TCM: The Greatest Movie Channel

[EtheltoTillie]

4 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

It sounds to me like something a bot might write after being fed the script. 

I felt I should watch the movie because I brought it up in the first place, and as I said I generally enjoy kitchen sink dramas.  But this one did nothing for me.

I've never particularly liked James Mason, and the mustache he had in this didn't help.  Alicia Malone said he got to use his "natural" accent, and that may be so, but I didn't notice because that softness to his voice (or whatever attribute it is) always gives me the creeps, plus he just seemed really wrong for his character.  And his character--he was a brute for all those years and then on a dime turned into a loving, and adored, father?  Not buying it.

I did enjoy the exterior shots, and I'm always fascinated watching these big families live in those tiny front rooms, always closing the door as they go in and out.  I'm always thinking, "Leave the door open, get some air in there!"  This one was no exception, so it did accomplish causing certain emotions in me.

Even the happy ending--I always appreciate (but never demand) a happy ending, but movies like this aren't supposed to have happy endings, so it missed on that point, too.

I still haven’t been able to bring myself to finish the movie. Thanks for the comments. They pick up on some of what I was feeling. 

[EtheltoTillie]

So last night I watched Running On Empty.  It's amazing!  How did I ever manage to miss this?  It was big when it came out, and I lived through the antiwar protest era.  I was the product of a less extreme "pink diaper" family. 

I don't have the time to do it justice, but just watch it.  It has a stellar cast, and it so well captures the heartbreaking dilemma of the parents and their children--all three generations. 

Spoiler

I was dubious when River Phoenix was suddenly elevated to Juilliard material, and they kept asking him whom he had studied with--but I was satisfied with the twist at the end that revealed Christine Lahti as the source of his talent and instruction.   

 

[Rinaldo]

On 5/17/2023 at 2:08 AM, voiceover said:

Recommended: tonight’s Tequila Sunrise.  It’s a tidy, smart little crime thriller (Robert Towne wrote & directed) with a sexy, great-looking cast: Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell…

I finally saw this before it left On Demand. I don't know if it was my breaking my watching up into sections, or that it needs the concentration of an actual theater, but I just couldn't manage to care about what was happening to anyone. And that despite the undoubted appeal (visual and visceral) of that trio, and the beauty of the Pacific-coast setting, and the frequent sharp lines. It just didn't really come alive for me. I wish I could say otherwise; I really wanted to love it.

But it reminded me of another Michelle-Pfeiffer-and-two-goodlooking-men flick of the same era: The Fabulous Baker Boys. I haven't seen that since it was new, and once I thought of it, I really wanted to see it again. I recall a nicely conveyed atmosphere (the lounge act that's approaching its sell-by date, still trying to hang on from gig to gig), the personal qualities of Pfeiffer and the Bridges brothers, and some memorable scenes. Particularly her song renditions; it's no surprise that she looks good, but her song stylings carry conviction too, sexy and strong without being implausibly stellar for the situation. I need to see if it stands up to memory. 

Edited May 28, 2023 by Rinaldo

[EtheltoTillie]

I think the Fab Baker Boys holds up. I last rewatched it maybe five years ago. You really care about the brothers’ relationship and the love story. 

[Milburn Stone]

Tuned into the new Max streaming channel last night. They seem to have gotten rid of all the hubs! (Including TCM.) The TCM hub on the old HBO Max was nothing to write home about, but it occasionally turned up something worth looking at.

Or are hubs still there, and I'm not looking in the right place?

[mariah23]

1 hour ago, Milburn Stone said:

Tuned into the new Max streaming channel last night. They seem to have gotten rid of all the hubs! (Including TCM.) The TCM hub on the old HBO Max was nothing to write home about, but it occasionally turned up something worth looking at.

Or are hubs still there, and I'm not looking in the right place?

It’s under “Brand Spotlight” now.

[Rinaldo]

On 5/28/2023 at 12:59 AM, EtheltoTillie said:

I think the Fab Baker Boys holds up.

It does! I just finished my rewatch, and it's as good as I remembered (which doesn't always happen). I wonder why it hasn't entered pop culture classic status, unlike a couple dozen other movies from its immediate era; it seems virtually forgotten now. Maybe because unlike current demands for fast-fast pacing, it takes its time with some scenes and trusts us to follow the unspoken subtext; and it doesn't tie it all up in a happy rom-com bow at the end (though nobody's facing an unhappy future). I loved it all. And Michelle Pfeiffer singing "Makin' Whoopee" in a red gown on top of the piano Jeff Bridges is playing... that's in my all-time movie pantheon.

