I’m fairly certain I’ve seen Oh God Book II more times than Empire.  How weird is that?!

We are the exact same age!  Want to be besties?

“I think it gave Disney a bit more courage to try a film like Tron a few years later.”

There are a handful of exceptions. I can’t believe, for instance, that The Ring wasn’t R. But they are mostly: (i) outright bad in any event; or (ii) neutered to the point that the one thing that might make them interesting has been sucked out of them.

agreed ... save for one aspect: FUCKING PG-13.  What’s with this trend?  I’m a horror movie buff and I’ll admittedly watch, and find some value, in just about anything in the genre.  But do you know what IMMEDIATELY turns me off to a horror movie?  A rating less than R.  UGH

Instant coffee has a specific sourness (I guess?) to it that sticks in my taste memory. I shiver just thinking about it. Drinking it black seems like a form of torture.

Great points. I recall those earlier comments, and the commenter(s) seemed hung up on the notion of “authenticity,” as if black was the way our founding fathers (or whatever) wanted us to drink it. I will reiterate here what I said then: this notion that “real” coffee drinkers take it black is a notion unsupported by…

I simply love Matt Pond. Was it Pitchfork who knocked one of his albums several years ago and said his voice sounds like it was shot through with vaseline? It’s such a weird statement that stuck with me because I think it’s probably accurate! They meant it negatively, but it’s the unique sound of his voice that is…

“I’d love to shit all over the USSR and China and Cuba...”

If 1996 was 34 years ago, I’m way older than I thought ...

oof that is true.  Let’s call it a draw (of shit)

Shakespeare in Love. UGH. It did start a run, didn’t it? Think about it, prior to Shakespeare in Love I think I could get behind most of the prior winners (from the 1960s forward), other than maybe Rain Man and Driving Miss Daisy. But after SiL, we had these beauties: American Beauty, Chicago, Million Dollar Baby,…

I’m starring you because I agree 100% here.  Big night for Quentin.  

The article you link to is a good read, but it’s interesting that the takeaway from the folks involved is that its failure was due to it being a debacle. I’m not sure that’s really the case. In my opinion, the movie failed not because it’s a big, messy debacle (hell, sometimes that can be fun) but rather because it’s…

For sure.  Was watching live as well and saying, loudly, “HANG UP ON BLITZER, ALREADY!”

I’m giving you a star because I recall reading this very riveting article a couple years ago, and it is truly every detail you would ever need to know about this crime.  That said, I am not sure the article “removes any need” to watch what sounds like an equally-riveting documentary on the same subject.

I feel like we are kindred spirits on this point.  I found everything about this perfect ending to be so profoundly ... human.

No comment on Destroyer’s new album out today (Have We Met)? Come on AV Club!

Excited for this, for sure.  Really loved The Blackcoat’s Daughter.  That said, I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed that it’s PG-13

Tough call for sure. You can’t go wrong either way.