Can't remember if the novel addresses this—De Palma's film doesn't—but the remake specifically notes that Carrie was homeschooled for years before the city demanded she go to public. Maybe she missed the sex ed classes during that time?

Fair point, though McQueen's body of installation work dwarfs his feature-film work, at least in terms of output. When a video artist starts making narrative features, do they then become more a director than a video artist? Even if they've spent a much longer amount of time as the latter? Granted, more people…

That's a good question. Yes, I think the gulf dividing an A- and an A is greater than the one separating a B+ and an A-. It's not a science, obviously, but I guess it comes down to believing that it takes an extra special push to get to pure greatness.

Correct. Though I would have given an "A" to Leviathan, too, had I been working here when that came out. If I'm stingy with my As, it's just because I believe the grade should REALLY mean something and be reserved only for near-masterpieces. 12 Years A Slave belongs among a group of 2012 movies—including Frances Ha,…

Huh, weird. Fixed. Thanks for catching.

Thank you. That's nice to hear.

I guess I really sort of meant "seemingly" or "ostensibly." It's not really pro-nerd, no. It just sort of pretends to be.

Thanks. Fixed.

Thanks. Weird repeated typo. Fixed!

Thanks! Last month's column coincided with TIFF and my attempts to get it done before the festival, uh, failed. But I'm back! And no, DVD reviews are not gone.

Good catch. Thank you.

Certainly one of the greatest in recent memory, especially for American movies.

@LurkyMcLurkerson:disqus  I'm not much for screaming matches, but not everyone on here communicates that way. Definitely some healthy discourse. I'll be around.

@avclub-62812d8eb06386505986efff8b5e43ac:disqus  and @olumide:disqus Honestly, it's largely a time thing. I write at minimum five pieces a week and it's just hard to keep up with the comments. Doing my best to drop in here and there.

Suppose there's a shred of truth in that—I do believe that what's going on in indie and international cinema right now is more interesting than what the major studios are churning out. But I've dug some Hollywood films this year: Gravity, Pacific Rim, The Conjuring, This Is The End (which I'd probably upgrade from a…

I gave three very positive reviews this week. Love my job.

This is an interesting point. Thanks for sharing.

This is a fair point. But there's really not much talk in 2001; long stretches pass without words. I also tend to agree with @disqus_Amqk4Y6cp6:disqus that the dialogue is deliberately stilted. It helps position HAL as more human than the humans. (Yes, the White Zombie reference is intentional. Yes, I know that song…

Last movie discussed is Woody Allen's Celebrity

I would have loved to have more time with Sam. Wanted to get to Charlie's Angels, Matchstick Men, Confessions, Hitchhiker's Guide, plenty of others. But you can only set the pace so much.