I take it an actual review of Gonzo is forthcoming? If so, save us the faux-Thompson and stick to your own excellent, professional style.

OK, here's a Cliff Note for the bewildered ...

Which is worse: Andrew O'Hehir adding this painful disclaimer in the middle of an otherwise decent Sundance diatribe? Or the fact that if he hadn't, his readers would have been earnestly cluck-clucking about Salon's toleration of drug-addled journalism and the kind of message it sends out?

It's a sad age we live in, when Hunter Thompson is gone and we want to replace New Orleans with something more suitable for our brittle morality.

Really, compared to a new George Romero movie, does anything else at Sundance really matter?

If you could get salon.com to add an "Add to my Netflix Queue" button at the bottom of your reviews...

Thank the fat baby Jesus.

You hate the bogus Thompson-channeling! You love the bogus Thompson-channeling, but hate the fact that I tried to head off the puritans at the pass! I tell ya.

I agree with the second criticism, personally, but I spent too long working as an editor. It might have been fun to read the letters from people horrified that Alex Gibney was passing out drugs to the Sundance press corps -- in 2008! What is this guy thinking -- and if I'd gotten really lucky Fox News might have cycled on it for a full day before double-checking it. Sadly, perhaps, I lack that courage. And I thought the Muskie story was amusing enough to get a second airing.

Is a review of "Gonzo" forthcoming? Yes and no. I'll supply further comments, probably when I wrap the festival, but I don't think it's actually useful customer service to write a full-length review of a film you guys can't see for many months. It's good! How's that? OK, it has some of the re-creations that are becoming Gibney's trademark, and I always feel half-queasy about those. But it's crazy-entertaining and chock-a-block with great history and some surprising talking heads. (Pat Buchanan! Who seems to have a grudging, crusty respect for Thompson.) And it definitely does not look away from the fact that HST rotted out his talent with booze and drugs long before his actual demise.

That really ugly illustration of O'Hehir as Bono as The Fly.

I hate to say it, but every single review I've ever read pertaining to a product of Hunter S (movie or book), has featured a 'lapse' into the critic's take on Gonzo style, along with some condensed explanation of Thompson/Wolfe/the New Journalism.

I like Hunter's style as much as the next person, but for the love of god, this childlike regurgitative glee must cease!

Notice how cleverly I am ducking your question about "Diary of the Dead." Haven't seen it, and unless I drive to SLC for the third time (on roads that have gotten a lot worse, and in an "economy" rental car that strongly resembles a go-kart) I probably won't. Word of mouth has been great, though.

Babies are almost only a good omen. I can't wait to see this movie!

You can't fool me. I saw right through your ruse!

Thanks for the optimistic heads-up, though. We hardcore Romero fans really took a shock to the system when Land of the Dead splatted into our laps like an overcooked McMovie. Early word -- as you probably know -- is that Romero has returned to his indie roots and reveled in the freedom that came with it. So, we'll see. I'm keeping my rotting fingers crossed.