Good Reads That I've Been Reading

Just a few quick suggestions of how to best use your blog-surf time:

1) Over at "Edward Copeland on Film," there are two very good pieces:

-- a smart, deadpan takedown of Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line, which Copeland wrote as part of the "BIZARRO Blog-a-Thon," and which finally answers the question: who is that pretentious piece of work for, anyway?

--a lovely look back (by ECOF contributor Odienator) at one of the best teen comedies of the '80s, the Val Kilmer vehicle Real Genius.

2) Speaking of Copeland: he recently launched an online blogger/critic/academic/fan/etc. poll of the 25 Greatest "non-English language films" of all time. And you can vote! For those of you who long to be part of Oscar committees come February, or who pull out their hair every time the AFI polls come around, here's your shot at making a difference. Even more fun-- check out various bloggers' own lists, justifications and mea culpas for films they chose, and those they haven't seen (three particularly nice lists/posts: Self-Styled Siren's, SLIFR's, and Cinebeats'). And if you can't get enough o' those blog-a-thons, Copeland thoughtfully provides a nice calendar of those coming soon to a computer near you.

3) Speaking of foreign films (and, perhaps, foreign responses): the tireless Jim Emerson has been writing an interesting series of posts about how "old" films and foreign films are received by a variety of audiences, and how critical response itself might sometimes feel a little "old." As always at Scanners, it's a provocative, engaging set of arguments, and the real fun spills over into the comments sections.

4) Nice guy Jonathan Lapper continues a cool series on the Oscars. I only recently discovered Lapper's blog, but it looks like a lot of fun, and I'm a sucker for year-by-year awards analysis. If that doesn't give you a thrill, perhaps you'll enjoy his nice appreciation of Anton Walbrook.

5) And if you're utterly movied out (blasphemer!), mosey over to Salon, where Glenn Greenwald continues to prove his worth with a chilling analysis of potential coup plans in Iraq.

Vaya con Dios, bro!