READER MAILBAG

ADVENTURELAND: KENNYWOOD AMUSEMENT PARK NOT THE PITTS

Wow, nice review, but have you ever been to Kennywood? Known as America's Finest Traditional Amusement Park, it's far from "generic", having much "distinct flava" that has treated millions of amusement park enthusiasts from all over the world. Yes, many come to PITTSBURGH, of all places, just to visit Kennywood!

Kind Regards,
- Jeff C.

ADVENTURELAND: CLICK TO READ REVIEW HERE

Sorry, Jeff. My bad.
Didn't mean to insult Kennywood or Pittsburgh! I was talking more about an insult to Long Island. Which was the true setting of Motola's boyhood.
And no, I've never been out your way. But I have to say that the director did make the place seem rather unsavory. So your beef may actually be with him!
Prairie



DR. MANHATTAN AND HIS HUGE STIMULUS PACKAGE, STREAKING ACROSS THE UNIVERSE


TOO OLD TO CARE ABOUT DOC'S HUGE STIMULUS PACKAGE

Dear Prarie,
Nice review considering you appear to be kind of a psuedo-intellectual!!....The bottom line is that Zack Snyder did something that 4 others(directors) couldn't do and he did it well!......I'm 70+ years old, didn't read the book, and am too old to care about Dr. Manhatten's genitals.......but I loved the movie and the consumer rating is close to 80% positive........So as far as critics are concerned, they influence a lot of people erroneously, and really don't relate to the real people.......
....I think you can do that Prarie!!!....Keep trying......and talk to the people out there who can't afford to go to the movies, and wait to buy the DVD's......Thanks,

Audrey D.
Pittsfield, MA.

CLICK TO READ WATCHMEN REVIEW HERE

CLICK TO READ BILLY CRUDUP INTERVIEW HERE

WATCHMEN: A SECOND OPINION

MISSING THE POINT: A QUESTION OF BLACK AND BLUE

In defense of the penis misses the point that this naked blue man standing in a Rodan type posture is a take off on the Metropolitan museum statue of a larger than life naked black man. Further the last lines of the film indicate that the blue man is always present, like God, whom we do not see. Obviously, if this man is "our heavenly Father" the father of us all, we need expect nothing less than a penis of some worthy proportion,

Art history and appreciation is an entire subject presented but not commented upon in this film. Another gem missed!

Anonymous


READER BLESSES CRITIC...AND MEMPHIS TIGERS

Prairie,

Your review of "Fireproof" was interesting, but a little shallow. Actually, this story is targeted at church-going couples as much as (if not more than) those who never darken the church door. The sad truth is that trends like porn addiction and divorce are as common in Christian circles as anywhere else. As a Christian husband and father who faces the same struggles as every other red-blooded American male, I am grateful for the Kendricks' treatment of these delicate issues.

The reconciliation of the marriage in the movie is ALL about the grace of God. The medical equipment for the mother-in -law just create an interesting sidebar. When Caleb learns to humble himself before God, his priorities change about EVERYTHING...including his use of discretionary income.

If you think the production was cheesy, fair enough. Considering Sherwood's budget, I think they did an admirable job. However, please don't miss the point that God worked in the hearts of both husband and wife to save the marriage.

Blessings to you in Jesus' name.

Kent S.
Arlington, TN

GO MEMPHIS TIGERS!!



FIREPROOF: TWO VIEWS OF PRAIRIE

Prairie Miller sounds like a Christian hating liberal.
Maureen H.

FIREPROOF: CLICK TO READ REVIEW HERE

Hello Maureen

She was mainly commenting about the structure of the story. That is what critics do. If they weren't allowed to comment on something because it involved religion, then how would good quality work be separated from weaker efforts? She was saying the story left loose ends, didn't make sense in some places. It wasn't intended to be an attack on anyone's beliefs. You don't want a lower standard to be applied to a movie just because it contains religious aspects.

Best Wishes
Alan G.


CORPORATE 'DUPLICITY' NOT CLEAR

The concluding sentence makes no sense.
Christopher C.

...The corporate thuggery plays out like mercantile armies deployed and on the offensive to protect their respective fiefdoms, as flabby assassins in suits go at it like the Keystone Cops. Though the clownish antics may seem too benign for some, when assessing the current suspect real life rap sheets of multinationals on display.

CLICK TO READ DUPLICITY REVIEW HERE

Hi Chris:
What I mean to say, is that the corporate heads in this movie are made to seem too silly to be seriously malevolent. Hence the current economic crisis plaguing the planet comes off trivialized.
Prairie


Thanks, Prairie, for your reply.

I guess we can agree to differ on this film. I understand the film as the comic flip side to MICHAEL CLAYTON's deadly serious corporate malfeasance. After all, this one's about hair.
In these times of Hollywood's dumbing down protocol, Gilroy's smart script is like finding the proverbial oasis in the desert.
When the viewer realizes that these two have scripted their entry into corporate espionage, and that the bumps in the road have all been plotted and staged by the lovers, and I'm rooting them on to sure victory only to see them beaten at their own tradecraft, that, to me, is cinematic nirvana.
In my opinion, you write too harshly regarding this film.

Best,
Christopher C.


GLAD I FOUND SOMEONE OUT THERE

I am an undergraduate student, and I am taking some English Literature classes until Fall 2009 when I will be a graduate student in North Carolina, in the English MA concentration in Film Studies program.

I was just doing some research because I notice the weird stares that I get when I tell people what I am studying and even though I want to be a professor once I get my PhD, I do not want to stop there. I feel like, I know that there is a voice out there in the world of filmmaking) that is not being heard.

I am not 100% sure of all that I want to do. But I would like to learn filmmaking and eventually make a film worthy enough to be respected by my peers and also to gain some industry recognition.

I am just getting started and I need some direction; virtually all of my professors are men and white, which is not a problem for me but I just want to know that there are others like me (don't we all?). I am glad I found you and I hope that I can see and hear more about you as I begin my journey into film literacy and criticism, etc.

Thank you,
C. Mason






Maureen Harper wrote:
Comment on story http://newsblaze.com/story/20080926142357mill.nb/topstory.html