Oh man, Uncle Charlie's dinner-table screed against widows was amazing. That whole scene tapped into the squirmy discomfort I've felt every time I've been a social situation with someone who's said something appalling offensive. We all know Uncle Charlie's the Merry Widow Murderer, but Joe Cotten makes him a charming…

OK, I watched Shadow of a Doubt, which was A-fucking-grade. Joseph Cotten is, like, the man. I don't think I'd ever seen him as the villain before. The film kinda reminded me of Rope and Psycho in that I felt a weird sort of empathy for the resident murderer: I was kinda hoping Uncle Charlie would get away with his…

Shadow of a Doubt, like right fucking now? But it's 1:30 in the morning! I just got back from a Nick Cave concert!

I watched Rope for the first time earlier this year, and I really enjoyed it. Interesting that although Jimmy Stewart is expectedly folksy and the closet thing the film has to a hero, he's still somewhat of a dick and indirectly responsible for the shit that goes down.

This site used to be fairly consistent across the board. Nowadays, it seems that while the quality of the film/TV content hasn't really changed all that much, the music articles are geared towards 13 year-olds.

I don't think Barry Lyndon is the unloved Kubrick film anymore. I mean, it's not and will never be as embedded in pop culture the way Dr Strangelove, 2001, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and Full Metal Jacket are, but it's well regarded by cineastes (as well it should be).

Now I'm reminded of The Rape of Richard Beck, a 1985 telemovie starring Richard Crenna as a seasoned cop with an insensitive attitude to female victims of rape, but then he learns to see things from their point of view after he himself is raped. I'm not saying Glenn Beck should be raped, but if he is, it could be…

Or his son, Chad McQueen of Cobra Kai?

Yeah. In a hypothetical Great Escape remake, I think Downey would be more suited to the James Garner role than the Steve McQueen one.

I think I might have actually seen the original Blob many years ago. Possibly, my memories of it were obliterated by the awesomeness of the Kevin Dillon-starring version.

Question for the good A.V.ers out there…

I remember reading somewhere that one of the directors attached earlier on to the 2005 FF film planned to make it a retro picture, set in the 1960s. Which would have been a hell of a lot more interesting than the film that was ultimately made.

Rosewater? Feh. When are we going to get Rosewood, the Beverly Hills Cop spin-off?

Ebert's reviews of My Life in Ruins and I Hate Valentine's Day are hilariously snarky too:

That's about as tactful as naming a shooting range after John F. Kennedy.

Harold Holt, yep. Disappeared on 17 December 1967; two days later declared thought to be dead, had a televised memorial service (with LBJ in attendance!) less than a week after he vanished. His body was never found. There are all sorts of conspiracy theories about what happened to Holt - he defected to Chinese; he…

We also lost our Prime Minister in 1967. Went for a swim and never came back. Remember the beginning of Jaws? Picture that, only replace the nubile blonde American girl with a 60-year-old Australian man.* And there might not have been a shark involved.

"Garbage Can Ballet" is frigging awesome. And "The Cast and Crew" is hilarious.

The To Live and Die in L.A. soundtrack is terrific. Certainly great music to drive to (probably not while going the wrong direction on a busy freeway though). I said on this website once before that the album is weirdly reminiscent of Bowie's Low, with one side devoted to punchy synth-pop songs, and the other side…

"Like a Prayer" kinda ripped off David Bowie's "Underground," though.