TV And Films

The shows and movies I like (or don’t).

Plot vs. Monster of the Week

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The more I watch of Buffy, I’m starting to notice one definite similarity between my enjoyment of that show and my enjoyment of the X-Files. Nothing terribly earth-shattering, it’s just that both series have two basic types of episode: the “plot” episode and the “monster of the week” episode. In each case, while they’re both enjoyable, it’s really the “plot” episodes that I enjoy the most.

Like I said, nothing terribly earth shattering.

iTunes: “John the Fisherman” by Primus from the album Frizzle Fry (1990, 3:37).

Enterprise in trouble?

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Via /. comes a Cinescape rumor report saying that the latest Star Trek incarnation, Enterprise, might be in jeopardy…

You may remember speculation from last year that STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE, the latest TV series in the long-running sci-fi franchise, was in possible danger of being cancelled. Most of these fears seemed to originate with the news that two less episodes of ENTERPRISE would be needed for this season, and when combined with the show’s lackluster ratings, produced gossip that the show could be hanging by a thread. There was also talk that the show was being moved to Friday evenings from its Wednesday perch on the network.

UPN suits and ENTERPRISE producer Rick Berman dispelled the rumor that the program would move to Fridays but did confirm that a shorter run was in store for the third season. Nevertheless, the news was downplayed as a minor issue and not one serious enough to deliver a deathblow to the struggling series. But last week’s abrupt and unexpected cancellation of JAKE 2.0, the series that followed on UPN directly after ENTERPRISE, may have sent a pulse of fear through the cast and crew. At the very least it prompted an individual to write in and tell us what they say the scuttlebutt is on the set right now…

Now, I’ve not seen Enterprise since I moved into my current apartment, and at the time, I wasn’t sorry to stop watching it. It’s still a little sad to see that one of the staples of my life may be coming to such an ignominious end.

Carol Moseley Braun…sci-fi geek!

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Lifted directly from BackupBrain:

The mundane buzz today about Carol Moseley Braun will be her dropping her own presidential campaign and supporting Dean. But the real news happened last night on her appearance on The Daily Show. Turns out that Carol’s a total science fiction geek. First she says (in a discussion of Bush’s Mars proposal) “Live long and prosper.” But she punctuated that with the Vulcan hand sign! And then, when talking about the way Bush pumps up the fear volume for the War on Terra, she explains it by saying “Fear is the mindkiller.” For those not familiar with classic SF, that’s from Frank Herbert’s Dune. Carol, you’re one of my people. May you get a job in the Dean Cabinet.

iTunes: “It’s Like That (Drop the Break)” by Run-D.M.C. from the album It’s Like That (1997, 8:20).

IMDB top 250

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The Internet Movie Database top 250 films, as voted by IMDB members.

Movies I’ve seen are in bold and prepended with “»” — exactly half, as it turns out.

