1) I haven't seen V FOR VENDETTA yet (mostly for fear of Natalie Portman's accent), but having read the graphic novel, what stuck out most to me was not the literal critique of one political system, but its commentary on the role of goverments and political systems in general.

2) Al Gore in '08? The more I look at the field of candidates, the better it seems.

3) BIG LOVE might give us a window into a world of Polygamy, but William Saletan at Slate gives us the full skinny.

1) Since when does a crying wife have anything to do with a man's ability to sit on a supreme court? Or maybe judicial tempermenent should now be decided by looking at a candidate's ability to deal with his or her spouse.

2) I hope Glory Road is not nearly as bad as Remember the Titans, a movie which severly offended even me, a lover football movies no matter how stupid or cheesy (I own The Replacements, The Waterboy and Necessary Roughness).

3) Italy's Youth Caught in the Grip of TV Wrestling. I don't see a problem with it. Men need their soap operas too.

1) The Jaker points out a new film that asserts Castro paid Oswald to kill Kennedy and ponders the power of movies to make political/historical point. Don't forget that pretty much the entire media madhouse about the "Kennedy Conspiracy" was given life by a movie - Oliver Stone's JFK.

2) Get free press at Sundance! Invite Under a Neon Sign and be gauranteed a rave review in this blog. Yes, I'm shameless.

3) So Jon Stewart's hosting the Oscars, which means that they might still be facing competition from other award shows, but the three-hour plus broadcast will offer more informative news than three weeks of Fox.

1) Michelle Goldberg has a piece in Salon on Bush's Impeachable Offense, arguing that the illegal wiretapping is ground for impeachment, but the country doesn't have the will.

While noted experts -- including a few Republicans -- are saying Bush should be impeached, few think he will be. It's not clear that the political will exists to hold the president to account. "We have finally reached the constitutional Rubicon," Turley says. "If Congress cannot stand firm against the open violation of federal law by the president, then we have truly become an autocracy."

Listen in on my private conversations but don't get a blowjob. When will politicians put the country before the party?

2) Mel Gibson's Apocalypto trailer is up . I wonder who dies to save us this time? I used to really love Braveheart...

3) The transit strike is over! It'll be a few days before we know the answer, but I hope the union comes out on top.

1) If Showtime picks up Arrested Development, I'll subscribe to the network. 'Nuff said.

2) Well we all agree torture is bad. Jesus. Now that we finally have that one worked out can Washington start debating whether water is wet?

3) Sen. Feingold is over in TPMCafe blogging about the debate over the Patriot Act. He was the only dissenting vote back in '01 when the Patriot Act was rammed through Congress.

1) I have two words about the Weinstien Co's purchase of Genius and subsequently Wellspring: Weinstein Classics.

2) It might be old news but that Superman teaser is breathtaking. I don't know if the film will touch the original, but damn they knocked the teaser right out of the park, distilling the character to his essence in a minute and a half.

3) A deal might have been reached on the Patriot Act, unless Sen. Feingold's threat of a filibuster becomes a reality. Whether you have problems with the Act or not (I do), how can you give these powers to people who have proven time and again that they are not trustworthy?

1) Left Behind - Are the movies actually better than the books? From the sound of this is certainly seems that way.

2) The IFP Gotham Awards - "How do you tell a man that the last man to dance is a mistake?"

3) If you're not reading Michael Kinsley, you really should be.

1) Gen Art's Film Community Party went off last night at Libation. The industry turnout was solid, although the usual gen art audience was lacking. I blame the rain.

2) A special note to all those planning holiday parties: invites are already rolling in, so get yours in the mail. I promise to attend if invited.

3) It's not paranoia if they're really after you. Hell, even Christopher Hitchens wrote a piece on it.

AFM/AFI special edition

1) Best line: “There are a lot of hot cocks here.” Overheard at the Transamerica party.
2) Best celebrity pairing: Either Ron Jeremy and Vincent Gallo at the SxSw party or Pele and the Toxic Avenger in the lobby of the Loews.
3) Best dumb idea: Trying to make it from AFM to Beverly Hills for a meeting in fifteen minutes during rush hour.

1) Sharon Waxman reports on Sony's venture into the world of born again Christians with the release of the third left behind movie on DVD. Having read a number of the Left Behind novels (don't ask), I think I understand why these Sony doesn't think the movies will sell outside their target audience: These are some of the most rambling, boring stories ever told. There's no structure, no story. Robert Mckee would probably have a heart attack. And this is great material too: the antichrist, Christian warriors, plagues, and the apocalypse! It must have taken a colossal effort to make them this boring. Evangelicals, I expect better of you.

2) Call off the prom!? How dare they.

3) I just realized that first point is going to get me lots of hate mail. Thank god I don't have any readers.

1) 'Twas the night before Fitztmas, when all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse... Wait that's not right. Come on Dems, you can't expect to win by waiting for the other team to screw up.

2) Congratulations! Chicago successfully celebrates the end of a longer world series drought without any needless deaths.

3) A two hundred million dollar, three plus hour movie about a giant ape. I know I'm excited.

An all Slate thursday!

1) Mickey Kaus provides another reason to hate The Note.

2) Dahlia Lithwick at Slate has a good point. What self-respecting lawyer, law student or professor never once mentioned or thought about Roe v. Wade? (And if by some ludicrous chance Harriet Miers indeed never did, shouldn't that be an automatic dismissal for consideration to be on the Supreme Court?) Take the poll.

3) Will Carlough takes us on a history of video game movies. I'm still waiting for the sequel promised at the end of Super Mario Brothers?

'Cause I missed a three point thursday and nobody seemed to care.

1) The last time I was at the NYFF opening night gala was 1999, the movie was All About my Mother and I had a comped suite at the Plaza Hotel... I miss the Plaza Hotel.

2) Now I know Independent Film Week is technically over, but shouldn't we include the opening of the New York Film Festival?

3) Voting Reform - Can you really expect the system to be reformed by the very people benefiting from its flaws?

4) My best wishes go out to the many people in the path of Hurricane Rita.