RobertR

I miss Alan Moore directly working for DC Comics. I fondly remember picking up Moore's Swamp Thing off of drug store spinner racks and having my mind blown, repeatedly. And Howard Chaykin's American Flagg! And, Dave Sim's Cerebus, when he was reasonably sane. I'll second the love of the old Atari 2600. I had hundreds of hours of fun with that primitive machine. Adventure being one that I fondly remember. I miss the Talking Heads.

I don't know if I fully agree with that, although I'm counting Pan's Labyrinth, The Lives of Others, Hot Fuzz, Black Book, and The Host as films for this year, since that's when they actually came to town. That's close to one superior foreign/independent movie a month. I'd agree that it hasn't been a very good year for mainstream Hollywood though. Zodiac is at the top of my Netflix queue, so I'm going to have an opinion on that soon. I'm looking forward to it. Robert

I just feel like mentioning that LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is coming to the Times this weekend. It's a film that's very rewarding to see on the big screen. Heck, it defines the word epic. Robert

Hot Fuzz is great. Especially if you love dumb action movies. I'm behind on what I've wanted to see this Summer. I'll just have to catch up over the winter. I might manage to see Stardust before it quickly vanishes from theaters. That's probably it though. There really hasn't been anything that I'd characterize as a surprise hit this summer. Maybe Superbad will qualify, but everything else seems to be performing to expectations. 300 is probably still the surprise hit of the year. From what I've seen: Best Summer Film: Ratatouille Best Performance: Imelda Staunton as Delores Umbridge in Harry Potter Robert

I played Strikers over the weekend and I think it's a real winner. It looks like it's going to be especially fun with multiplayer. The amount of pandemonium on the screen at any one time in some of fields is amazing. The only thing it really looks to be lacking is a voice connection for taunting people over the internet. Robert

I'm also in the camp that thinks booing former players is mostly lame. Heck, there was a sizable chunk of people that booed Paul Molitor when he left after all he had done for the team and the apparent non-interest by Bando in resigning him. What was he supposed to do, retire? Gary Sheffield is the only former Brewer that actually deserves the boos he gets. Other than that, what have most other former Brewers done except play up to or down to their abilities? Robert

I'm not going to dispute any part of the review of a movie I haven't seen, but is it really accurate to describe Neil Gaiman as a "niche author". Granted, he's not a household name like Stephen King or J. K. Rowling, but his books appear routinely on and atop the NY Times Bestseller lists. He has plenty of recognition already. Robert

Both. I don't expect it to go off the tracks like LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN or FROM HELL, but an adaptation just strikes me as unnecessary. WATCHMEN takes so much advantage of the medium it originally presented itself in that there's no place to go but down. That and removing the 9 panel grid from WATCHMEN is like removing iambic pentameter and rhyming couplets from Shakespeare. OTOH, RAN and THRONE OF BLOOD are masterpieces, even if they're not truly Shakespeare. And we've had enough superhero movies made in recent years that it's about time for a deconstructionist take. I'm just trying to keep an open mind at this point. Robert

The Hot Fuzz/Shaun of the Dead $20 sale at Best Buy is a bargain. THE PRESTIGE A solidly constructed, acted, and shot revenge thriller/puzzle movie from Christopher Nolan. The problem is that I had no rooting interest in the revenge aspects of the movie since the main characters aren't very likable and the puzzle aspects were something I figured out quickly. It's more than competent, but it's not particularly layered or deep to allow for multiple viewings.

Strikers is a definite rental for me, before buying. It does sound like a winner though. Summer weather and work has definitely put a damper on Wii playing for me. I'm saving it for a rainy weekend.

Suppan is a league average (or better) guy. But, I don't think Morris is even that good anymore. A downward trend in performance, coupled with a good pitcher's park, and the fact that several teams in the NL West (Padres, Dodgers, D'Backs) are fairly punchless. Robert

I'll throw out Neil Young. He has such a catalog and range of songs that he can change direction at the drop of a hat. I've seen him several times and each time has been a unique experience. Robert

Admittedly, Castillo is something of a (s)crappy battler himself. But I agree that the biggest issue is that Ryan has never made a big move to indicate that he's serious about winning a title. There's no excuse for a supposed contender to be trotting out what the Twins are at DH, LF, and 3B. They have four really good offensive players in Mauer, Morneau, Hunter, and Cuddyer. Bartlett and Castillo are passable, low end players, and not much of anything else. I love Cirillo as much as the next Brewers fan, but he's not a difference maker at this point in his career.

Yeah, I don't think it's any surprise who started this list. In related news, Michelangelo Antonioni passed away at age 94. I keep meaning to see Blow Up and L'Avventura, but never have found the time. And, of course, the latter has a reputation as a movie that demands full "film scholar" mode to appreciate it. Robert

Just for fun, a link to a You Tube clip from THE SEVENTH SEAL. www.youtube.com/watch?v=a...t%2Ecom%2F Robert

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070...it_bergman I'm sure some out there thought he died years ago. He basically retired from motion picture directing in 1982. One of the most accomplished and influential autuers in cinema history. And probably one of the least seldom seen in the US. He's one of the big holes in my viewing as well as I can only claim to have seen THE SEVENTH SEAL and THE VIRGIN SPRING, both remarkable movies. And very accessible and human works. I get the impression that a lot of people think of him as a cold, arty, intellectual. And while there is some of the latter to his work, I've been surprised by the warmth of his work and humor. He was closer to Fellini or Truffaut than Godard, IMO. THE SEVENTH SEAL is obviously his most famous work. Being referenced in BILL AND TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY and LAST ACTION HERO, and elsewhere. And he was obviously an influence on Woody Allen. It's too bad that he's been more experienced by reference here than by actual viewing of his movies. With any luck, TCM will host a marathon. Robert

