"It’s the kind of film Freud, or more likely Jung, would have delighted in deconstructing."

It's really not shocking that the man who brought us Memento and The Dark Knight would make another critically acclaimed film. Memento focused on the problems of memory and loss, while The Dark Knight reveled in nihilism and fate. From what I've seen of the trailer, Inception appears to focus on perception, dreams, and reality. It's always a treat to watch a movie that engages the senses and the mind.

Sandra Bullock was last year's best and worst

She was the worst...



before she was the best...

Killer movie

How many films have killed at the box office? We know of one for sure - Avatar.

"Nine" to be pulled from theaters in numerous cities

Is Nine failing in spite of itself, or because of itself? It's a musical, which is always a risky business at the box office - for every Chicago that does quite well, there's a Rent that just doesn't. It has six Oscar winners - Daniel Day Lewis, Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman, Dame Judi Dench, Marion Cotillard, and Penélope Cruz. It's based on a Tony-winning stage production, which itself was based on the celebrated Italian film 8½.

So, why is it seen as a failure?

You know what I'd like to eat right now? A really good brownie...

"Carrie" on TCM

I was flipping through the channels tonight, looking for something interesting. A familiar movie title caught my eye, so I stopped on TCM - Turner Classic Movies. "Carrie." I thought, Now there's a classic horror movie I haven't seen in a while. But I don't remember it being in black and white. And I don't remember the dude who played Zeus in "Clash of the Titans" being in it. Where is Sissy Spacek? Where is John Travolta?

Yep. A completely different "Carrie."

I wasn't able to watch the whole thing - just the very end of it. Apparently it's educational as well as entertaining. The description by DirecTV read this: "A farm girl moves to Chicago, meets men and becomes a stage star."

Wow! If a girl - and particularly a "farm girl" - wants to become a stage star, all she has to do is move to Chicago and meet a couple men. I wonder what a "farm boy" has to do?

Could the "Up" house really fly?

Wired magazine examines the probability of helium ballons being able to lift an entire house.

BTW, if you haven't seen Up yet, go to the theater this week. Do not delay.

If you can afford to purchase a new car every month, you can afford to buy Cameron's house

Ferris Bueller fans, take note: Cameron Frye's house is for sale. The house used for the film is actually near Chicago, as opposed to the house used as Ferris' home - which is in Long Beach, California.

For those of you - like me - who fondly remember this film during your high school days, please don't feel old when I tell you that Cameron is 52. Alan Ruck was 29 when he played the depressive high school student with the marvelous car. Oh, yeah.

Memorial Day Weekend Movies

Like most patriotic Americans on Memorial Day weekend, I usually spend a good bit of time watching movies. On the big screen in the community cineplex. On the small screen in my bedroom. From Blockbuster for $3.99 (for a whole week), or a nearby Redbox for $1 (for one night). Doesn't matter. At some point or another, I'll watch one movie - or two or three - from beginning to end.

I've seen two so far.

Saturday night's film was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, rented from the Redbox. Button was filmed in such a gorgeous manner, with such a beautiful city (New Orleans) and such striking actors (Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond, and Tariji Henson), that I was completely taken aback by how utterly boring I found it. Pitt and Blanchett seemed to have no chemistry together. Should I not have expected more from them? Pitt and Henson were nominated for Oscars, but I didn't find their performances to be particularly moving. I found the most striking character to be the tugboat captain Benjamin worked for, and I mourned his passing because he was the only character who seemed full of life and vitality.

When Blanchett's Daisy tells Pitt's Benjamin that he is "perfect," I almost expected him to say, "Well, of course I am - I'm Brat Pitt!"

Last night's film was Night at the Museum, shown on the ABC Family channel. I was charmed by the film when I first saw it a few years ago, and it still has its pleasures. I think it'd be great fun to have an Easter Island head around the house, but I wouldn't let it get away with calling my "dum-dum." I particularly enjoyed seeing Dick Van Dyke (a Vermilion County native!) and Mickey Rooney as two of the "bad guys" of the film. Has there been another film where Van Dyke has been the villain? Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't think there is.

This is Dan Brown's America

We're just living in it.

RELATED: Check out this site by Westminster Theological Seminary.

"I suppose my agent did something unusual in telling me who they really wanted. And telling me that I was the third choice."

"I was very, very aware that I was not the first or second choice. I mean, ordinarily, agents don’t do that, and I must admit in my case, it did make it hard for me. Because I didn’t get the sense of humor, really, didn’t understand it very well. It’s not my type of humor, so the director had to kind of coach me through everything I did. It’s by far what I’m best known for on planet Earth. No day goes by without someone commenting on it to me. It turned out to be one of the most beloved films. People had the most astonishing response to it. Apparently by following Rob Reiner, by trying to imitate him—he would do [my lines], and then I would imitate him. And I must have done it adequately, as people compliment me on it on a daily basis."

