I hadn't seen AOD in years until I half-drunkenly watched it on On Demand the other night. The effects are still really fun, but I'd forgotten how short it was and that the plot sort of feels like it's being made up as the film goes along.

When I was a kid my only experience watching Jedi was via the pan-and-scan VHS version, and I was always confused by the shot where the Falcon emerges from the Death Star while it's beginning to explode. In the widescreen version it's easier to see that Endor is simply in the background of the shot when the Falcon…

Think you're referring to the '92 profile on McCarthy in which he is described as a "radical conservative," but I think the context of that was describing how he approaches the role of the novel, and not necessarily on his political leanings.

Taumpy must be on to something, because it's impossible to search through any cheapy DVD bin without finding a few copies of Suicide Kings. I picked one up years and years ago because it was 2 bucks at a grocery store, and at that time the movie was relatively new. I guess that's one way to try and build a cult…

Taumpy must be on to something, because it's impossible to search through any cheapy DVD bin without finding a few copies of Suicide Kings. I picked one up years and years ago because it was 2 bucks at a grocery store, and at that time the movie was relatively new. I guess that's one way to try and build a cult…

I already posted in response to UberMitch, but you're totally right. Despite the series having a treasure trove of sci-fi and fantasy and general escapism, "The Worst Day of Your Life" was ridiculously immersive even though the plotline was so mundane. Definitely one of the best-written of the series.

I already posted in response to UberMitch, but you're totally right. Despite the series having a treasure trove of sci-fi and fantasy and general escapism, "The Worst Day of Your Life" was ridiculously immersive even though the plotline was so mundane. Definitely one of the best-written of the series.

Oh wow, UberMitch nailed it with "The Worst Day of Your Life." I must have had 50 of these books when I was a kid, and for some reason I always went back to "Worst Day of Your Life" even though, compared to the others, it wasn't that ambitious or fantastical. So tempted to try and dig it out of the attic….

"Knocked Up" was fine, but yeah, I'm not sure I can go back to Apatow after "Funny People." Just an atrocious, tedious, poorly written, poorly acted, screamingly unfunny 2 1/2 hours that felt like 5.

"Knocked Up" was fine, but yeah, I'm not sure I can go back to Apatow after "Funny People." Just an atrocious, tedious, poorly written, poorly acted, screamingly unfunny 2 1/2 hours that felt like 5.

Yep. Silent House isn't a classic or anything, but it's not terrible.

Yep. Silent House isn't a classic or anything, but it's not terrible.

Yeah, the ending is pretty icky. But the first 70 minutes aren't awful or anything…there's a fairly unnerving sequence of Olsen hiding while someone with a lantern stalks around the darkened basement. I mean, it's not a good movie or anything, but "among the worst of the year" is a little strong.

Yeah, the ending is pretty icky. But the first 70 minutes aren't awful or anything…there's a fairly unnerving sequence of Olsen hiding while someone with a lantern stalks around the darkened basement. I mean, it's not a good movie or anything, but "among the worst of the year" is a little strong.

Whedon's writing can be insufferable at times (his dialogue, as you say, can be cutesy and glib) and I hate that he's the first to blame everyone else when one of his scripts turns into a horrible movie, like Alien: Resurrection. But I actually thought the Avengers was Whedon at his best…funny, lean, and propulsive.…

Whedon's writing can be insufferable at times (his dialogue, as you say, can be cutesy and glib) and I hate that he's the first to blame everyone else when one of his scripts turns into a horrible movie, like Alien: Resurrection. But I actually thought the Avengers was Whedon at his best…funny, lean, and propulsive.…

Couldn't disagree more about "Atonement" maintaining an emotional center. Wright was far more interested in showcasing Knightley's green dress and that contrived tracking shot of McAvoy on the beach than he was in delivering any sort of genuine emotional resonance. God, I despised that movie.

Couldn't disagree more about "Atonement" maintaining an emotional center. Wright was far more interested in showcasing Knightley's green dress and that contrived tracking shot of McAvoy on the beach than he was in delivering any sort of genuine emotional resonance. God, I despised that movie.

I know it sounds like revisionist history, but even when I was a kid I found Mel Gibson off-putting for reasons I couldn't explain. Like, he seemed legitimately unhinged, and then when I got older I realized that Mel Gibson is the prime example of the scientific validity of "crazy eyes."

I know it sounds like revisionist history, but even when I was a kid I found Mel Gibson off-putting for reasons I couldn't explain. Like, he seemed legitimately unhinged, and then when I got older I realized that Mel Gibson is the prime example of the scientific validity of "crazy eyes."