Subject: rather disgusting...
From: Mitchell A. Smith [masmith@mindkeep.com]

I noticed that in your review brief review of Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer you failed to state the fact that Aileen admitted she lied, and there existed not one instance where she killed in self defense. And the reason you failed to state this fact? Because you're a feminist apologist, who probably wanted to free Andrea Yates while secretly fuming that her husband wasn't charged and sentenced to death. How it must feel to be such a lost, twisted creature as yourself I surely will never know.

Oh, one final note: Aileen was not the first female serial killer. I know you used "supposedly" in your write-up, but then I'm willing to bet you already knew that your statement was absolutely not true. My, feminists really are best at hiding and twisting the truth. Look at the link below, if you dare:

http://www.sonic.net/~msnyder/femvio/

And you'll twist this around...how?

I respond:

Your psychic powers astound me. You were able to divine so much about me from one very short review? Amazing.

The reader responds:

Yes, as it is very easy to read feminists of your ilk. Please, keep up the good work; makes spotting your kind all the easier.

I respond:

But why leap to such an assumption? Goodness: From a very short film review you are able to extrapolate my reaction to an entirely unrelated event? How do you do that?

The reader responds:

You already know, hon...feminist: Easy to spot, easy to read.

I respond:

So, then you'd have no problem if I said something like, "Intellectually bankrupt sexist pig who jumps to conclusions on no evidence: Easy to spot, east to read"?

Not that I *would* say something like that...

The reader responds:

Absolutely no problem at all. Just like a feminist, you choose to name call in the most juvenile way. And since you have now freely admitted that my labeling you a feminist is really a way of slandering you, you then must logically admit that the current form of feminism is an evil paradigm in need of being extinguished with extreme prejudice.

See, not so hard to find common ground, and not so hard to for you to admit that you were wrong on several counts. I fully accept your apology.

I respond:

For you to call me "juvenile" after your initial email is the funniest thing I've heard all day. Thanks for the laugh.

The reader responds:

You are most welcome. I look forward to correcting you in the future.

Subject: Monster Review
From: AileenWuornsRulz@aol.com

Concerning your review of Monster well I think you are so way off the mark you are off the planet even. Your review is sad, pathetic and preposterous.

I respond:

Can you offer any substantive commentary on my review besides namecalling?

Also: "AileenWuornsRulz"? Care to explain that?

The reader responds:

Yes I sure can but since I'm on another person's computer besides my Laptop I will add more to my original comment when I get home. As for my email address, I will touch briefly on that and cover it more in my next email. I admire Lee for her courage and standing up to people. Again I apologize for this brief email but wanted at least to let you know I did recieve your email

after a week of waiting, I prompt:

Just wondering: Are you going to elaborate on your bizarre comments?

[no response]

Subject: Monster
From: Boyd Petrie [respect@aros.net]

Normally I don't criticize your opinions because they are your opinion. But in regards to "Monster", it seems you were more upset that a beautiful woman took a role that a less-attractive women could have taken rather than the quality of the film itself. Would your opinion differed had you not known it was Charlize Theron in the film? It seems the filmmaker was looking for an actor who could pull off the psychological and emotional aspects of the Wuornos character, not about who was most attractive. I'm sure it helped financially to have Theron's name attached, but such is life. Why should Charlize Theron be saddled with lackluster, poorly-written roles just because she's beautiful? While whether or not Wuornos' character is poorly written is definitely up for debate, it just seems beautiful women can occasionally be limited by their role choices by the Hollywood system, just as less attractive women are (almost always) limited by their role choices.

I suppose to each their own. But I just wish you would give a more filmic reason for disliking a film versus a political one. Love your reviews for the most part--just disagree with you on this.

I respond:

I agree: Theron should not be saddled with lackluster, poorly written roles just because she's beautiful. So then why is she in this movie? Her role is lackluster and poorly written. And I *did* give a reason why I could not lose myself in Theron's performance, which I imagine I would have been able to do in a better film: I blamed writer/director Jenkins for writing a shallow script and directing it with no insight. Go back and reread the review: it's all there.

Subject: American Splendor
From: Saltz, Ilene (RSCH) [ilene_saltz@ml.com]

"There's not a moment that fake or false or resorts to filmic artifice in Lost in Translation"

Did you not notice that the actor playing Harvey Pekar is almost physical double - a fat, balding, none-to-good looking (to be kind) shlep, while the actress playing his Joyce Brabner is young, slim, and beautiful - although the real life Joyce is the female counterpart to Harvey.