Ted Williams 1939, age 20 .327/.436/.609, 31 HRs, 145 RBIs I don't know if that's the best, but it's in the running. Robert

Yeah, I don't get it either. Three prospects for a struggling reliever seems like an awfully steep price. I probably wouldn't have blinked if the same package had netted Chad Cordero, for instance. To me this looks like a trade that has a very good chance of not improving the Brewers chances at all. Unless there's another part to this deal, I can't say I like it. Robert

When the writers can't find anything particularly interesting for Kevin Dillon, you know the episode is in trouble. Ari and Lloyd doing sabotage was fun, but tangential at best to the episode. I liked Bob Balaban as a shady doctor, but he wasn't in the episode enough to save it. This show is supposed to be a comedy and it seems like the writers often forget it. Or just do perfunctory sitcom level stuff. I laughed harder through "Business Time" on Flight of the Conchords than I have through most of this season. Robert

I'd agree that Ratatouille skews older than the standard Pixar film and animation in general. Heck, one of my favorite gags of the film has a lover's quarrel and a gunshot. The resolution of which is likely to go right over the heads of younger viewers. How many kids movies have the possibility of murder in them? Not to mention, that I think having a more sophisticated palate and knowledge of French culture/stereotypes lets the movie work on another level. Robert

Pixar's latest. I saw it today and loved it. After the slight misstep of Cars, Pixar is right back with another polished gem. Along with the always polished animation, Pixar excels at story. And that's largely as a result of an emphasis on character first. Pixar can make a rat's eye's view of a trip across a bustling kitchen floor exciting. Bringing to life engaging characters makes you care. Giving those characters extra dimensions and flaws, a slight arrogance to the main character in this film for example, just adds to the storytelling. There's more of a sense of place than any movie I've seen so far this Summer, and the Paris location and atmosphere adds to the movie. And there's no such thing as a throwaway character, as Peter O'Toole amply proves in this movie where he could just have been a one note plot device, but ends up being a fully filled in character. It's a movie that people of any age can find something to enjoy. Pixar and Brad Bird don't make good animated movies, they make good movies period. Robert

Reading through this thread, I understand how Al must feel at times. I've no nostalgia for the Transformers, but I don't begrudge anyone their nostalgia. I have to say though that it looks exactly like what I imagine a Michael Bay directed Transformers movie to look like. Robert

True, but there's not a movie without that conceit in the first place. You know what you're getting into when it says Die Hard on the marquee. My complaint is more along the lines that this isn't John McClane, blue collar cop anymore but it's now more John McClane, borderline superhero. Certainly, McClane seems to have acquired Wolverine's healing abilities over the years. Frankly, I'm surprised that what I said got taken as especially harsh criticism. Heck, I've been accussed elsewhere of being too praiseful of the same movie. Robert

Sure, it's just a movie. And, fwiw, I don't think it's really any worse than the other Die Hard sequels. But, I think the plot barely holds together and some of the action scenes, while generally well done, get really implausible at times. The first movie was at a relatively realistic level. Granted, there were some awfully big explosions, but for the most part they kept it at a plausible level. (Dropping a body on a car is only unlikely, not impossible. And fine for dramatic effect, because even if he missed it would have the same effect. Gruber took out the helicopter when he blew up the roof.) I'm not saying that the original is a masterpiece of neo-realism, but it's a long way from throwing yourself out of speeding cop cars and getting up, blowing up helicopters with a car jump, and surfing off of fighter jets. FWIW, the bad guys seem to get the benefit of the doubt too as one jumps out of a helicopter and walks away and another gets hit with an SUV, crashes through several walls, and keeps on fighting. I do like that the finale kept things at a very human level though. I wish more of the film was like that. And, I certainly think that John McClane, helicopter pilot, was a sign that they had written themselves into a corner and needed to get him back to the coast in a hurry before the bad guy could complete his scheme. I'll grant that it was merely implausible, not impossible, but it runs counter to his depiction as a blue collar guy. It certainly strikes me as a very arbitrary decision by the writers. FWIW, I did have a better time than I did during POTC3. A fast paced, 2 hour movie, with plenty of action, and a focussed (if implausible) storyline certainly has something to recommend it. Robert

Pretty much. Certainly, he refers to himself as an out and out hero instead of a blue collar guy in over his head out of circumstances. Still, he's come a long way from being worried about running over glass in his bare feet to taking out helicopters and ridiculously taking out a jetfighter. Big picture this movie is a mess. John McClane helicopter pilot may beat out the offscreen death of the Kracken for laziest writing of the summer. But, it makes up for it through a fast pace and simple plot mechanics, McClane whittles down henchmen one by one until he gets to the boss. It may be formula, but its a formula that works. And there are some good, old school action sequences in the movie on a human scale. Lots of real stunts and explosions and pushing an R rating for violence. Good final confrontation too. Like all the big blockbusters this summer, it's certainly a flawed movie. But, at least it's fast paced and not too bloated in its many flaws. It's o.k. as a generic action thriller but it has none of the qualities that made the original movie a classic. Robert