An Olio
a miscellany of thoughts

May 31, 2005

 

Deep Throat

It seems we have the identity of Deep Throat after the revelation today that it is former FBI offficial W. Mark Felt. Not so fast. His claim is being challenged by someone who claims to be the real Deep Throat. Judge for yourself which of the two claimants is legitimate.

May 22, 2005

 

100 Best Flicks

This week's Time Online Edition features ALL-TIME 100 Movies as selected by the magazine's critics Richard Schickel and Richard Corliss. I agree with their choices more than I have with most similar lists over the years. One reason is the considerable number of older movies included. Another is the absence of most movies made after 1990. Only seven of them are on the list (The Lord of the Rings trilogy is counted as one movie).

The list is in line with what I have thought about movies for a long time, i.e., while today's films frequently are technical marvels, the qualities that make a great film, exceptional acting, directing, writing, design, editing and cinematography, often are not present. For some satisfying cinema experiences, movies on the list that are available on video or DVD will provide hours of viewing pleasure.

 

A Better Term?

In his Chicago Sun-Times article "A Blog by any other name would smell better," Zay N. Smith points out some problems with the inelegant term "blog."

May 18, 2005

 

Goodbye Riddler

I'm saddened to hear of the death at age 72 of Frank Gorshin, the extraordinary impersonator and man of many roles, including the Riddler in the Batman television series from 1966-1969. Though he played a number of other characters, most recently George Burns on Broadway, it is his portrayal of the Riddler that will be most remembered by those of us who never missed an episode of Batman starring Adam West. Gorshin's final performance can be seen tomorrow night on CBS-TV in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Grave Danger, the two hour season finale directed by Quentin Tarantino. After a lifetime of impersonating others, it is perhaps fitting that in this show he is, at last, playing himself.

May 16, 2005

 

May Flicks

I don't attend many movies these days, but there are always some I look forward to seeing. This month there are two. A nice birthday present (mine is the 29th) comes out May 27, the latest from DreamWorks, Madagascar.

I'll probably wait a few days to go to what will undoubtedly be the summer's biggest film, for both attendance and gross, to avoid some of the crowds. It comes out this Thursday, May 19 and so far has gotten mostly positive reviews. Some critics, such as A. O. Scott in The New York Times, are calling it the best of the six movies in the series. The review by Roger Ebert is a good read. But even negative comments won't keep the hordes away from Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith.

May 07, 2005

 

Loooongshot Wins Big

Giacomo pulled off a dramatic upset in the Kentucky Derby, beating 50-1 odds and returning $102.60 on a $2 bet to the lucky few who took a chance on him. The race's longest shot, Closing Argument at 72-1, paid $70 in a game second-place finish. That was my choice, so I'd have gone home with a few dollars if I'd been able to bet.

All of trainer Nick Zito's five entries, including favorite Bellamy Road, owned by George Steinbrenner, fell short. Some pundits questioned whether Bellamy Road could win, Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated among them. His prediction was close -- Afleet Alex came in third. But what Layden wrote about Giacomo before the race is a laugher now.

May 05, 2005

 

Women With Vision

The Walker Art Center's 12th Annual Women With Vision Film Festival runs from May 7 - 21. Among the events is a series of short films by girls ages 8 to 18, The Big Screen: Girls in the Director's Chair showing Saturday, May 7.