Spielberg was an executive producer on The Flintstones. Doesn't mean much: he also executive-produced the live-action Casper movie and We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story around the same time, with a break in between to direct Schindler's List.

Well, it's def a movie worth defending. The trees are a total MacGuffin; all of Shyamalan's films are predicated on the idea that there's some higher power / purpose to things — see SIGNS, UNBREAKABLE, etc. — and the gist of THE HAPPENING is that there isn't; not only do the characters lack free will, but the question…

What makes her perfect in that movie — which is, on a basic level, about a religious person's (Shyamalan) terror at the prospect that human beings are little more than a soul-less set of biological impulses / instincts (it's the lack of control, not the dying, that's meant to be scary) — is that Deschanel is pretty…

http://www.youtube.com/watc…
Wherein McDowell's voice makes a totally ridiculous monologue into something very close to awesome. (Features 2 minutes and 40 seconds of very worthwhile buildup).

On the shoulders, I guess. From what I remember, that tape was like 80% "inappropriate hugging," 15% not telling patrons that you think that they're "fine," and 5% everything else.

Fact: the group that represents America's movie theaters is called the National Association of Theater Owners, or NATO.

Personally, I prefer his Yanni covers (with improvised lyrics by Thurston M!).

Hey, it's not all limos and free bottled water, y'know.

Nah, should be N.P. Thompson.

No, he died in Granada to let a Commie co-host a public television show with good ratings but no money.

Well, the thing about White is that even back then, he prized "subtlety" over "showiness" (his Menges piece includes a dig at Vittorio Storaro, if I remember correctly). Now he's gone deeper, to a level of dog-whistle subtlety only he perceives.

Might be hard to believe, but White used to be a damn good critic. I was unpacking some stuff last week and found a late '80s Film Comment where he interviews Chris Menges. Reading his intro (which, unlike his current stuff, was actually readable), I thought, "Man, what happened?"

Disturbing indeed. Just moved into the area (from a long stint at Damen & Division) and haven't gone to that Dominick's yet. More of a Rich's Delicatessen / Anna's Bakery man myself.

You'd have more luck at the 24 hour CVS at Chicago & Western, where I can regularly be seen waiting glumly in line to use the self-checkout machine with a bag of cat litter and a roll of paper towels under my arm.

Yes, if only we had a website where you could watch all of the reviews for free, and where those reviews were indexed by airdate and subject…

The correct choice is Albert Brooks, but Lobsters has the right idea.

Hey, hey, I'm still alive!

I hear it has a handsome and likeable co-host.

The line is Godard's, but it reflects an actual sentiment of Lang's, who famously disliked widescreen.

Our Experimental Branding Lab is working on several new and exciting vowels that we'll be unveiling in 2013.