[Milburn Stone]

16 hours ago, mariah23 said:

t’s under “Brand Spotlight” now.

For some reason I don't recall seeing Brand Spotlight as an option, but will definitely look for those words when I go back there. Thanks!

[EtheltoTillie]

7 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

For some reason I don't recall seeing Brand Spotlight as an option, but will definitely look for those words when I go back there. Thanks!

I saw the TCM icon when logging in to Max this weekend.  I don't remember that it was listed under anything called Brand Spotlight.

We will have Watch TCM, which requires a cable subscription. 

[EtheltoTillie]

21 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

It does! I just finished my rewatch, and it's as good as I remembered (which doesn't always happen). I wonder why it hasn't entered pop culture classic status, unlike a couple dozen other movies from its immediate era; it seems virtually forgotten now. Maybe because unlike current demands for fast-fast pacing, it takes its time with some scenes and trusts us to follow the unspoken subtext; and it doesn't tie it all up in a happy rom-com bow at the end (though nobody's facing an unhappy future). I loved it all. And Michelle Pfeiffer singing "Makin' Whoopee" in a red gown on top of the piano Jeff Bridges is playing... that's in my all-time movie pantheon.

I decided to rewatch now that you were discussing it. I really enjoyed watching it again.  There was a lot of humorous business in the resort hotel sequence.  But let's start with the most important thing:  Jeff Bridges IS the sexiest man alive. 

Next, I forgot how much smoking there was in the movie.  It was a plot point several times.  I used to smoke back then, but I quit in 2002.  I felt like my lungs were clogged just watching. 

Some people on Movie Chat quibbled with the friendship with the 11 year old neighbor.  I never felt that was skeevy at all.

I had one plot quibble:  What made Beau Bridges suddenly decide they should find a girl singer?  It seemed beyond his skill set to think of it.  I don't remember being jarred by it before.

Meg Tilly was hilarious, as were some of the other tryouts.  Looking at the cast, the girl in Jeff Bridges's bed at the beginning was apparently Terri Treas, who played an alien in a show we used to watch, Alien Nation (based on the movie).  She looked vaguely familiar, but it would be hard to recognize her with that red mop of hair as opposed to the alien bald cap. 

Edited May 30, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[Rinaldo]

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Some people on Movie Chat quibbled with the friendship with the 11 year old neighbor.  I never felt that was skeevy at all.

Nor, I will be bold enough to say, would any rational viewer. It was so clearly a case of Jeff acting was a (somewhat reluctant) second home when the kid was unwelcome at home. If I were to have an objection to this, it would be from the opposite end: a too-obvious script device, "see, this boozer/smoker/bum isn't all bad, he provides a haven for a neglected child." But they didn't push it too hard, so in the end it didn't bother me.

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I had one plot quibble:  What made Beau Bridges suddenly decide they should find a girl singer?  It seemed beyond his skill set to think of it. 

That seems right in character to me. Beau was the planner, the businessman of the two, and the one with family responsibilities. If their bookings were slipping, he would (despite his disposition to stick with the status quo) be the one to have to come up with a solution.

The Tilly we had here was Jennifer -- I'd forgotten she was in this (and it can't be because she was unknown; she'd already been Oscar-nominated for Bullets over Broadway). The aspiring singers were delightful (what a casting call that must have been!), especially the high soprano one (whom I can't identify, as she was one of 4 who sang "I'm So Excited," and they're all credited as Bad Singer).

I really enjoyed the end-credits signoff with Michelle's lovely rendition of "My Funny Valentine." That song has had quite the range of interpreters in the movies (Matt Damon's is surprisingly sweet).

[EtheltoTillie]

Oh, I mixed up the Tillys!  And that's after looking it up on IMDB -- and then having my mind slip immediately after.

One of my favorite scenes was when Michelle started singing "Ten Cents a Dance" after fumbling around with her props and the brothers singing the intro.  Wow, that was a surprise at that moment. 

[Rinaldo]

Jennifer's the one with the squeaky voice, that's how I make sure I'm recalling the right one (it makes some people Jumpy, is the mnemonic). Meg was more of a standard ingenue type; I guess. Though she's the younger, I noticed her first, in Hill Street Blues, and then soon afterward as part of that stellar ensemble in The Big Chill. I was dismayed when I heard she'd had to withdraw from Amadeus because of an injury; she would surely have been vastly better as Constanze Mozart than her replacement.

[Milburn Stone]

21 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

We have Watch TCM, which requires a cable subscription. 

Just curious. Do you have it as an app on Apple TV, like we do? Reason I ask is, this app at least once a week requires me to "activate" Watch TCM all over again, instead of remembering my credentials. It's the only app on all of Apple TV that does this. So annoying.

