i apologize in advance if i'm wrong, but i'm beginning this rant by noting that slate apparently didn't review "be kind rewind"

sure - they found time to review the latest owen wilson atrocity, and 10,000 years BC. no wonder dana stevens has such a sour outlook on life. either she deliberately picks trash to review, or simply can't guess in advance which ones are actually worth seeing.

that said, "be kind rewind" may actually be jack black's best movie ever. (disclaimer, i'm not particularly a jack black fan, but he is smarter - by far - than owen wilson)

you probably know the basic premis of "rewind" - jack black accidentally erases all the inventory at a decrepit video rental store, and they need to re-shoot all the movies, beginning with ghostbusters and extending into rush hour, robocop, and many others. the humor comes from zero-budget special effects re-creations, and the condensing ("sweed-ing", as they put it) of plotlines.

the movie is one of those few memorable comedies with which makes you care about the characters, and it has a surprise happy ending that i won't spoil here.

if you missed it in theatres it'll still be out for a week or two, but its perfectly okay to rent on DVD (irony alert) since it loses little by going to the small screen.

dana - really . . . you have to get out more and see some good films.

I'm not sure if I have seen any of his movies, but I do remember he was on an X-Files episode, his best buddy could control lightening & sure enough, Jack got zapped for screwing buddy over.

I just saw High Fidelity... saw it when it first came out... he's hysterical in that. I read the book first and I can't think of anyone who could've played that part better.

i saw that x files (in rerun mode) and i'm like "that's jack black - as an uknown". the guy who played lightning lad is still an unknown, and he was even freakier ("mrs caveet . ..why won't you love me?"

i've also seen JB in "fidelty", "kong", "school of rock", "pick of destiny", "nacho libre", "shallow hal" (not that bad, the last one) . . . don't ask me why i've seen so many of his films

thankfully, i did NOT see: "Laser Fart", "Bongwater", or "Jack and Ed's awful adventure" (okay, i made the last title up, but it sounds like something he would have appeared in eagerly)

I've seen that lightening guy in a few movies. I can't think of his name, but I think it's Italian, Giovani???. They were just kids when they did the X-Files.

baltimore aureole:

i saw that x files (in rerun mode) and i'm like "that's jack black - as an uknown". the guy who played lightning lad is still an unknown, and he was even freakier ("mrs caveet . ..why won't you love me?"

Actually, Lightning Boy was played by Giovanni Ribisi (hope I'm spelling that right), who went on to costar in "Saving Private Ryan" and "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" (okay, probably not the most critically acclaimed movie ever but, heck, I liked it.) He's probably best known for playing Phoebe's brother on "Friends" (who married his homeroom teacher and fathered the triplets that Phoebe carried--can't really say he fathered her triplets cuz that would be creepy.)

Agreed that he does a good freaky, though. Lightning Boy was one of my favorite episodes, but "Home" will always be Best. Episode. Ever.

My two favorite X-Files were when they went to where the freak show circus people were staying & the one with Charles Nelson Riley. I kind of lost interest after Mulder left.

wasn't it, B? Not that I don't appreciate your recommendations, but you spent more time criticizing Slate (which admitedly is fun to do!)

This all reminds me that maybe I should resume spouting off over on Music Box and Mixing Desk and...however else they divy it up nowadays. In fact, I'm going to check right now.

baltimore aureole:

either she deliberately picks trash to review, or simply can't guess in advance which ones are actually worth seeing.

Regretfully i have to remind you of your fateful decision to go see "Meet the Trojans".
I haven't seen many Jack Blacks but didn't i see him getting his arm blown off in the remake of Day of the Jackal ? I like his character more than his movies - a bit like 
John Candy RIP. 

What happened over in BOTF ? Did you get flamed or something, do tell.

they haven't reviewed music in almost a week. Maybe Jody Rosen has a head cold.

P.S. apologies about the shoddy spelling. I'm not so much "content developer" guy anymore. But that doesn't make it right.

isn't that a little like saying "that turd I took last night was the best tasting shit to come out of my ass to date"?

JP

Ribisi also has a great recurring role on My Name is Earl.

How did you miss Jack (and Kyle) in Time Fixers?

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is the one where the guy has scully in the bathtub, and he's about to kill her, but to make the corpse look pretty, he's asking her if she uses shampoo with extra conditioner . ..

the guy i think was the same guy who played one of the 2 gay villians in the james bond movie diamonds are forever

and i'm not actually in awe of "mos def's" acting.

this was a well written movie, episodic, but not long on character development. its a good movie, but certainly not an award winner. suitable for all ages

but you never know these days. the academy award nominees seems to get crappier and crappier