  1. » Godfather, The (1972) 9.0/10 (85952 votes)
  2. » Shawshank Redemption, The (1994) 8.9/10 (107497 votes)
  3. » Godfather: Part II, The (1974) 8.8/10 (50123 votes)
  4. » Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The (2003) 8.8/10 (40590 votes)
  5. » Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The (2002) 8.8/10 (70481 votes)
  6. Casablanca (1942) 8.7/10 (49906 votes)
  7. » Schindler’s List (1993) 8.7/10 (73500 votes)
  8. » Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (2001) 8.7/10 (114811 votes)
  9. Shichinin no samurai (1954) 8.7/10 (21004 votes)
  10. » Star Wars (1977) 8.7/10 (105325 votes)
  11. » Citizen Kane (1941) 8.7/10 (46642 votes)
  12. » One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) 8.6/10 (52255 votes)
  13. » Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) 8.6/10 (47315 votes)
  14. Rear Window (1954) 8.6/10 (30471 votes)
  15. » Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) 8.6/10 (81067 votes)
  16. » Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 8.6/10 (71871 votes)
  17. » Memento (2000) 8.6/10 (63647 votes)
  18. » Usual Suspects, The (1995) 8.6/10 (79025 votes)
  19. » Pulp Fiction (1994) 8.6/10 (95386 votes)
  20. North by Northwest (1959) 8.5/10 (27150 votes)
  21. 12 Angry Men (1957) 8.5/10 (20783 votes)
  22. » Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain, Le (2001) 8.5/10 (39774 votes)
  23. » Psycho (1960) 8.5/10 (41388 votes)
  24. » Lawrence of Arabia (1962) 8.5/10 (23439 votes)
  25. Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966) 8.5/10 (18600 votes)
  26. » Silence of the Lambs, The (1991) 8.5/10 (70778 votes)
  27. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) 8.5/10 (31918 votes)
  28. Goodfellas (1990) 8.5/10 (49407 votes)
  29. » American Beauty (1999) 8.4/10 (83671 votes)
  30. » Vertigo (1958) 8.4/10 (25776 votes)
  31. Sunset Blvd. (1950) 8.4/10 (11430 votes)
  32. » Matrix, The (1999) 8.4/10 (108909 votes)
  33. » Apocalypse Now (1979) 8.4/10 (47828 votes)
  34. Pianist, The (2002) 8.4/10 (16132 votes)
  35. » To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) 8.4/10 (22416 votes)
  36. Some Like It Hot (1959) 8.3/10 (18683 votes)
  37. » Taxi Driver (1976) 8.3/10 (34534 votes)
  38. C’era una volta il West (1968) 8.3/10 (9817 votes)
  39. Third Man, The (1949) 8.3/10 (13750 votes)
  40. Paths of Glory (1957) 8.3/10 (10303 votes)
  41. » Fight Club (1999) 8.3/10 (78071 votes)
  42. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001) 8.3/10 (12419 votes)
  43. » Boot, Das (1981) 8.3/10 (21611 votes)
  44. Double Indemnity (1944) 8.3/10 (8656 votes)
  45. » L.A. Confidential (1997) 8.3/10 (54347 votes)
  46. » Chinatown (1974) 8.3/10 (18982 votes)
  47. Singin’ in the Rain (1952) 8.3/10 (15379 votes)
  48. » Maltese Falcon, The (1941) 8.3/10 (15057 votes)
  49. » Requiem for a Dream (2000) 8.3/10 (30066 votes)
  50. M (1931) 8.3/10 (8591 votes)
  51. » Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957) 8.3/10 (17003 votes)
  52. All About Eve (1950) 8.3/10 (9819 votes)
  53. » Se7en (1995) 8.3/10 (64280 votes)
  54. » Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) 8.3/10 (45177 votes)
  55. » Saving Private Ryan (1998) 8.2/10 (76604 votes)
  56. Cidade de Deus (2002) 8.2/10 (7771 votes)
  57. Raging Bull (1980) 8.2/10 (19140 votes)
  58. » Wizard of Oz, The (1939) 8.2/10 (29356 votes)
  59. Rashômon (1950) 8.2/10 (7934 votes)