[EtheltoTillie]

Just now, Milburn Stone said:

Just curious. Do you have it as an app on Apple TV, like we do? Reason I ask is, this app at least once a week requires me to "activate" Watch TCM all over again, instead of remembering my credentials. It's the only app on all of Apple TV that does this. So annoying.

Same on Roku.  If I have not watched for a week or so, I have to reactivate.  Some of the other apps do this too.  It is a bit annoying.  But I do the activation on my iPad. 

[Sarah 103]

1 hour ago, Milburn Stone said:

Just curious. Do you have it as an app on Apple TV, like we do? Reason I ask is, this app at least once a week requires me to "activate" Watch TCM all over again, instead of remembering my credentials. It's the only app on all of Apple TV that does this. So annoying.

This is true for all cable subscription based apps. I have the same problem on my Roku. It's super annoying. 

[Tom Holmberg]

21 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Some people on Movie Chat quibbled with the friendship with the 11 year old neighbor.  I never felt that was skeevy at all.

This seems to be fairly common.  Any movie or TV show where an adult, not the parent, interacts with a kid, gets some people thinking it's some pedo thing.

[EtheltoTillie]

23 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

This is true for all cable subscription based apps. I have the same problem on my Roku. It's super annoying. 

Good point.  I was watching The Fabulous Baker Boys on the Starz app.  I had to log in from the cable subscription. 

[EtheltoTillie]

On 5/15/2023 at 11:51 PM, Rinaldo said:

I've seen Spring and Port Wine (decades ago, and I also read William Goldman's chapter about its source play in The Season), and that's actually an excellent synopsis, of the type that describes the setup and the inciting incident, leaving later details to the actual viewing. The herring business is actually a major element that extends through the whole story, which says something about the kind of narrative it is.

It's one of those very mild English comedy-dramas (in this case about generational conflict within a family whose adult children are still living with their parents) that really don't export well. I'm a pretty dedicated Anglophile, and it was too rarefied and plotless (and, on a mundane level, unbelievable) even for me. I'm sure I missed all kinds of minute social and regional cues that a UK viewer would understand. But of course other viewers will have different reactions, and should decide for themselves.

Aw Rinaldo, you are leaving out the best part of the discussion in the Season, which I decided to read. I just got to that chapter. How it was Americanized for Broadway and was a giant flop because no one would believe the American young adults would still live with their parents and pay rent. 

[Rinaldo]

9 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Aw Rinaldo, you are leaving out the best part of the discussion in the Season, which I decided to read. I just got to that chapter. How it was Americanized for Broadway and was a giant flop because no one would believe the American young adults would still live with their parents and pay rent. 

Ah, I go off on too many tangents as it is, so I generally lecture myself "Enough is enough." But if I encourage anyone to read The Season, that's a good thing; it's become kind of a model for other writers who write a book about "a year of something," using each chapter's discussion of a single entry for discussion of a different general issue as well.

That said, Goldman loves to propose nifty analyses of why a certain result happened, and I don't always follow him all the way on those. In this case, this particular point doesn't seem that big a deal (it wasn't common then, but it could happen, and it's happening more again these days I think). But his general point in this chapter is right on the money: that whatever reality Spring and Port Wine had was tied to specifics of place and time and class that were utterly lost when it was Americanized, and so it pleased nobody. The lesson in this case was that not every British playwright needs to be imported for Broadway production, and I agree.

(A different conclusion emerged from the case of one of my favorite UK playwrights, Alan Ayckbourn: his early plays were Americanized for their Broadway productions, and flopped. And it was discovered in subsequent regional and revival productions that they're still intelligible and enjoyable for US audiences in their original forms; and that's how they're always produced now.)

[Charlie Baker]

Katharine Hepburn is Star of the Month, and last night featured performances that were Oscar nominated, but not winners.  I certainly did not mean to stay with Long Day's Journey into Night for the duration, but darned if  I didn't.   I hadn't seen it in many years, and I suspect the last time I did it might have been the edited version. (In error,  Watch TCM indicates the shorter running time; what they're actually streaming seems to be the whole movie.) OK, yes, as Ben says in the intro, it might be intentionally stagy--but it s beautifully staged and shot and never gets static.  KH is fantastic, a varied, wrenching performance.  Jason Robards of course was a master O'Neill interpreter.  The great Ralph Richardson curiously came off to me on this viewing as a bit "stagier" and more artificial than his castmates, but he's got great moments. This time out, the revelation for me was Dean Stockwell, so powerful. 

I definitely can't recommend this for everyone--those who find O'Neill a slog won't be converted by it.  But wow.

