So that would be three memories, then. I can't count.

Two memories of the second convention: It was held before the Sci Fi episodes started production, so the assemblage of cast members and writers at the keynote address included Bill Corbett. But nobody knew him at the time, and I don't believe he was asked a single question. Sad, really.

When I showed Laserblast to a ten-year-old acquaintance of mine, he fixated on the "Are you ready for some football" bit even though he has no knowledge of Hank Williams Jr. or Monday Night Football. Since then he continues to inject the phrase into everyday situations—while passing some random woman on the street,…

My mom made a similar comment about Portrait Of Jenny, and once described King's Row as "Lynchian". She also played the Lost Highway soundtrack at top volume when my wife and I stopped by for Sunday dinner, and I brought along the Twin Peaks soundtrack as a listening choice for the CD player in her hospital room as…

RAY WISE!
One of the reasons why the back half of Season Two faltered may have been the (obviously necessary, plotwise) absence of Leland Palmer. Ray Wise's performance encapsulated everything Twin Peaks could be, by turns sardonic, manically cheerful, then mournful is such an over the top way the viewer didn't know…

To get back to the DePalma/Hitchcock thing, yeah, sure, especially in his earlier pictures, DePalma made occasional playful references, and Sisters was a pretty intentional Hitchcock hommage, right down to the Bernard Herrmann score. But it was, for lack of a better description, a post-Godardian Hitchcock riff, a…

I would have said Dressed To Kill rather than Body Double, and dear God, I thought that whole "DePalma keeps ripping off Hitchcock" thing was over.

Travolta's almost unbearably despairing final scene in Blow Out ("It's a good scream") is some of the finest screen acting I've ever seen.

BEST SONGWRITER EVER?
Maybe, maybe not, but has anybody ever written so many absolutely perfect songs, and shown such an awesome dedication to his craft? Whatever personal hell he was going through on any given occasion, he remained a pro: gorgeous, memorable melodies and perfectly chosen lyrics.

Pi Kappa Sigh—No official word until later this month. As long as they don't have Ben Harper again, I'll be happy.

Sad fact about Des Moines: People around here were actually EXCITED when we got a fucking Cheesecake Factory. And when a PF Chang's opened next door, well, it was like we'd finally arrived.

1965.

I was hoping no one would mention that. Or that godawful made-for-TV bio of Natalie Wood. Still, they were kind of the equivalent of his Corman quickies, knocked oout quickly because he needed the work. As opposed to something like Cape Fear, where you can see a lot of time and talent being wasted on pure shit.

Ah, Bogdanovich!
I know it's long been the critical tradition to trash the guy, but to me he's the only one of the film-school kids from the late sixties/seventies era who hasn't totally betrayed his talent. I'd put his best work—Targets, The Last Picture Show, Saint Jack—against anything Coppola, Scorsese, DePalma…

A CREATIVE IDEAL
The greatest thing Bakshi did with this show was not just hiring the likes of John K, Bruce Timm and Mike Kazaleh, but encouraging them to do distinctive work, not to follow the usual factory methods of production. This was a radical notion in eighties TV, and sadly, it's even more rare now.

I never claimed the narration should be removed entirely. But there is SO much of it, the final result is that we're watching an illustrated reading of the novel. And the visuals aren't in ironic counterpoint to what Alex is describing, they mostly just show exactly what's being described. And if anyone honestly…

CLOCKWORK ORANGE? SERIOUSLY?
See, I'm a huge Kubrick fan and all, but he did have a weakness for utterly superfluous narration in too much of his work. (See also Full Metal Jacket.) In the case of Clockwork, the opening narration does indeed provide a nice intro to the film and its protagonist, and occasionally…

Oh, and, uh yeah, I'm afraid I'm the type of person who can cite cinematography credits. On a thread that should be devoted to lusting for Neko Case, yet. I…I'm so sorry.

But let's not forget, before he had his pick of cameramen, he was stuck with the merely workmanlike David Walsh for Sleeper, and that's pretty much a model of how to shoot a comedy.

One of the great things about Radio Days is that it showcases an aspect of Allen that's almost never discussed: He's one of the great stylists working in film. When he's on, his camera and editing choices are a match for anyone's.