  60. » Sting, The (1973) 8.2/10 (17916 votes)
  61. » Alien (1979) 8.2/10 (47259 votes)
  62. » American History X (1998) 8.2/10 (40805 votes)
  63. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) 8.2/10 (8687 votes)
  64. » Léon (1994) 8.2/10 (36366 votes)
  65. Vita è bella, La (1997) 8.2/10 (28985 votes)
  66. Manchurian Candidate, The (1962) 8.2/10 (9860 votes)
  67. Touch of Evil (1958) 8.2/10 (8917 votes)
  68. » 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 8.2/10 (50844 votes)
  69. Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948) 8.2/10 (7720 votes)
  70. Wo hu cang long (2000) 8.2/10 (40663 votes)
  71. Great Escape, The (1963) 8.2/10 (14435 votes)
  72. » Clockwork Orange, A (1971) 8.2/10 (48619 votes)
  73. » Reservoir Dogs (1992) 8.2/10 (48741 votes)
  74. » Amadeus (1984) 8.2/10 (28249 votes)
  75. Annie Hall (1977) 8.2/10 (15702 votes)
  76. Ran (1985) 8.2/10 (8438 votes)
  77. » Jaws (1975) 8.2/10 (35421 votes)
  78. Modern Times (1936) 8.2/10 (7209 votes)
  79. On the Waterfront (1954) 8.2/10 (8989 votes)
  80. » Braveheart (1995) 8.1/10 (70455 votes)
  81. High Noon (1952) 8.1/10 (9106 votes)
  82. Apartment, The (1960) 8.1/10 (8123 votes)
  83. » Fargo (1996) 8.1/10 (50814 votes)
  84. » Sixth Sense, The (1999) 8.1/10 (73059 votes)
  85. » Aliens (1986) 8.1/10 (49225 votes)
  86. » Shining, The (1980) 8.1/10 (36774 votes)
  87. Strangers on a Train (1951) 8.1/10 (7568 votes)
  88. » Blade Runner (1982) 8.1/10 (59265 votes)
  89. » Metropolis (1927) 8.1/10 (8500 votes)
  90. Duck Soup (1933) 8.1/10 (7369 votes)
  91. Donnie Darko (2001) 8.1/10 (24871 votes)
  92. » Finding Nemo (2003) 8.1/10 (19004 votes)
  93. General, The (1927) 8.1/10 (4897 votes)
  94. » Princess Bride, The (1987) 8.1/10 (42145 votes)
  95. » Toy Story 2 (1999) 8.1/10 (30186 votes)
  96. City Lights (1931) 8.1/10 (5514 votes)
  97. Great Dictator, The (1940) 8.1/10 (6981 votes)
  98. » Lola rennt (1998) 8.0/10 (23936 votes)
  99. » Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) 8.0/10 (24285 votes)
  100. Notorious (1946) 8.0/10 (7646 votes)
  101. » Full Metal Jacket (1987) 8.0/10 (34726 votes)
  102. Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957) 8.0/10 (6501 votes)
  103. » Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1989) 8.0/10 (10365 votes)
  104. Rebecca (1940) 8.0/10 (8314 votes)
  105. » Mononoke-hime (1997) 8.0/10 (12922 votes)
  106. » Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) 8.0/10 (15175 votes)
  107. Big Sleep, The (1946) 8.0/10 (7487 votes)
  108. » Graduate, The (1967) 8.0/10 (20785 votes)
  109. It Happened One Night (1934) 8.0/10 (5693 votes)
  110. Manhattan (1979) 8.0/10 (9389 votes)
  111. » Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) 8.0/10 (59058 votes)
  112. Deer Hunter, The (1978) 8.0/10 (20594 votes)
  113. Patton (1970) 8.0/10 (10548 votes)
  114. Best Years of Our Lives, The (1946) 8.0/10 (4519 votes)
  115. Searchers, The (1956) 8.0/10 (7644 votes)
  116. » Glory (1989) 8.0/10 (16893 votes)
  117. Yojimbo (1961) 8.0/10 (5840 votes)
  118. Ladri di biciclette (1948) 8.0/10 (5236 votes)
  119. » Philadelphia Story, The (1940) 8.0/10 (7994 votes)
  120. African Queen, The (1951) 8.0/10 (10810 votes)
  121. » Forrest Gump (1994) 8.0/10 (66094 votes)
  122. Bringing Up Baby (1938) 8.0/10 (6803 votes)
  123. » Cool Hand Luke (1967) 8.0/10 (10603 votes)
