made good;
* He lured people with the promise of something never seen before;
* The audience must have known that the age of magic shows was coming to a close. Audiences were drifting away to the movies. So for devotees,…

Writing as magic
Gold wrote the book with a specificity of time and place that seemed effortless, although I'm sure it wasn't effortless. I would love to know how he pulled off the trick of knowing what brand of furniture should be in Carter's childhood house, or what Liszt piece an orchestra might play at the…

The real magic was making the magic mean something.

Maybe it makes a difference if you know whether the author has an explanation for a trick, even if he doesn't lay it out for us. People felt that way about the movie "Primer". They were reassured when told that the filmmakers had a specific scenario for the twists and turns, and — interestingly — didn't need to know…