Weren't they "The Hooters?" Regardless, they still sucked.

Also, you really should get over your Wire oversaturation and get their first 3 albums. Some of the best music from an era of great music. Their comeback period isn't essential but the first 3 albums are just fantastic, as I'm sure people have already told you.

When I was 7 years old I used to like the song and video for Gloria by an then unknown band U2 (at least to 7 year old people in the US who didn't have MTV). People constantly thought I was really into Laura Branigan.

Agreed. Double Indemnity is one of those central things that lives up to and exceeds the hype. Its just so amazing in nearly every way, and Barbara Stanwick is perfect. The more Billy Wilder films I saw in college, the more I liked him. Sunset Boulevard is still one of my favorite films. Its been a pleasure for…

I've actually read that book (it came out when I was in college) but I don't remember all of it. I think it was a collection of essays, some of which discussed noir elements in modern (at the time) films. Maltese Falcon was always considered a transitional film that people would argue about its inclusion in the…

Its in French, and its from 1939 or 40 so it seems pretty different from today's Upstairs Downstairs stuff. If you read Bazin's writing its a very important film to him (deep focus, realistic acting, etc…) but I can't say that everyone will enjoy it as much as me. The Grande Illusion is much more appealing to…

You'll probably get a lot of arguments about him inventing Film Noir. I would say it was pretty firmly established technique-wise by Orson Wells (and Greg Tolland) with Citizen Kane and Billy Wilder both technique and film subject. Huston is a terrific director (and even actor - he was chilling in Chinatown).

No problem. Of the Hardboiled detective fiction genre from the 30s, Chandler is unique because his main protagonist sort gets beat up and pushed around a lot, unlike say Sam Spade from Dashiell Hammett (who I think is actually a more refined writer). My favorite of the bunch was always James M. Cain, particularly…

Then I would also avoid The Rules of the Game, although you'd be missing a terrific film which agrees with your point of view, but does so in a very oblique way by showing a bunch of Aristocrats who have no clue about the coming war (it takes place in the late 30s). I wasn't as big of a fan of Gosford Park as most of…

I hadn't heard about the Pinocchio project but Popeye really kind of stunk. I actually saw it in the theaters when I was 6 years old (terrible idea) and was shocked to discover that it was directed by one of my idols when I was studying film in college. So surprised that I watched it again and was once again…

It was divisive because its Raymond Chandler, who was already a hugely popular author without the film adaptations, of which there were many (starting the in the 40s). A lot of the early Film Noirs were either based on his books (The Big Sleep) or involved him in the screenplay (Double Indemnity). So a revisionist…

Its totally enjoyable for the first season. After that it starts to decline.

Gosford Park is an enormously entertaining film. But if you've seen any of Downton Abbey, it will seem awfully familiar (same writer).

Don't start with Nashville. In fact I would probably watch that closer to the end. Its a great film but it takes some perseverance to get through it, during which you might mistakenly write him off as boring, which he's not.

As someone who knows him from watching remote control, I have to say I'm feeling sort of old….

That went downhill pretty quickly

What? No Alan Smithee?

How about just a list of the 26 best American directors?

You've obviously never driven through Delaware. I got a ticket for going 55 in a 50 zone. It was like being ticketed by a robot. No discussion was even considered or acknowledged.

Even more bizarre is the fact that he's only on about half of the album. The other half is Tony Williams.