  124. » Ben-Hur (1959) 8.0/10 (15834 votes)
  125. » Green Mile, The (1999) 8.0/10 (42534 votes)
  126. » Shrek (2001) 8.0/10 (43296 votes)
  127. Once Upon a Time in America (1984) 8.0/10 (12557 votes)
  128. » Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) 8.0/10 (63418 votes)
  129. » Unforgiven (1992) 8.0/10 (22661 votes)
  130. Hable con ella (2002) 8.0/10 (7512 votes)
  131. Stalag 17 (1953) 8.0/10 (5119 votes)
  132. » Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) 7.9/10 (8502 votes)
  133. » Grapes of Wrath, The (1940) 7.9/10 (5750 votes)
  134. » Gone with the Wind (1939) 7.9/10 (21876 votes)
  135. Night of the Hunter, The (1955) 7.9/10 (5452 votes)
  136. Wild Bunch, The (1969) 7.9/10 (8046 votes)
  137. Straight Story, The (1999) 7.9/10 (10466 votes)
  138. Elephant Man, The (1980) 7.9/10 (11833 votes)
  139. Christmas Story, A (1983) 7.9/10 (14954 votes)
  140. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) 7.9/10 (4890 votes)
  141. » Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) 7.9/10 (46461 votes)
  142. » Platoon (1986) 7.9/10 (25539 votes)
  143. Hustler, The (1961) 7.9/10 (6050 votes)
  144. » Back to the Future (1985) 7.9/10 (51627 votes)
  145. » Young Frankenstein (1974) 7.9/10 (16567 votes)
  146. » His Girl Friday (1940) 7.9/10 (4837 votes)
  147. » Monsters, Inc. (2001) 7.9/10 (26100 votes)
  148. » Die Hard (1988) 7.9/10 (44845 votes)
  149. Amores perros (2000) 7.9/10 (8940 votes)
  150. Grande illusion, La (1937) 7.9/10 (3686 votes)
  151. Adventures of Robin Hood, The (1938) 7.9/10 (5145 votes)
  152. » Gold Rush, The (1925) 7.9/10 (4560 votes)
  153. » Almost Famous (2000) 7.9/10 (27984 votes)
  154. » Spartacus (1960) 7.9/10 (12390 votes)
  155. » Life of Brian (1979) 7.9/10 (24447 votes)
  156. Charade (1963) 7.9/10 (6386 votes)
  157. Conversation, The (1974) 7.9/10 (7325 votes)
  158. » Gladiator (2000) 7.9/10 (68872 votes)
  159. Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The (1962) 7.9/10 (5236 votes)
  160. Festen (1998) 7.9/10 (8900 votes)
  161. Lost in Translation (2003) 7.9/10 (7081 votes)
  162. Magnolia (1999) 7.9/10 (33292 votes)
  163. » Being John Malkovich (1999) 7.9/10 (40325 votes)
  164. Sling Blade (1996) 7.9/10 (16093 votes)
  165. Smultronstället (1957) 7.9/10 (3359 votes)
  166. » Toy Story (1995) 7.9/10 (34938 votes)
  167. Bronenosets Potyomkin (1925) 7.9/10 (4074 votes)
  168. » Insider, The (1999) 7.9/10 (21327 votes)
  169. Witness for the Prosecution (1957) 7.9/10 (3683 votes)
  170. Roman Holiday (1953) 7.9/10 (6796 votes)
  171. » Brazil (1985) 7.8/10 (23606 votes)
  172. Night at the Opera, A (1935) 7.8/10 (4411 votes)
  173. » Mulholland Dr. (2001) 7.8/10 (23334 votes)
  174. Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951) 7.8/10 (6955 votes)
  175. Day the Earth Stood Still, The (1951) 7.8/10 (7618 votes)
  176. All the President’s Men (1976) 7.8/10 (9542 votes)
  177. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) 7.8/10 (5294 votes)
  178. » Exorcist, The (1973) 7.8/10 (24380 votes)
  179. Shadow of a Doubt (1943) 7.8/10 (3854 votes)
  180. To Be or Not to Be (1942) 7.8/10 (2538 votes)
  181. Quatre cents coups, Les (1959) 7.8/10 (4348 votes)
  182. Killing, The (1956) 7.8/10 (4732 votes)
  183. Mystic River (2003) 7.8/10 (6971 votes)
  184. Ed Wood (1994) 7.8/10 (15336 votes)
  185. » Terminator, The (1984) 7.8/10 (45057 votes)
  186. Trois couleurs: Rouge (1994) 7.8/10 (7787 votes)
