This That The Other

I thought I'd try something a little different and begin a post without having any idea what I was going to write about. Perhaps now that I'm started I could touch upon some of the ideas I've had but never gotten around to. Maybe that's not spontaneous enough. Anywhoo, let's see what comes up.

* I'm one of those people who loved the ending for No Country for Old Men (2007). It seems a lot of people want resolution to every story. Life doesn't always work like that. Also, Anton Chigurh was not, perhaps, a force that was stoppable. Also, it was quite faithful to the book.

* Chronicle critic Mick LaSalle published a letter today from someone who called him the worst critic in history. I think Mick should have embraced the distinction. Imagine being the ultimate in anything. It'd be a real selling point for his reviews. "See what the world's worst critic says."

* Anyone else disappointed with last night's Saturday Night Live? I always expect more from their Christmas episode. I've taken to watching the show faithfully since they added Andy Samberg to the cast -- he's a former student. He joined SNL along with friends Avilka Schaffer and Jorma Taccone who are writers on the show and also former students of mine. Not all my students go on to such success. One former charge is on death row for triple homicide. I get mixed results.

* Can't wait to see Frost/Nixon, Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader, that Button movie with Brad Pitt and some of the other year end releases. Trouble is I've got this damn trip to Europe coming up. Hoping to catch a film in Paris if for no other reason than to check out the cinema experience there.

* Isn't Santa Claus (pictured above with his missus) great? So generous, tirelessly giving without asking for anything in return. You should realize that he's a Finn and his actual name is Joulu Pukki.

* Watched The Shop Around the Corner (1940) last night, a Christmas tradition of late. One thing that struck me about was what a great ensemble cast it had. Sure Jimmy Stewart and Maureen Sullivan were excellent and, as I mentioned in recent post, so too was Frank Morgan. But how about Felix Bressart and William Tracy, just to name a pair? Then I thought about how often I rhapsodize about a movie and mention that in addition to its star the supporting cast was top drawer. It's rather obvious then that that a very good movie is very good because of the a very good overall cast. Duh!

* I wonder if Jesus Christ was bummed that his birthday fell on Christmas? Just wondering....

* Check out the most recent post on Jim Emerson's scanner's blog. It's not just about an over reaction to a film but about film criticism and some disturbing trends in our society.

* I wonder if Asia Argento and Ludivine Sangier read my blog? They might seek me out in Paris. My wife might get wind of this. Ooh, cat fight!

* Okay, I was doing pretty well with this "unscripted" post until then. May be time to move on. Joyeux Noel, y'all.