Access Atlanta > Movies > Blog > Archives > 2006 > September > 08 > Entry
For some film fans, once is never enough
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dear Mr. Smithee,
I am baffled by the amount of DVD sales there are. I can’t understand people buying them. Do they watch them over and over? I can’t seem to be interested in seeing a film more than once - with very few exceptions. Are there any films you would look at twice or three times?
TED CORNELL, Wellington, Fla.
Dear One Who Must Not Own Any Books Either,
I am baffled by the number of people who collected Beanie Babies, but that doesn’t mean I go around questioning their resolve. Or intimating that there’s something clinically wrong with them even when one would have to conclude there probably was.
What possesses some people to own 10 different kinds of balsamic vinegar?
And while we’re considering possession, let’s not miss an opportunity to wonder why even though Jessica Simpson is a lovely-looking young lady, who in their right mind would actually buy her overly produced musical gunk?
I own more DVDs than anyone might deem normal.
Well, let me correct that, because my esteemed sons, D.W. and Cecil B., are each certainly someone, and they each own more DVDs than I do.
Part of the obsession is the opportunity to actually own something that when first viewed was personally and intensely fulfilling. Pardon me if we DVD owners also want to share with others, lending them out as good friends and good citizens are wont to do.
I don’t rewatch all my DVDs over and over again, but I do, at times, find that my thoughts go back to certain scenes.
Just this week, I had a hankering to see the bicycle chase in “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.” It’s a great sequence. So I put the DVD in and went straight to that very scene. Then, later, I was thinking about the “Ride of the Valkyries” attack in “Apocalypse Now.” Guess what? The DVD went in, and I watched it.
I rewatch some movies to see if they hold up.
“Pieces of April”? Yes.
“Narc”? No.
I’ve certainly enjoyed multiple DVD viewings of many movies. Some that come to mind: “City of God,” “Donnie Darko,” “The Thin Red Line,” “The Limey,” “Election,” “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada,” “Grizzly Man,” “Hustle & Flow” and “Air Force One” (hey, I’m being honest here).
ALAN
P.S. You get an “Invincible” T-shirt and an “Ask Alan Smithee” T-shirt.
Dear Mr. Smithee,
I am 71 years old, overweight, underexercised, and will probably die soon. This is a craven attempt to become the owner of an Ask Alan Smithee T-shirt before that occurs. I’m not asking to be given one for nothing. In exchange, I offer the following suggestion: a remake of “Forrest Gump” starring Minnie Driver, Yanni and directed by M. Night Shyamalan! If this appeal to your sympathy fails, I would be willing to humbly beg!
MARY ELLEN ISPER, Snellville
Dear Trust Me, You Had Me At Hello,
“Forrest Gump” was bad enough the first time. But I wouldn’t mind hearing the line, “Run, Yanni, run!”
Let’s consider a few other potential remakes:
“Midnight Cowboy” - Freddie Prinze Jr. as Ratso Rizzo; Paul Walker as Joe Buck.
“Some Like It Hot” - Seann William Scott as Jerry/Daphne; Ashton Kutcher as Joe/Josephine; Jessica Simpson as Sugar.
“Sid and Nancy” (if they hadn’t died, instead growing older) - Kevin Costner as Sid; Judi Dench as Nancy.
“Wuthering Heights” - Martin Lawrence as Heathcliff; Lil’ Kim as Cathy.
ALAN
P.S. You get “Wordplay” crossword puzzles and most definitely an “Ask Alan Smithee” T-shirt.
Dear Mr. Smithee,
I enjoy your column and usually agree with your picks, but you left out two movies from your film noir selections - “Murder My Sweet” (1944) and “Crossfire” (1947). Both were directed by a man credited with starting the film noir style, Edward Dmytryk.
MICHAEL MCKINNEY, Duluth
Dear Lucky You,
I realize that I am practically perfect in every way, but I was indeed forthcoming about my lack of film noir expertise. Truth is, I have not seen your fine films. Maybe if some nice person sent them to me on DVD. …
ALAN
P.S. You get an “Accepted” T-shirt and an “Ask Alan Smithee” T-shirt.
HAVE A QUESTION FOR MR. SMITHEE?
E-mail him at alansmithee@ajc.com or go to accessAtlanta.com and click on Movies. Please include your name, city and daytime phone number. Mr. Smithee can’t reply to every request, but inquiries chosen for publication will receive movie-related prizes.
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