Movie Maven

To all of those in the blogosphere getting their flannel pyjamas in a wad over whether 300 is a film for or against the Bush administration, I have only this to say:

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.

It's a modern take on the sword-and-sandals epic, starring lots of digitized, bare-chested men killing each other in bloody and profane ways. That's all. It's about a different take on filmmaking, perhaps a vehicle for discussion about the new wave of computer-generated films are increasingly looking like video games (and vice versa.)

Was Snakes on a Plane about social fears of airport security in a post-9/11 world? Was Reno 911: Miami a statement about the impending marshal law that threatens us under the Patriot Act?

No. No, they were not.

300 is adapted from a graphic novel written in 1998- before the Bush administration. Furthermore its based on the Battle of Thermopylae... and something tells me the Spartans did not have any cultural statements regarding George W. Bush. In any case, most of the people commenting on this flick haven't even seen the damn thing yet. This, of course, is only to be expected among the Right, who'll ban anything under the sun before viewing it if they think it'll upset their delicate Rush Limbaugh-lined stomachs. But I'm a little chagrined that those on the Left are denigrating something based on the preview. And has it occurred to no one that the fact you can't figure out if Bush is the hero or the villain maybe points to the idea that he's not involved at all? Has everyone gone completely batshit insane?!

I'm going to see 300, because I loved Sin City with a fiery passion, and have a newly developed enthusiasm for graphic novels. Plus I just have a hankering for some good old-fashioned bloodletting. If I feel there's a political bent, I'll let you know, but I don't think it matters one way or the other. I get the strangest feeling that 15-year-old boys wired on Mountain Dew and nachos really aren't going to know the difference.

The beloved, darling, fabulous, fascinating, titillating and stimulating Ira Glass has put This American Life on Showtime.

Finally, something good on Showtime.

I've been a long time whore of This American Life, the weekly radio program on NPR, which has individual stories and essays on a given topic each week. David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell have been long-time contributers, among others, and I have it automatically downloaded to my Itunes every week.

I listen to it at work while I'm sorting mail.

I think people are beginning to wonder why sorting mail has the capacity to make me laugh hysterically or weep gently into the daily tearsheets.

Anyway, now it's been transformed into a television show. This is no easy feat, as Mr. Glass will tell you in this interview with Terry Gross, possibly the greatest living interviewer on the planet.

Here's the trailor for the show. It looks mysterious and hauntingly beautiful. The distinctive music, a long-time TAL trademark, has been happily incorporated to absolutely stunning effect. It premiers March 22 at 10:30 p.m. (Eastern.)

Here's the website. There's a picture of Ira Glass there, as well as above. Isn't he just the most adorable thing ever? I could put him in my pocket and walk around with him.

Here's the website for the radio show if you're unfamiliar with it.

If you're lucky enough to get Showtime, watch it. It looks different. And new. Let's call it the thinking man's Engaged and Underaged. That can only be a good thing.