[EtheltoTillie]

@Rinaldo never stop with your erudite tangents.  I love them, and I think everyone else does too.  We appreciate your taking the time to pass on your specialized knowledge.  If you want to know all about New York's Medicaid laws, I'd be happy to oblige in return. 

[Rinaldo]

On 6/9/2023 at 11:07 AM, Charlie Baker said:

I definitely can't recommend this [Long Day's Journey into Night] for everyone--those who find O'Neill a slog won't be converted by it.  But wow.

I agree about its stature. And I agree that it's not for everyone -- and further, that it's not even for its admirers, all the time. I find that I really have to be in the mood for it, and I'm not always... or even often. But goodness, what an achievement. And you were right to single out Katharine Hepburn. I've only recently really noticed how in her later years KH continued to take on major acting challenges, often stage adaptations, including O'Neill, Euripides, and Albee. She also did some lesser stuff, but time has a way of weeding that out.

Edited June 10, 2023 by Rinaldo

[Bastet]

7 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

And I agree that it's not for everyone -- and further, that it's not even for its admirers, all the time. I find that I really have to be in the mood for it, and I'm not always... or even often.

Same here.  I am usually not in the mood for it, but when I am, I am blown away anew at how perfectly it does what it intends to do.

[EtheltoTillie]

They’re also showing Suddenly Last Summer (on Watch TCM). I haven’t seen that shown in years. I’m going to give it a look after not seeing it in maybe 40 plus years. 

Edited June 11, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[Charlie Baker]

I saw Suddenly Last Summer a few years ago.  It's certainly not top drawer Tennessee Williams, but it's an intense lurid melodrama and Hepburn, Taylor, and Clift lift it. 

[voiceover]

On 6/10/2023 at 7:33 AM, Rinaldo said:

[…]you were right to single out Katharine Hepburn. I've only recently really noticed how in her later years KH continued to take on major acting challenges, often stage adaptations, including O'Neill, Euripides, and Albee.

She was unafraid, that’s for sure.  It’s that particular quality of hers that has always inspired me.                        
Spencer Tracy once ripped a playwright a new one after the man referred to Kate as “[just] a personality”.  He cited her work as Mary Tyrone as prime example of her talent, bravery, and work ethic.

eta: After the tirade, Tracy slammed out of the room.  The shaken playwright stammered: “I must’ve touched a sensitive spot!”  Garson Kanin (who was there and later recounted the story) replied, “You’re lucky he didn’t touch your sensitive spot!”

Edited June 12, 2023 by voiceover

[EtheltoTillie]

I ended up watching Long Day's Journey last night, and it really blows you away with the complexity of the story and the stellar acting.

I had never watched it all the way through, as years ago I was in a phase where I was completely turned off by theater-style exposition of back story.  Here, though, I stuck with it and was thoroughly mesmerized.  I must admit there were moments where I thought Hepburn was about to say "The calla lilies are in bloom again . . . "

[Tom Holmberg]

R.I.P.  Glenda Jackson

I wonder if TCM will run "Marat/Sade" Jackson's first credited movie.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-65916692

 

[EtheltoTillie]

Also RIP Treat Williams.  So many things to show for him.

[Suzn]

4 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Also RIP Treat Williams.  So many things to show for him.

I'm hoping they'll show Hair. Am I the only person who loves that movie?

[Mindthinkr]

46 minutes ago, Suzn said:

I'm hoping they'll show Hair. Am I the only person who loves that movie?

I haven’t seen it, but just saw that it’s on Tubi which is a free app. Watched other stuff on it and they have minimal ads. 

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, Suzn said:

I'm hoping they'll show Hair. Am I the only person who loves that movie?

I didn’t love it. I love the stage show. 

[voiceover]

On 6/15/2023 at 8:28 PM, EtheltoTillie said:

 

On 6/15/2023 at 6:36 PM, Suzn said:

I'm hoping they'll show Hair. Am I the only person who loves that movie?

I didn’t love it. I love the stage show. 

 

And I love the Cowsills’ version of the title tune.

And the Three Dog Night cover of “Easy to be Hard”.

And the Fifth Dimension’s “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In”.

😬

[Charlie Baker]

I'm not crazy about that movie, either, but the score...oh, yes.

One more cover to add to @voiceover's list: Oliver's "Good Morning, Starshine"

[Tom Holmberg]

On 6/15/2023 at 1:57 PM, Tom Holmberg said:

R.I.P.  Glenda Jackson

I wonder if TCM will run "Marat/Sade" Jackson's first credited movie.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-65916692

 

Judy Collins cover of a "Marat/Sade" medley

 

[voiceover]

1 hour ago, Charlie Baker said:

 

One more cover to add to @voiceover's list: Oliver's "Good Morning, Starshine"

<blushes>
you know I thought of that one, but I was associating it with Godspell.  Oops.  Obviously I had it confused with “Day by Day”.

