Wow, this one was shocking.

Most non cineastes probably haven't heard of Minghella, but he won an Oscar for directing 'The English Patient.' I actually quite love that film, but I have an even greater affection for 'The Talented Mr. Ripley,' a criminally underrated film that is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen.

Minghella was a rarity for these times in that he was more than willing to hold shots for several seconds to allow the scenery to truly 'paint' an epic picture. His sense of perspective, shot compostition, and lensing was incredible, almost without peer amongst modern filmmakers. I'd compare him more to the epic style of filmmaking that went out of vogue decades ago, a true throwback with amazing talent.

His films were almost always long and luxurious, exquisite artistic pieces. The world of cinema is a little darker today for his loss. Godspeed.

I give.

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And the strike is over!

Top ten of the year will be up before the Oscars.

Been a long week, I'll be back later with more.

Good Lord, how much about film did I traditionally write at this time of year?

Seriously, this blog has become a wasteland.

Anyways, in honor of Letterman reaching an interim agreement with the writers, the Top Ten films of the year according to me (without explanations until the rest of the producers get in line), will go up after 'There Will Be Blood' opens in Omaha. Await it with baited breath, ladies and gentlemen.

I've got nothing else. Hope that everyone had a passable holiday.

Godspeed.

Obviously, I'm fine.

Everyone else okay? Stay clear of Westroads today?

Check in if you're reading, people.

A few people have asked me what I think about the Hollywood writers going on strike. While I am certainly not a member of any of the guilds, nor do I have much information that isn't public knowledge at this point(I have an online friend in the WGA west, but that's a casual acquaintance at best, and I wouldn't feel comfortable asking without being prompted first), I am behind the writers completely.

Now, I know that most of you will point out that, well, I'm a writer myself, so why wouldn't I be behind the writers? But I think that there's more to it than that. Writers have traditionally been the most shat-upon people on the Hollywood food chain. Just as a quick example, the average writer makes 3 cents on a DVD that costs 20 dollars. This is ludicrous.

In my opinion, asking for a deal that will cost the producers 220 million dollars is completely reasonable against the revenue that they're projecting, which in 2007 exceeded 24 BILLION dollars. These are the creators, the people who come up with characters and execute them on the page for the actors to bring to life. How can they not be considered just as integral to the process?

While it may not mean much to anyone, to show an admittedly tiny bit of solidarity, this blog will, for the duration of the strike, not discuss either film or television series. With Oscar season coming, which is when I do most of my reviewing, I'll miss it. With Heroes still on, I'll miss blogging about it (Although I've been lax lately- too busy).

Let's hope it ends quick, honestly. The 22 week strike in 1988 cost Hollywood nearly 500 million dollars and who knows how much good work.

Holy CRAP.

The Daily Show has a new website that has EVERY SINGLE CLIP from the Jon Stewart years up for free viewing. Years and years of clips are up there, and all are searchable by timeline/subject/whatever.

I just spent an hour going through stuff from just the last few months. Check it out, it's an amazing archive.

www.thedailyshow.com

Been awhile, LJ. Life is fine. Going to Monday Night Raw on, well, Monday. The comic shop is great, tournament attendance is climbing, State Championships are in less than two weeks, blah, blah.

Let's talk 'Heroes.' Spoilers, as usual, beneath the cut.....

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Sometimes, the world reminds you what your passions are, in the best way possible.

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