Letters to the Editor
Published Letters: 10
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Let's Not Forget "O.C. & Stiggs"!!!
[Read the article: Goodbye, Mr. Altman]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Okay, so that might have sounded a bit sarcastic. In truth, almost any Altman film, even an O.C. & Stiggs or a Dr. T, is better than most of the hundreds of films Hollywood rams down our throats year after year. I believe the reason is that Altman's films had the unmistakable imprint of Altman himself (a funny, sarcastic, whimsical, sad, angry, artistically humanist man) whereas most other movies have the imprint of a studio (test-marketing, demographics, will-it-play-in Peoria?, etc.).
As a teenager in the '70s, no other filmmaker reached me the way Altman did. I will always have a place in my heart for Brewster McCloud, The Long Goodbye, California Split, Nashville and, for some odd reason, Quintet. Most impressive was his ability to leap genres yet there never was any question as to whether you were watching an Altman film.
Of course I never would have been interested in Altman in the first place if it wasn't for the movie that started it all, M*A*S*H. The letter writers who have slagged off Altman's first of many masterpieces as misogynist and racist must have a tough time enjoying anything cultural, whether it be highbrow or lowbrow. Picasso? Sexist. Dashiell Hammett ? Sexist. Bugs Bunny? Sexist, racist. The Beatles? Sexist and pillagers of black culture. Showtime's Weeds? Racist. Tennessee Wiliams, John Dos Passos, Ken Kesey, Martin Scorcese, David Lynch...the list of "offensive" artists could go on and on and on. You might as well just crawl in a hole otherwise you'll never be safe from the depravity of books, TV, film and paintings.
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"24" Jumped the Shark in Season 1
[Read the article: I Like to Watch]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]...when Dennis Hopper showed up with that ridiculous accent. And yet, we still watch.
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Re: Rosie's Welcome Exit
[Read the article: A cause they've long ago forgotten]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Hey Camille: When can we look forward to your welcome exit from Salon? I always thought "stentorian humorlessness" and "infantile rudeness" summed up your writing not Rosie's "faults."
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Lights Out
[Read the article: "The Sopranos" goes dark]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Nobody home? or Brilliant ending? I admit, I was a bit miffed last night (although I enjoyed listening to my wife continue to laugh 10 minutes after Phil was crushed). Thanks to Heather and my fellow Salon readers, I have come to appreciate the ending a lot more.
The black out theory is an interesting one and makes sense given the circular nature of the show. Meadow whacking Tony is also interesting but completely unrealistic and out of character. However, I do think Meadow survives and watches the rest of her family get whacked. I've always thought Chase was setting up Meadow to eventually take over the family (who else would it be? Whiny A.J.? Whiny Janice? Whiny Paulie? Um, I don't think so). The whole show has been about the emasculation of men and the power of women (Livia, anybody?) -- hell, even the show's title is a castration joke. So, I vote for Meadow as new head of the family who solidifies her position by avenging her dead mother, father and brother (she's got the brains, just like Michael Corleone). Of course there'll be a great power struggle with Janice. Looking forward to the movie...
The cat? Hated the friggin' cat. I like the letter's that explain it as Schrödinger's cat (which also helps explain Tony seeing himself in the diner booth), but, except for maybe during the show's dream sequences, since when did the show delve into anything approaching quantum mechanics? And if it's not supposed to be Schrödinger's cat, since when did the show delve into the supernatural and/or reincarnation? I thought it was a cheesy device.
Finally, hats off to Heather for writing another brilliant TV essay and kudos to the copywriter or editor who came up with the headline. A great television inside joke (when a show ends or goes on hiatus, it "goes dark") for a show filled with inside jokes.
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None More Black*
[Read the article: "The Sopranos" goes dark]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Penway/Grisscoat:
Who died and made you David Chase? The beauty of any decent art is that it's open to interpretation.
*Nigel Tufnel ("It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black.")
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Exclusive Alternate Endings
[Read the article: "The Sopranos" goes dark]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]
Through a friend of a friend of a friend who works for Chase Films, I was able to score 3 alternate endings that were shot for the season finale. Perhaps these will clear some things up:http://www.vimeo.com/clip:211043
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2 Pounds + a (Hidden) Credit Charge
[Read the article: Radiohead's new album: Choose your price]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]2 pounds too little? Nah. At some point I'll either breakdown and buy the discbox or just spring for the physical CD so why should I pay for the same album twice? I probably should've paid less than a pound now that I think of it.
And, dang, their store site certainly is clunky. The download process better be a lot less frustrating then the buying process.
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I want my hour back
[Read the article: TV Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Really? Snappy? Wow. My wife and I watched the show last night and we were bored to tears. Bad puns, show-offy (ie: unnecessary) camera work, awful stereotypes (c'mon, another dumb blonde?) a completely unappealing lead (his childhood sweetheart was good, however) and a total waste of Swoozie Kurtz.
You wrote that fans of Amelie and Lemony Snicket would enjoy this? Well, I guess so, if you like uninspired homages/ripoffs with a phony heart.
Did you see more than the pilot? If so, does it get better? And if so, does that mean I can once again trust your usually impeccable judgment?
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Nice Try
[Read the article: Hey, Obama boys: Back off already!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Sorry Rebecca, but just because you have this little pet theory of yours and found a few people to back it up does not mean that Obama supporters dislike Hillary Clinton because she is a woman. They don't like her because she is a serial liar and a complete phony.