Blurays arrived today: "The Robe" (1953), "The Passion of the Christ" (2004), "Quo Vadis" (1951), and "Ben-Hur" (1925 & 1959). I already own the DVDs, but find that older titles -- especially filmed in Technicolor -- look magnificent on Bluray. "The Robe" (the first feature filmed in widescreen  Cinemascope) should look amazing.  (The DVDs are donated to my church library.)

It might seem shallow watching Hollywood blockbusters during the holy season of Lent, especially fictional ones (all but "The Passion" are fictions set against religious and secular history), but isn't it the themes that matter?

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That's the title of a movie streaming on Netflix.

I've never seen it.

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In what can only be described as the greatest news ever, Kristin Wiig will appear in the (very) long awaited new season of Arrested Development.  Wiig will play a young Lucille Bluth (does it get any better!?!?) 

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In response to Washington DC: Hollywood for Ugly People:

I also wonder if filmmakers have realized that simply having a good movie is no longer enough for an Oscar nod.  The Academy has become so liberal that a movie must have a political message or spark some sort of political action in order to get their attention.

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The campaign for an Oscar is taking on a new meaning, as stops in D.C. are becoming the norm.  The Hill is reporting that "stars and directors from at least four Oscar-nominated films have stopped in the nation’s capital to tout a cause, mention their movie and get some free publicity in the process."

As the media continually mocks the right for being idiots, this phenomena seems to have escaped their attention:

Bradley Cooper of “Silver Linings Playbook” and director David O. Russell met with Vice President Biden earlier this month — to discuss mental illness. The cast of “Beasts of the Southern Wild” visited the White House last week — for a discussion with students. Both films are up for Best Picture.

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In response to 'Homeland,' 'Rockford' and Why I Love the 13-Episode Arc:

I was less troubled by the politics of "Homeland" than John S., but the plot was ridiculous, especially season two. "SNL" captured the show's contrivances perfectly...

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In response to Lost and Fringe Come to Mind:

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In response to It Only Gets Worse, John:

I agree with you about the nature of story. The show that comes to mind is Lost. They decided to tell dozens of small stories but they only had one way to resolve anything: death. So they killed people off and brought in new groups of characters to replace them (the Others, the Tailies) but this meant so many questions in need of answers that the disappointing finale was inevitable. (BTW, I think Lost owes a big debt to "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie).

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In response to Homeland Season 1 and Christopher Dorner.

I won't address the politics because this repulsive pro-terrorist pose of the left makes me physically angry.  (And that's just assuming it's merely a pose and not their true, repulsive sentiment.)

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