I respond:

I didn't say that there was no artifice in American Splendor (it was Lost in Translation I said that about) -- I said just the opposite, actually. Still, I thought Hope Davis looked like she could have been a younger version of the real Joyce Brabner -- if Davis was younger and slimmer than the Brabner we see, it's because she's playing a younger version of Brabner.

The reader responds:

Whereas Paul Giamatti is fat and ugly because he's playing a "younger" version of Pekar?

P.S. Beautiful young women do not marry ugly slovenly young men.

I respond:

Whereas Giamatti looks like a possible younger version of Pekar. Did you not see the film? Did you not see the filmmakers playing with the idea that there are many different artists who've drawn Pekar in his comic book, all of which depictions look different, and that maybe here's just another variation on Pekar?

P.S. While Hope Davis may be beautiful, I don't think her Joyce Brabner could be called beautiful. That said, beautiful women marry ugly men all the time -- it's the converse that rarely happens.

Subject: Bias Meter
From: Robin Hoher [RHoeher@cfl.rr.com]

I have a suggestion for your site. I *LOVE* your bias meter, I think it's great. I love your little header "You are the worst critic I have read about yet, you are biast...", and I love the way you did it graphically. HOWEVER: I do not know all the individuals that you depict. Your "current enemy" and your current "I'm dreading" do not register. What about hotspotting your images either to your review or to the respective IMDB site, so a click on the image reveals the film that your are psyched about, or that you are dreading?

I respond:

You're not the first person to ask that, but it'd just take too much work, and I'm already pressed for time as it is. You'll just have to live with the occasional mystery. Sorry. :-]

Subject: Re: Chasing Liberty review
From: Alan Slipp [btg@evilemail.com]

How *dare* you make fun of Mandy Moore's acting career! *gasp* I'm surprised lightning bolts from God don't strike you down for using so much irony! Didn't you know that irony was dead? >=-)

I didn't give nearly as much thought to the subtext of this film when I watched the trailer as you have - the fact that you seem to have actually seen the whole thing proves you're of truly sterner stuff than me. The subtext is insidious, though, isn't it? From the way you describe things, it almost seems like a propaganda film: "Love us while we strip you of your civil liberties. Oh, and fork over your life savings so we can build a moonbase."

I think Spider Robinson summed up the role of a reviewer best: "A critic tells you if it's art. A reviewer tells you if it's any good." I think you certainly do a capable job of wearing both hats - some may disagree, but I think I share many of the same biases. I'd certainly rather read a review by you than Harry Knowles, that's for sure.

Subject: Thank you
From: Hedwig solismail [H.J.vanDriel@students.uu.nl]

I have had the urge to write you many times in the past, but always refrained, thinking you probably got enough e-mail already. Your review of Chasing Liberty pushed me over the brink though. I just want to thank you. Thank you for writing consitently funny, while informative, reviews, and for daring to go beyond the standard review format. Thank you for being a female geek like me and sharing my taste in movies almost to a T (I, for example, actually enjoyed Tarantino's masturbation, but I was glad to find someone who, like me, was disappointed with Finding Nemo when everyone thinksn it's fantastic). Thank you for introducing me to The Princess Bride and for keeping me away from The Matrix Revolutions (Of course, I can't be sure about the second one, since I haven't seen it, but I think I can be grateful your review convinced me not to go). Thank you for not automatically giving each movie sarcastic comments, but letting yourself go with geek enthusiasm sometimes. Thank you for your good taste in and nice pictures of current boyfriends.

So, my merciless butt kissing is over :-D I hope you didn't mind it too much.

P.S. My crush on Aragorn suddenly shifted to Faramir by the third movie, and you seem to like him better too. Any ideas as what causes this strange transition? Maybe that girls don't want a king, they want a free, brave man. With feelings, of course ;-)

I respond:

I don't mind having my butt kissed at all. Feels good. :->

Faramir: Ah... Yeah, I think it's that he's a real man, not an impossible paragon of nobility. Plus, Aragorn never stops pining for Arwen, and you know what it's like when a guy just will not shut up about his old girlfriends. "Arwen gave me the Evenstar,you know," "Arwen's immortal, you know," "Did I ever tell you about how Arwen's gone to the Undying Lands?" It's nothing but Arwen, Arwen, Arwen, all the damn time.

Also, David Wenham is really cute. :->

03.08.04

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