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Willow Weep for Me: a Young Lion in San Diego
A remarkable man, and an excellent piece. Thanks.— May 24, 2012 6:34 p.m.
Downton Abbey vs. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: A Tale of Two Actresses
Hip, hip hooray for British acting. And for *Downton Abbey*, almost as good an echo of *Upstairs, Downstairs* as *Gosford Park* was. *Downton* has perfected the art of tantalizingly prolonged soap opera teasing, and it is sad that Robert Morley, Wilfrid Hyde-White, and Margaret Rutherford did not live to participate. Maybe in the past they were guests at the Exotic Marigold Hotel, a marvel of what might be called Raj Rubble style. And thanks for the review plug!— May 14, 2012 11:59 a.m.
Dark Shadows: Dark Secrets, Grave Mistakes
But the original TV show was essentially a comedy, and how could anyone who is not a slow-witted vampire ever take the material seriously? What had some quirky zip and zap over 40 years ago is now just a rummage bin of dated satire and weary schtick, oversold by a big budget. This stuff essentially died with Jonathan Frid. Still, Eva Green is worth an ogle, and Helena Bonham Carter, though not having fun at the level of her Bellatrix in the Potter films, has moments.— May 9, 2012 2:24 p.m.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Hums and Bustles in a Fine Sari
Joh, Thanks for posting this information. More than a footnote! DE— May 9, 2012 2:17 p.m.
Seen on Screen: Titanic, The Kid with a Bike, Bully, American Reunion
Matthew, Within the convolutions of your prose can be seen an amateur psychoanalyst, always a risky role to play. Your main point seems to be that I am sheepish or apologetic in support of "Titanic." Not true. As I said in my much longer review in 1997 and suggest in my new, shorter review (the column had to move on to newer films), "Titanic" is a mixed bag that I strongly endorse. Not to mention its flaws would be an evasion, yet the film surpasses those flaws with its sweeping scale, beauty and romance, and the overriding tragedy of the ship. I also had to mention the money issues that have always contextualized this hit (I can recall critics sneering at the $200 million cost as a damning factor). I don't write blurbs, even when I like a movie as much as this one. I assume that since you care about criticism you don't want reviews that simply gush or dismiss, but ones that offer context and balanced nuances. Helping to sort those out is where a critic can be of real use to readers. David— April 15, 2012 9:33 p.m.
Review: The Three Stooges
Thank you, thank you, for the portrait of Jules White. Such a noble moustache, such a visionary gaze! When a Hollywood Mt. Rushmore is finally carved near the famous sign, it must show the faces of Mr. White and his Stooges. Or if it must be an auteurist monument, let those faces be Jules White, Irving Pichel, Russell Rouse and Arthur Hiller (Ed Wood can be a pile of granite rubble at the bottom). Thank you also for bringing so many nuances to the Stooges -- say, is that the first sentence ever to include "nuances" and "Stooges"?— April 11, 2012 7:02 p.m.
Why the (Bleep) Am I Watching Jackass?
Yes, Colonna, it is. And on that glass mountain you can successfully dine on shoulder cut of Johnny, overturn a Green Goddess salad, panel your rumpus room in Quintaplak, admire the dusty wings of moths, and be asked about "the ethical structure of the universe" by a bee-hived blonde at a wet bar. And please, call me Bwana.— April 9, 2012 4:24 p.m.
Why the (Bleep) Am I Watching Jackass?
Valerie, it was not years of classical piano study that led you to the Jackasses. Nor your slightly guilty pleasure in the Three Stooges. It was, as I know from shared joy, your hours of contemplation spent on Mount Oscar (*The Oscar,* 1966). High on that peak, the Shangri-La of kitsch, you absorbed the truth so wisely perceived by Picasso's great biographer John Richardson, that the master "never lost his taste for bad taste, and knew exactly how to make it work for him." And think of all the philistines who called Picasso a jackass.— April 9, 2012 2:16 p.m.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Norwegian Wood, Being Flynn, Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Javajoe25. I don't think De Niro is an extroverted man, so almost all the roles where he has to break the shell wide open have a kind of strain (which can work, but sometimes doesn't). His over-the-top stuff in *Cape Fear* was fairly ludicrous, and his attempts at playing an amateur showman in *The King of Comedy* are only amusing (and creepy) because of all the nervous insecurity he is venting. His Jake La Motta in *Raging Bull* has a fist for a head (and a knuckle for a brain). But in his best work he has had moments of greatness. His use of Brando-Corleone touches in *Godfather II* is probably the best thing he ever did. I was surprised to discover that you can fly-cast for fish without a rod or reel. Look it up online. I would not suggest going for marlin that way.— March 28, 2012 11:17 p.m.
John Brizzolara’s Last Column
John, you ended the column with true personal style, always rightly the main thing and so vividly achieved for so many years. After she left the New Yorker, Pauline Kael was inevitably asked if she would write a memoir and replied, "I think I have." Her body of work was the best X-ray of her life, as it nearly always is for all real columnists and critics. I salute your achievement, and wish you well in the medical zone and all others.— March 22, 2012 2:29 p.m.