  187. » Stand by Me (1986) 7.8/10 (23046 votes)
  188. » Adaptation. (2002) 7.8/10 (14009 votes)
  189. » Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) 7.8/10 (5735 votes)
  190. » Twelve Monkeys (1995) 7.8/10 (47687 votes)
  191. Dog Day Afternoon (1975) 7.8/10 (10389 votes)
  192. » This Is Spinal Tap (1984) 7.8/10 (14517 votes)
  193. » Harvey (1950) 7.8/10 (5761 votes)
  194. Right Stuff, The (1983) 7.8/10 (10181 votes)
  195. Gandhi (1982) 7.8/10 (11787 votes)
  196. » Trainspotting (1996) 7.8/10 (38817 votes)
  197. Network (1976) 7.8/10 (6855 votes)
  198. Miller’s Crossing (1990) 7.8/10 (10096 votes)
  199. Midnight Cowboy (1969) 7.8/10 (9605 votes)
  200. Ying xiong (2002) 7.8/10 (5199 votes)
  201. Lion in Winter, The (1968) 7.8/10 (4297 votes)
  202. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) 7.8/10 (9249 votes)
  203. » Groundhog Day (1993) 7.8/10 (32166 votes)
  204. » Minority Report (2002) 7.8/10 (35042 votes)
  205. » Rain Man (1988) 7.8/10 (32212 votes)
  206. » Others, The (2001) 7.8/10 (25521 votes)
  207. King Kong (1933) 7.8/10 (7367 votes)
  208. Laura (1944) 7.8/10 (3414 votes)
  209. Stagecoach (1939) 7.8/10 (4080 votes)
  210. 8½ (1963) 7.8/10 (5605 votes)
  211. » Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) 7.8/10 (23790 votes)
  212. » Snatch. (2000) 7.8/10 (29700 votes)
  213. 39 Steps, The (1935) 7.8/10 (5571 votes)
  214. » Traffic (2000) 7.8/10 (31902 votes)
  215. Whale Rider (2002) 7.8/10 (4151 votes)
  216. » Untouchables, The (1987) 7.7/10 (22841 votes)
  217. Hotaru no haka (1988) 7.7/10 (3922 votes)
  218. Strada, La (1954) 7.7/10 (3443 votes)
  219. » Beauty and the Beast (1991) 7.7/10 (18809 votes)
  220. » Big Lebowski, The (1998) 7.7/10 (34322 votes)
  221. » Henry V (1989) 7.7/10 (6772 votes)
  222. Rio Bravo (1959) 7.7/10 (5216 votes)
  223. In the Heat of the Night (1967) 7.7/10 (4720 votes)
  224. Thin Man, The (1934) 7.7/10 (3438 votes)
  225. Todo sobre mi madre (1999) 7.7/10 (9705 votes)
  226. Passion de Jeanne d’Arc, La (1928) 7.7/10 (2176 votes)
  227. » Planet of the Apes (1968) 7.7/10 (15050 votes)
  228. Die xue shuang xiong (1989) 7.7/10 (6670 votes)
  229. » Fantasia (1940) 7.7/10 (11720 votes)
  230. » Good Will Hunting (1997) 7.7/10 (47630 votes)
  231. Being There (1979) 7.7/10 (7884 votes)
  232. » Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) 7.7/10 (31423 votes)
  233. » Clerks. (1994) 7.7/10 (30777 votes)
  234. Beautiful Mind, A (2001) 7.7/10 (30319 votes)
  235. Red River (1948) 7.7/10 (2676 votes)
  236. Bride of Frankenstein (1935) 7.7/10 (3016 votes)
  237. » E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) 7.7/10 (34144 votes)
  238. MASH (1970) 7.7/10 (11881 votes)
  239. » Man Who Would Be King, The (1975) 7.7/10 (6294 votes)
  240. Road to Perdition (2002) 7.7/10 (20995 votes)
  241. » X2 (2003) 7.7/10 (23029 votes)
  242. Sleuth (1972) 7.7/10 (3522 votes)
  243. Quiet Man, The (1952) 7.7/10 (5455 votes)
  244. » Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) 7.7/10 (10818 votes)
  245. JFK (1991) 7.7/10 (20430 votes)
  246. » Heat (1995) 7.7/10 (31817 votes)
  247. » O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) 7.7/10 (28294 votes)
  248. Birds, The (1963) 7.7/10 (15314 votes)
  249. » Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) 7.7/10 (21030 votes)
  250. Killing Fields, The (1984) 7.7/10 (7391 votes)

