Monthly Archives: November 2008

I woke up at 6:45, bleary-eyed, when Andy’s alarm clock radio went off. On NPR they were speaking with John Lewis and some other people who were celebrating in Atlanta last night, and they played clips of Obama’s speech last … Continue reading →

I am speechless. And incredibly proud to be a Chicagoan and an American.

Okay. There are four frozen pizzas at home in the freezer. There are 4 bottles of wine, a six-pack of beer, and a wide assortment of other alcoholic beverages. There’s a bit of popeye. There are other sundry snackables. I … Continue reading →

For Your Consideration [2006] 1. Fred Willard: "Now I know what it’s like to look into the Grand Canyon."2. Catherine O’Hara’s hilarious/horrifying post-plastic surgery face. How’d they do that?3. Interviewer: What’s your favorite place?     Bob Balaban: Chicago     Michael McKean: Under my … Continue reading →

Just got this email from our CEO: "Given that as many as a million people are expected downtown tomorrow evening, and given the havoc they are already wreaking on public transportation schedules, our offices will close at 3:00 pm tomorrow."

Steam [2007] 1. "What am I doing?" Ruby Dee turns around and goes back inside the house.2. As Roy walks away, he fiddles with the flip-top on the ring case, opening and shutting it.3. We never find out what Ally … Continue reading →

I just watched the first half hour of Dream Boy and then had to turn it off. I know exactly where this story is going. Yet another young-teen-lovers semi-soft core flick with the obligatory tragic ending involving incest and religious … Continue reading →

Bedlam [1946] 1. He regains conscious just as the last brick in the wall is put into place. The shot cuts before we hear him scream.2. Karloff: "They are animals." He smiles, genteel. 3. Like a demented cuckoo clock, she removes … Continue reading →

Isle of the Dead [1945] 1. The oddly-shaped bathtub.2. "Some laws are wrong. Some laws are cruel. He who lives only by the law is both wrong and cruel."3. The coffin. A scream.