DISQUS

I always liked the use of the cross in the geta-away scene...

I'm kinda with Donna - to me, Ben's in love with the idea of his own passion, but not with the actual women in the movie. So the "passion" seems like acting in a way (which of course it was) - perhaps it's having not seen the movie in its time, I just never bought the rebellion of those relationships. The shocking center didn't seem so shocking, and it was always obvious Hoffman and Bancroft weren't a full generation apart.

Ben wants to not have what he has.

I'm a sucker for the vintage California locations, I have to say - nice point about the color. This was only a decade after Vertigo, another sublime CA locations flick.

Sure it's a fine movie (beautifully made with some great exterior shots), but that static nature seems like a tic after a while - and it probably has to do with Hoffman's constant dead-pan throughout. Yeah, their lives are emotionally bankrupt and nothing changes among the upper middle class...

I tell ya what worked in that flick was an older Shirley MacLaine - she was great.

Well, the Graduate - I was always disappointed in a "what's the big deal?" kinda way. Of course, I saw it a good decade after it was made, but it always seemed rather detached. Why were we to care about Ben's disenchantment with convention, or his cold romance with Elaine (if you can call it that). Bancroft was the center of it and she certainly created a recurring character. The famous soundtrack (and I like the songs) reinforced that detachment, but parts of it now look like a first generation music video.

The latter! She always seemed like a mannequin, even in Butch & Sundance...

Point of order - might this discussion beyond a "live" hour? Since we're not watching, seems like this virtual fest might have a longer horizon than what we've done with TV shows?

Scarborough Fair always takes me back...

I was thinking Elaine had already been made into a Stepford Wife - but that's about eight years off.

This is gonna be great - can't wait!

My 10-year-old told me "I liked the prairie dogs, but they were just CGI."

Audiences are overly sophisticated these days, I guess. I enjoyed the flick, and thought Ford really came on - but the whole thing died when they hit South America to me. Too much...well, just too damned much. Three waterfalls! Up till then it had a bit of that Back to the Future cultural stuff that I found amusing.

I enjoyed Recount quite a bit - terrific cast, great location work, nice dialogue too. Sure it was unkind to Katherine Harris, but I think the film presented her more favorably than the media at the time. At least here, she's kind of a clueless minor apparatchik in way over head as opposed to a conniving tiger lady. And Laura Dern frankly looked pretty much just like her.

I disagree, TK, with your take on the central thesis - indeed, the film rejects the "for the good of the country" rationalization of Gore and his weaker lieutenants while glorifying those who didn't want to quit, the fighters on the Democratic side. It's not kind to Al Gore at all, not to Bill Daley or Warren Christopher. It savages Joe Lieberman.

In contrast, it's more than fair to Jim Baker (considering it's very much a pro-Dem flick) giving him props for tenacity and strategy. Bush comes off now worse than Gore.

I did NOT find it bland, probably because I view it was a historic travesty and its recent memory reached and grabbed me by the throat.

I must take exception with the characterization that Hillary "brought racism into it." It just didn't happen, I'm sorry.

And the rank sexism in this race has been the biggest negative of the campaign, by far, in my view.

But yeah, it's a great movie.

I'll admit - I long ago took to using Hestonisms in every day speech - damned dirty apes to the kids when they were little, damn you all to hell to anybody who happens to be around when I'm grouchy...etc. He was the ultimate vein-popper.

Dan - I'm a fan of the Stones 68-78 decade, more than the early stuff. And yeah, I still think the lizard kinds rock - and why not? It's the bluesman's tradition, even if these bluesmen are royalty.

Yeah, Weboy, the Denby line got me too - I'll probably save the Scorcese flick for some last-in-line DVD night - I really hate the special guest schtick.

Mark, we don't disagree - I'm enjoying some of Giamatti's performance ... I loved the continental congress portion - that should have been three episodes!

Washington - yeah, a travesty.

I really like some of the longshots - the landscape or the CGI rereation of Boston Harbor with the British fleet - it's well-done.

Welcome - and an excellent point - the "entry level" critics. How do you start? When do you know you're there?

Music is hard to review; it's even hard to describe in words. On the Internets, everybody's a critic really - and authority is a very relative thing.

"Spine-chilling" indeed! In his noir roles, this guy was as scary as they come - yet he also came across as authentic in other roles as well, like the generals he tended to play late in his career. He was particularly good in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) for example.

Great season of live-blogging - thanks to Claire and Jennifer!

Ha, Brando got the reference!

"Christian's clothes went to 11 - they went to 11."

The superdelegates are stealing it from Jillian!!

"You lost Jillian" - ha!