my charming readers

UPDATED: Somehow, the wonderful comments (see below) are making me think of this: I got the most delightful email from a reader in response to my post about Transformers and how I’m guessing I might not hate it like I typically hate Michael Bay’s movies. Since this reader chose not to post this in comments … more…

why Peter Jackson rules Hollywood, and I don’t

Film critics are often accused of being failed filmmakers. It’s no secret that I am, in addition to being a film critic, a failed (as yet) screenwriter. Granted, I haven’t put quite in the effort into writing scripts (as yet) that I have into writing film reviews, so I really can’t complain that my scripts … more…

sign of the apocalypse: I’m not dreading a Michael Bay flick

I saw the trailer for Transformers on a big screen for the first time this weekend, at a showing of Pirates of the Caribbean, and the groaning/ giggling reaction of the pumped crowd seemed to agree with me that this looks like the biggest-dumbest-movie-that’s-gonna-be-a-whole-lotta-fun ever made. And a geeky friend who was with me started … more…

slow commenting problem fixed!

Yea! It was an issue related to the anti-spam magic Movable Type has in play. Details and the fix are here, for those of you interested. I stumbled across this only accidentally, so other users of MT facing the same problem may be interested. Anyway, commenting should zip right along now. Let me know if … more…

I love my new widescreen HDTV

I spent a bit of time over the holiday weekend fiddling around with my new widescreen HDTV — it’s this one, if you’re really interested — and now I’m officially in high-def heaven. See, I’ve got supergenerous readers. David C. sent me a box of cables good for hooking up HD goodies, and my friend … more…

please answer my BlogAds reader survey

BlogAds is running a reader-survey program, and it would be immensely helpful if you’d answer the survey questions. I run BlogAds in the top of the the column to your left, and in the center of the column to your right. I love the service for its narrowly targeted ads — these are ads that, … more…

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (review)

If you can stand a devastating indictment of how the Native Americans were thoroughly fucked over by the European settlers on their land, and you can’t bother yourself with Dee Brown’s book of the same name, then this is an excellent, searingly unsentimental second best.