MEDIA MONDAY

He stabs bats, eh?
Weird Al Yankovic: Bob

Special boyhood chums
I hate to pile on the Oliver Stone film without seeing it. Has anyone waded through it? Needless to say, I hear bad things. When was the last time he made a good film, was it Nixon? How long do they let you keep blowing through studio money, I wonder. I do especially like the way this story refers to the character widely known to be Colin Ferrell's male love-interest. Alexander as bi-sexual is hardly news. The story refers to the Jared Leto character as Alexander's "special boyhood chum." Ha!
--5:30 pm

Video Releases
I thought Daredevil was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. How could it warrant a director's cut release? It gets one tomorrow. Assuming that directors always wish their films had been longer, this sounds even more painful than the original. Did I miss something there?

On the other hand, Hero comes out, and that is one I wanted to see, but missed in the theater. Any opinions about either film?
--5:30 pm

Weekend Box Office
1. National Treasure
2. The Incredibles
3. Christmas with the Kranks
4. Polar Express
5. Spongebob...
also, Bad Education was #30 and Finding Neverland, #8
--4:00 pm

George Carlin Book
In the comments, Mark recommends the new Carlin book, When will Jesus bring the pork chops? Anyone else reading something they like or hate? I don't think I have read a book in months.

Pedro Almodovar
His last film, Talk to Her, is equal parts disturbing and compelling, and includes one of the more bizarre film-within-a-film scenes you'll ever see. So, I can't wait to see what he has done to earn an NC-17 rating in his new film, Bad Education. There is an NPR interview with him, about that film here. Official site of the film is here.
--1:30 pm

Oscar Speculation
Hopefully with Eternal Sunshine and Finding Neverland together, Kate Winslet will find a well-earned Oscar. I'm hoping for Eternal Sunshine of course, my favorite film of the year, but winning for either will be a nod to her performance in both. For oscar speculation, check out oscarwatch.com, and its blog, oscarwatch.blog-city.com. Top contenders for best picture, according to OscarWatch, are The Aviator, Ray, Kinsey, Sideways, Finding Neverland.
--1:00 pm

Article 19 Film Review: Finding Neverland
***************** (17 out of 19)
A very touching and interesting story--about writing, about grief, and about being a child. It's driven almost totally by Johnny Depp's great, reserved performance. Is he ever bad? If you've already seen the film and, like me, were wondering about its level of accuracy (it tells the story of JM Barrie, the author of Peter Pan), you might be interested in this site, answering the question "Was the author of 'Peter Pan' a Pedophile?". Interestingly, the mother (played by Kate Winslet) of the boys he came to know and care for was actually still married when Barrie came into her life. And her husband actually outlived her by a few years, contrary to the film, which portrays her as a widow when they meet.

Anyone else see it and have thoughts? I thought it was fabulous and one of the best I've seen this year.
--12:30 AM