I just saw "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" for the first time, and WOW.... I need to see more Tennessee Williams stuff. I know I've seen "Suddenly Last Summer" before and totally loved it too. Wow. Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor are just stunning (both looks and acting-wise) in "Cat", and it was great to see Judith Anderson out of "lesbian housekeeper" mode.

I know they cut a lot of the overt gay stuff out of the movie, but if you were looking for it, it was obvious where that played a role.

Any other Tennessee Williams stuff I should check out?

Streetycar Named Desire should be on the top of that list. That along with "Suddenly" and "Cat" are my favorites.

Sweet Bird of Youth and Glass Menagerie are his but I haven't seen either in 30 years.

Suddenly Last Summer creeps my out, but it's a good movie.

Streetcar, Joe. And after that, The Simpsons episode with the production of "Oh, Streetcar!"

I'm living in hell-a! STELLLAAAAA!!!!!!

:P I love that episode. Thanks for the netflix suggestions!!! I love watching (or reading, i.e. John Steinbeck) something with the preconceived idea that it is old and stuffy, and finding out that it is indeed entertaining and accessible.

Gross domestic. I'm not finding anything that easily ranks the movies by total global box office, but playing with numbers, here is the current Top 25 Domestic box office reordered by total global box office. Parenthetically before each is their ranking on the domestic only list (Ocean's Thirteen is the biggest ranking boost from furriners). It gives proof to the idea that comedies don't play internationally.

I don't know if Wild Hogs is the profit champion of the bunch (as a percentage return) but 300 and Knocked Up are probably in the mix as well.

1. (4) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End ($961)
2. (5) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ($938 million)
3. (1) Spider-Man 3 ($890 million)
4. (2) Shrek the Third ($794 million)
5. (3) Transformers ($702 million)
6. (8) Ratatouille ($612 million)
7. (9) The Simpsons Movie ($525 million)
8. (7) 300 ($456 million)
9. (6) The Bourne Ultimatum ($437 million)
10. (13) Live Free or Die Hard ($382 million)
11. (21) Ocean's Thirteen ($311 million)
12. (14) Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer ($288 million)
13. (12) Rush Hour 3 ($254 million)
14. (10) Wild Hogs ($252 million)
15. (22) Ghost Rider ($228 million)
16. (11) Knocked Up ($217 million)
17. (19) Hairspray ($196 million)
18. (18) I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry ($184 million)
19. (23) Evan Almighty ($172 million)
20. (16) Superbad ($168 million)
21. (15) American Gangster ($166 million)
22. (24) Meet the Robinsons ($159 million)
23. (25) Norbit ($158 million)
24. (20) Blades of Glory ($144 million)
25. (17) Bee Movie ($140 million)

Last Night's Screener Double Feature was Michael Clayton and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

I can highly recommend the Jesse James movie as a sleep aid. OMG, what a bore! Brat Pitt plays a piece of wood named Jesse James, and Casey Affleck is actually really good as the creep Robert Ford who kills him and puts us out of our misery. The movie is only enjoyable in the last half hour after James is killed, when Ford is making himself infamous as a cowardly assassin. The cinematography is beautiful, but the movie is dullsville.

However, I did enjoy the stunt casting of Garret Dillahunt in a supporting role, since he played Jack McCall on Deadwood, the Cowardly Assassin of Wild Bill Hickok. Tee Hee, I was amused.



I recommend Michael Clayton on its own consderable merits. George Clooney is playing to type, as an attractive, world-weary cynic down on his luck. But he carries the movie as a real movie star, practially on camera the entire time. The film is a neat riff on corporate corruption and the toll it takes. Tom Wilkinson is, as usual, excellent as the attorney who knows too much and takes a dive off the deep end of sanity.


See Clayton, skip James.

Yay! Finally somebody else who thought TAoJJbtCRF was as boring as can be!
The History Channel documentaries about Jesse James are FAR more interesting.

A lot of people have found it to be a big bore (the critics who don't like it generally say so; interestingly it is getting a worst cream of the crop than overall at rottentomatoes).

I'm intrigued but those who like it seem to generally compare it to Days of Heaven a film I really can't stand and also think is a horrible bore.

I just watched The Long Riders (1980), a very non-boring movie about Jesse James and pals. James Keach as Jesse James was a bit of a weak spot, I thought, but Stacy is great as Frank James, and David Carradine's performance as Cole Younger is fantastic. In this version, Bob Ford is played by Christopher Guest. He and his brother seem to be played for comic effect, but are underwritten. On the whole, this is very entertaining, but dramatically left me just slightly dissatisfied. However, the amazing musical score by Ry Cooder has got to be heard. It lifts the movie from "pretty darn good" to "I've got to own this!"