Wait a minute! Superman’s a “Man?”

Dammit, Chris—enough with the spoilers!

>>I could have used MSNBC.com when I was back in film school, and would have appreciated someone explaining to me what the hell “Last Year At Marienbad” was all about. >>

The haircut. It was about that woman’s cool haircut. That was all anyone talked about and all I remember.

In “Last Year at Marienbad”, Robbe-Grillet deals with the concepts of reality and time. The reconstruction of reality or the fabrication of fantasy through the inconsistencies of memory and time are examined and explored from an aesthetic, rather than clinical standpoint.

That, and what Dan said. Hey, Dan.

Hey, back at you cooper. Did you ever have to sit through Marienbad, though? As we’re about the same age, we do remember Marienbad as some sort of must-see cinema event, sort of like “I am Curious Yellow” or “Red Desert”. But have you also noticed how often these films are revived in the art houses? I haven’t either. Nor have I seen Robert Osborne introducing them on TCM. It may be speculation on my part, and idle at that, but I think it’s because they were boring films. Just a hunch.

Marienbad? naw. I just googled the title and went to the most pretentious and pompous critical review, did a copy and paste on the second paragraph, and viola! Now I’m a pretentious, pompous and hip euro film expert.

I didn’t see any of those other films either. I did see “A Man and a Woman”, not for the French ambience, but for the ear-splitting roar of the Formula Fords GT cars that raced all across Europe in the ’60’s but were made right down the road from me at the Holman and Moody race shop. Man, those cars shook the earth when they were cranked! Monsters, they were.

Confession is good for the soul, SeattleDan. It helps remove the oily residue left behind by having watched the View, even once. And new age sensitivity is a thin veneer; the average urban woman sees right through it, and so much more. We only fool ourselves.

Don’t worry, Chris—as long as you don’t actually make “films,” you’ll be forgiven for your youthful missteps.

I long thought Last Year at Marienbad should be remade with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Now they’re getting too old.

What struck me most about the movie was how the woman refuses to let the plot get started, blocking all the male’s attempts to move the narrative forward. She’s one of the most disruptive characters I’ve ever seen, even though she remains stubbornly passive for most of the movie.

I liked Mick La Salle’s review of Superman, in the SF Chronicle. He made the point that although any good looking hunk with black hair can play Superman, it takes actual talent to play Clark Kent, and he didn’t think what’s-his-face came anywhere near the late great Christopher Reeve at playing Clark Kent. If I get an urge to see Superman, I think I’ll just rent the old one.