It's a shame that Forman and Shaffer decided to piss on it with their atrocious 2002 recut. It completely destroys the flow of it.

Really? I've always heard positive things about him. Kathryn Bigelow and James Mangold, whom he mentored at Columbia, have always expressed gratitude to him as well.

Ivan Passer's INTIMATE LIGHTING and Frantisek Vlacil's MARKETA LAZAROVA are must-sees, too.

At a screening of this beautiful film at the American Cinematheque in 2011 with Buck Henry in tow, moderator Larry Karaszewski (who co-wrote THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT and MAN ON THE MOON) told the audience that Forman was in the midst of supervising the Criterion release of it. 

Hughes also remade PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES as DUTCH, with just a sprinkling of priviliged white male guilt thrown in. You know, for the kids.

Oh, I know. Look, I loved most of the films that Hughes wrote and directed himself, but those aforementioned titles that he farmed out are just soulless carbon copies of one another that have no charm or originality. PUMP UP THE VOLUME is extremely insightful and entertaining, and it's on a totally different level…

Always adored this film, which is kind of the centerpiece of a loose trilogy that includes the similarly terrific TIMES SQUARE (1980) and underrated EMPIRE RECORDS (1995). But please, don't compare this to dreck like PRETTY IN PINK or SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL.

It will be. Criterion is in the process of releasing many of his works in North America. BAND OF NINJA is probably the most challenging one to locate.

Xenophobic nonsense disguised as humor. You're pathetic.

Wow. I'm truly saddened by this. There was a huge retrospective of virtually all of his features in the U.S. a few years ago, with new prints being struck for many of them by Janus. I was floored by THE SUN'S BURIAL, NIGHT AND FOG IN JAPAN, DIARY OF A SHINJUKU THIEF and MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE. He was a real…

I wholeheartedly concur. I wish that film studios and the government would allocate more funds for preservation efforts.

Hey, I went to USC, too! You're right, though. I should have clarified about directing careers versus filling other niches within the industry and in emerging digital arts fields.

I find it interesting that people still take institutions like NYU's  Tisch School of the Arts seriously anymore. Unless you're aiming for a career in film preservation or intend to teach, what's the point of attending them?

I saw SEX AND DEATH 101 during its brief theatrical release.  It's a pretty solid film that has plenty of Daniel Waters' trademark acerbic wit. He's definitely a much stronger screenwriter than he is a director, but it's certainly not an embarrassment by any means.

Please start a blog. I'd much rather keep up with illustrated literature with you instead of the idiots writing for the AV Club.

Please start a blog. I'd much rather keep up with illustrated literature with you instead of the idiots writing for the AV Club.

totally forgot about AH POOK IS HERE. Its publication date kept getting pushed back. Also, the collected omnibus edition of Berke Breathed's OUTLAND is terrific.

totally forgot about AH POOK IS HERE. Its publication date kept getting pushed back. Also, the collected omnibus edition of Berke Breathed's OUTLAND is terrific.

I'm pretty surprised that Glyn Dillon's NAO OF BROWN didn't make the cut. 

I'm pretty surprised that Glyn Dillon's NAO OF BROWN didn't make the cut.