(via kalyx and prettyman63)

iTunes: “900° (Cool Down)” by Pooley, Ian from the album Essential Chillout (2000, 6:47).

Cheaper By the Dozen

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I absolutely, uncategorically, and unquestionably refuse to go see the Cheaper By the Dozen movie currently playing in the theaters.

The original book by Frank Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey was one of my favorite books growing up. It’s the true story of the Gilbreths, a turn of the century family unlike any other. Father was an efficiency expert, hired by companies to examine their work processes and find ways to speed up production — and he ran his life and his household by the same standards as his business. His wife shared in his duties, giving lectures on efficiency techniques (no small feat for a woman in 1917), and continued her husband’s work and business after he died. Then, there were their children — all twelve of them.

At first, when I saw that there was going to be a new movie made from the book, I was interested. Then, I found out that it starred Steve Martin, and I began to worry. Then I saw the previews, and my fears were confirmed — in the name of “modernization”, the story I loved as a kid has been gutted to the point where apparently the only connection to the original source material is the number of children. Such a shame.

I was ranting about this to Prairie after seeing the preview a while back, and while she could sympathize with my frustration, she couldn’t empathize, never having read the book. So, one of her Christmas presents from me this year was her own copy of Cheaper By the Dozen. She’s been reading it off and on all evening as I’ve been dinking around on the computer, and I’m constantly hearing her start to giggle (or out and out laugh) at one passage or another. I love it when something I loved so much when I was younger gives someone else the giggles as they read it for the first time.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

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Oh.

Look out!

My.

Giant robots marching through the streets!

God.

They're destroying everything!

Have you seen the trailer for Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow yet? If not, run over, do not walk, do not pass Go, do not collect \$200, and watch it now.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

1930’s pulp sci-fi on a modern budget on the big screen, complete with giant marauding robots shooting death rays from their eyes, an intrepid reporter (Gwynneth Paltrow), a bold flying ace (Jude Law), and a courageous Naval officer (Angelina Jolie — with an eyepatch, even), battling the futuristic forces of evil and the mad scientist behind it all, Dr. Totenkopf…

Escape is impossible!

I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a trailer this jaw-droppingly cool. Ever. I’ve just watched it six times in a row.

Those zeppelins are no match for them!

This can’t hit the theaters soon enough!

Peter Pan…soon!

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I’ve been looking forward to the new film version of Peter Pan ever since I stumbled across the trailer in mid-November. Kalyx just got to see it, and her writeup just makes me want to see it more…

This was the best adaptation that I have seen. Peter Pan has always rubbed me the wrong way. I saw the musical as a child and the Disney film, and found the music annoying, and just nothing overly interesting about the story except for Hook and the Crocodile. Well, the version in theaters currently is so not the Disney classic. There are no songs and the story adds so much depth to the characters. This is a darker and more complex Peter Pan.

[…]

The elements of the Disney classic, which is the version of the story I am most familiar with are all there. But this version puts the pieces together making sense of the myth. It doesn’t shy away from the erotic nature of the Peter Pan story and certainly does not avoid the real issues of childhood stirring within. We understand Peter’s attraction to Wendy is not that of a boy, but the stirrings of adolescence and the jealousy of Tinker Bell, makes sense in this context. We also see Wendy’s eventual welcoming of adulthood after her own recognition of Peter’s shortcoming, essentially that he is a boy that can never grow up.

[…]

…this film feels a deep grief for Peter, for the never ending cycles of games and adventures that will always leave no real mark or impression, as he is incapable of growth. This is a fairy tale that welcomes adulthood while grieving the loss of play. And this film does not shy away from allow Peter Pan to be tragic figure.

This is truly a lovely telling of the classic tale.

I’m so looking forward to this, and thankfully, I don’t have to wait much longer — Prairie and I have plans to see it New Years day.

Second star to the right, and straight on ’til morning…

LotR:TRotK EE DVD – 4h50m+?

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I think I just wanted to make the most cryptic post title possible. ;)

Apparently, Peter Jackson recently revealed that the DVD Extended Edition of Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King “will be longer than 4 hours and 50 min” long!

Wow.

Let’s see. About 3:28 for the extended TFotR, about 3:43 for the extended TTT, and possibly over 4:50 for the extended TRotK. We’re rapidly approaching a solid twelve hours for the full saga when all is said and done.

Sweet. I’m all for it. Bring it on!

(via Jarret House North)

The miracles of Christmas

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The real miracles of Christmas, according to me:

Miracle One: In thirty years of Christmas seasons, to the best of my knowledge, I have never seen either It’s A Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story. Never. Not once. I haven’t gone out of my way to avoid seeing them, but I certainly haven’t gone out of my way to attempt to see them, either. For one reason or another, it just hasn’t happened.

Miracle Two: That despite having no less than three different versions of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” programmed into the in-store Muzak at work, resulting in my having to listen to that insipid song no less than 240 times over the past month (three times in a two-hour repeating block of music over eight hours, twelve times a day, 40 times a week, 240 times since Thanksgiving), not to mention being treated to innumerable different versions of every other Christmas song ever recorded every time I stepped out of the house since Thanksgiving, I still managed not to devolve into a gibbering psychopath and start randomly destroying speakers, PA systems, stereos, and random carolers whenever I passed them.

It was really, really, really tempting, though.