Actor and playwright Wallace Shawn gives an interview about his movie roles, including his most famous one as Vizzini in The Princess Bride.

"Raiders" story conference

Once in a while, you come upon a post on some blog that really makes your afternoon. This one did it today for me. A real treat, especially for Raiders fans.

10 cinematic clichés that must die!

It's hard to disagree with this list, especially numbers 3 and 5.

The picture accompanying #9 is of Robin Williams from The Fisher King. It isn't a completely terrible movie, unless you count the scene where Williams strips naked and shows the full monty. Jeff Bridges does well with his role, but then he's usually good in practically everything he's in.

Evil Republicans make it in at #8. "All Republicans in movies or TV are evil. They’re all trying to cheat the public, start unnecessary wars, take away civil rights and turn the country into a fascist dictatorship. And, of course, it’s saintly Democrats who save the day." I suppose that if films want to be more truthful, they should portray Democrats as tax evaders with memory problems.

"The puppet master is... the counselor?"

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Let me tell you something, because I'm speaking from experience: counselors are puppet-masters, so she's not really wrong.

it's a pitiful life

Wendell Jamieson has a different view of a holiday classic.

the top film boogeymen

Did your favorite make the list? When I was a child, I had recurring nightmares about #16. I mean, he's obviously a guy in a suit, but still. I have seen his films as an adult, and now I think he's more pitiful than scary. He's all alone in his world. There appears to be nothing else like him, or at least nothing that any "civilized" person has found. Just think about what kind of psychological damage he's experienced.

send them to Iraq

In his highly praised documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore is shown chasing several people in Congress and asking them if they were sending their children into the military to serve in Iraq. I wonder what he thinks about Sarah Palin sending out her son.

that movie offended me!

There are two different lists (here and here) floating around, both featuring films that people have found offensive and worthy of protest. Have you seen any of these? Were you as offended as you planned to be, or did you think that the film actually offered something constructive to say? (And, yes, I believe that all films have a specific point of view, even tasteless comedies and horror flicks)

the shot of the scene

Here is an in-depth look at Indy's confrontation with Belloq in a Cairo bar. Spielberg shows his genius.

Really, is there a better dressed and more debonair villain in the cinematic world than René Belloq? Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter tried, but didn't succeed in quite the same way. Speaking of Lecter, I'd much rather bump into him in a dark alley than this guy.

Indiana Jones, past and present

Here's the trailer for the original:

See? Got you hooked all over again...

I have a few thoughts about what I expect from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which I'm going to see tonight ---

1. The film usually opens with a mini-adventure for Indy. Raiders had Indy trekking through Peru, searching for a gold idol and ultimately losing it to rival Belloq. Temple of Doom had Indy zooming through the streets of Shanghai. Last Crusade was a flashback to Indy obtaining, and then losing, a golden cross that once belonged to Spanish explorer Cortez; we also saw how Indy acquired his hat, his whip, and his fear of snakes. Will Crystal Skull follow the same formula, or will we see something new?

2. I'm glad, glad, glad to see the return of Marion Ravenwood, and I'm not alone. Although she was constantly in situations that required Indy to save her, she wasn't the stereotypical damsel-in-distress that we have seen in earlier films like this. She was spunky, cool, and totally willing to defend herself ("I don't know what kind of people your used to dealing with, Herr Mac, but nobody tells me what to do in my place.") While I enjoyed Willie Scott when Temple of Doom first came out (give me a break - I was 13 years old), she hasn't held up well over time. She screamed about riding an elephant, she wailed about breaking a nail, and she's an all-around irritant to the movie. Elsa Schneider was the most gorgeous of the three love interests, but she also proved to be selfish and complicit with evil men.

3. I wonder what the fate of Cate Blanchett's character, Irina Spalko, will be. Indy's rivals don't fare well at all. Dietrich and Toht literally melted when exposed to the power of the Ark; Belloq simply exploded. Mola Ram fell off a cliff and was eaten by ferocious crocodiles. Walter Donovan drank from a false Grail, aged 100 years in 10 seconds, and turned into goo. Elsa fell down a pit trying to retrieve the Grail. Will Irina meet an equally disturbing end?

4. Indy has not been able to hold on to the main "Maguffin" of each film. The Ark of the Covenant is packed in a crate, stored in a warehouse filled with seemingly millions of other crates. The Sankara Stone returns to the village from whence it was stolen. The Grail stays in the Canyon of the Crescent Moon. Will Indy get to keep the crystal skull?

Just a few hours more...

Update: Go here for a blog-a-thon of (almost) all things Indy.