Confessions of a Pop Fan

Sunday, March 23, 2008

CELLULOID HEROES

Before anyone who bought Princess at Midnight e-mails to tell me that "troubleshoot" is one word, save it, I know. Yes, I do like the irony of having a mistake in my proofreading credit, and would have loved it even more if it was "proof reading," but since no one shows me the credits page, I can't take the blame or responsibility.

Some may recall that I once freelance edited Powers, possibly the book with the worst spelling in all of comics. When I received the credits page for my first issue, Brian Bendis had me credited as "editting by." I told him if it wasn't fixed, he owed me a widescreen TV. Sadly, I still have an old picture-tube model. Some things you can only dream of going wrong.

THIS WEEK IN THEATRES...

* The Hammer, a lightweight boxing comedy with Adam Carolla.

* Married Life, a melodrama set in the 1950s that has great style, performances, and ideas, but might have gone too heavy on the restraint.

THIS WEEK IN DVD REVIEWS...

* Bonnie & Clyde: Ultimate Collector's Edition, a rad boxed set giving the red carpet treatement to a violent classic.

* Dangerous Crossing, an appealing 1950s thriller playing on the The Lady Vanishes formula, but this time with Jeanne Crain on a boat.

* The Ice Storm - Criterion Collection, Ang Lee's chilly portrait of 1970s suburbia with Kevin Kline, Christina Ricci, and Sigourney Weaver, to name a few members of the amazing cast. (Also at Criterion Confessions.)

* The Inner Life of Martin Frost, wherein novelist Paul Auster tries to create a Wings of Desire for muses, but lacks the inspiration to go all the way with it. Still, Irene Jacob is in it.

* James Ellroy's Feast of Death, a killer documentary about the murders that obsess one of our finest crime novelists.

* No Country for Old Men, wherein I tell you why you're stupid if you say you didn't like the ending.

* Pride of the Yankees - Collector's Edition, the quintessential sports biography, with Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig.

* Walk the Line: Extended Cut, revisiting the Johnny Cash story with 17 more minutes and a bunch of bonus features.

* Wristcutters: A Love Story, a quirky romantic comedy where the quirks are for real.

UPDATED TO CRITERION CONFESSIONS...

This week's reviews written specifically for the site are:

* Dazed & Confused, the Richard Linlater comedy about aimless youth in 1976.

* La Strada, wherein Fellini takes the show on the road!