Sunday, October 27, 2002

HA! Peter f'n Guber, former head of Sony and producer of, among other movies, Batman, is doing jury duty. On Winona Ryder's trial. Best part - this quote: "Quite a few of you are in the entertainment industry," prosecutor Ann Rundle told the panel. "Do you think at any point in the future you might hope to work with Ms. Ryder?" All shook their heads no.
8:48:58 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Just when I thought American culture couldn't fall any further, 'Jackass' tops the box office. Eugh.
8:44:39 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Right now Sci Fi is airing Roman Polanski's The Ninth Gate, a movie based on Arturo Pérez-Reverte's novel The Club Dumas. The film, which I saw when it was originally released, follows "book detective" Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) on his search throughout the Iberic Peninsula and France for the existing copies of The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows, supposedly written by the Devil himself. An entertaining yarn, though not a movie that displays Polanki's prowess. But watching this movie again I'm reminded of what I identified as its truly remarkable element: Corso, who with his glasses and goatee, his trenchcoat and messenger's bag in tow and the charisma Depp injects into him, is a character so richly textured, like Indiana Jones or James Bond, as to deserve a series of films built around him. Imagine, a book-worm hero, globetrotting in search of arcane tomes and mysterious collectors, stumbling upon plots of every stripe: political, supernatural, you name it. Alas, the movie received a cold reception during its theatrical release, and by the end Corso seems to have walked into his final demise anyway. Not much chance for a franchise there. Still, the ending is ambiguous enough that, if the studios were looking for some fresh ideas to turn into movies, they could always bring back Dean Corso, dashing book detective. [Driver 8] I rather liked Ninth Gate myself...it was just the right kind of spooky. And Charly's dead on - Depp as Corso is amazing.

8:41:20 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

The single greatest thing about my TiVo so far is going to be irrelevant in two weeks or so - Sports Night. They're releasing the complete run on DVD in a couple weeks, and being a good fanboy, I've got it pre-ordered. I love that show. I really, really love that show. As good as Peter Krause is now on Six Feet Under, I firmly believe he was better on Sports Night. Yeah, I just finished watching an episode. I get like this sometimes. =)

6:37:04 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Gore Vidal claims 'Bush junta' complicit in 9/11. World latest: America's most controversial writer Gore Vidal has launched his most scathing attack on President Bush, calling for an investigation into whether the US administration deliberately allowed the terrorist attacks to happen. [Guardian Unlimited] Ok, even by my standards this is paranoid...
9:21:09 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []