SILENCE: BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY
As anyone still reading this all to infrequently updated blog probably knows I did a piece for Slate a couple of weeks back about Popeye. I'm not sure I have that much more to say on the subject, but I'm using it as an excuse to test out some software that rips, converts, and uploads clips from DVDs. Here's a moment of early Fleischer brothers insanity in which Popeye will stop at nothing to create a quiet environment for a baby. (Not Swee'Pea, by the way. This is pre-Swee'Pea.) Enjoy.

ALL THE FUN OF MYSPACE, NONE OF THE CAM-WHORES
Just as everyone else soon will, I now have a Facebook page.

HOW WILL THEY REMEMBER YOU?
Keith: Merv Griffin died, did you hear that?
Stevie: Yeah. [Pause.] He was the one with the big penis, right?
Keith: [Confused.] I think you're thinking of Milton Berle.

"ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS NOTHING"

I once considered writing an article on why I thought there has never been a bad version of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. I'm glad I didn't. This new one isn't so much bad as half-hearted. There are plenty of current events (well, current as of when it was shot for an intended 2006 release) floating around in the background to acknowledge that there could be some political subtext to it, but it never commits. There is at least [minor spoiler] one truly daring idea that it plays with, the notion that maybe the invaders have the right idea, that humanity is a self-destructive species that might be better off if someone else would take a firm hand to it. And it backs it up by not making that strong of a case for humanity. There's also much that could have been done draw parallels with an outside force invading the U.S. for our own good. Unfortunately, all that stuff just sort of lays there and the action doesn't compensate for it. And, man, can you tell that this thing is patched together by different hands months apart. It's been edited to the bone and the style changes virtually with each scene. Avoid. (I do like the line I've used for the title, however. Pretty chilling coming from Jeremy Northam, even if I did spend the whole movie thinking he was Todd Field.)