Decrepitude.

[Rinaldo]

On 6/15/2023 at 9:36 PM, Suzn said:

I'm hoping they'll show Hair. Am I the only person who loves that movie?

Hardly. I know tons of people who like it, and I'm one of 'em. It's an odd case as movies of musicals go, because the musical had already become a period piece in the decade of its existence, and Milos Forman and Michael Weller adapted it as such, allowing considerable ambivalence into its view of the flower children and stylizing the music & dance in new ways. It worked unexpectedly well for me, and I'm always glad to see it again.

As for the Treat Williams filmography, there is indeed a lot to choose from, much of it unfortunately mediocre (not his fault). TCM dug out Why Would I Lie? not long ago, for instance, and that can go right back in the vault.

Edited June 18, 2023 by Rinaldo

[mariah23]

Big TCM news I’m starting to panic 

https://www.thewrap.com/tcm-executives-out-warner-bros-television-layoffs/

Edited June 21, 2023 by mariah23
Something to smile about

[MissAlmond]

11 hours ago, mariah23 said:

Big TCM news I’m starting to panic 

https://www.thewrap.com/tcm-executives-out-warner-bros-television-layoffs/ 

I never trusted them. 

[Sarah 103]

15 hours ago, mariah23 said:

Big TCM news I’m starting to panic 

https://www.thewrap.com/tcm-executives-out-warner-bros-television-layoffs/

This quote from the article makes me think the situation is not as bad or dire as it could be. 

Quote

U.S. Networks Group chairman and chief content officer Kathleen Finch said in a memo to staff Tuesday that Michael Ouweleen, the president of Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Discovery Family and Boomerang, will take oversight of TCM. Ouweleen previously ran TCM.

The person in charge has experience with TCM and may understand it's mission/purpose better than someone with no previous involvement. 

[mariah23]

UPDATE: Indiewire has quite the scoop.  Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson have scheduled an emergency call with Zaslav to protest about the gutting of TCM!

https://www.indiewire.com/features/commentary/tcm-layoffs-warner-bros-spielberg-scorsese-paul-thomas-anderson-protest-1234877220/

 

Also someone on Twitter posted Zaslav’s email in case you want to voice your thoughts (which I did in scathing detail)

david.zaslav@wbd.com

Edited June 21, 2023 by mariah23
Email address

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Sarah 103 said:

The person in charge has experience with TCM and may understand it's mission/purpose better than someone with no previous involvement. 

He was just an interim president for a short time a few years ago.  Fundamentally, he's in charge of way too many networks to properly oversee this one, especially without all the senior executives they just laid off.  As that IndieWire article says:

Quote

These people were responsible for everything from curating lineups, to shooting intros and outros, and for creating original shows, documentaries, and video essays that serve as major contributions to American cultural history.

 

[Milburn Stone]

There's no way to pretend this is anything but bad news.

I wonder if TCM could become profitable as a streaming network. I don't mean the abysmal WatchTCM, which is tied to a cable subscription and maddeningly requires a new sign-in every week. I mean a real streamer that people had to pay for, and where most of the money went to TCM instead of the cable company. Don't even talk to me about the TCM "hub" on MAX. I mean a dedicated TCM network, run by TCM people. I'd pay for that.

But the numbers may not work. The audience for TCM may be "aging out," and shrinking by attrition.

Let's hope Spielberg & Co. can save us.

 

[voiceover]

Yeah: I read the news today, oh boy.

Those here who panicked when this whole takeover began: you were right to worry.

😡

[Sarah 103]

1 hour ago, Milburn Stone said:

I wonder if TCM could become profitable as a streaming network. I don't mean the abysmal WatchTCM, which is tied to a cable subscription and maddeningly requires a new sign-in every week. I mean a real streamer that people had to pay for, and where most of the money went to TCM instead of the cable company. Don't even talk to me about the TCM "hub" on MAX. I mean a dedicated TCM network, run by TCM people. I'd pay for that.

Disocvery+ is a stand-alone service, so clearly they have no problem running different/multiple streaming services. I know there was a classic streaming service which didn't work, but maybe with the name and library of TCM your idea could succeed. I know people who would pay for it.

[Miss Anne Thrope]

So much for TCM's celebration of the Warner Bros. legacy a couple of months back. 

[Guest]

18 hours ago, mariah23 said:

UPDATE: Indiewire has quite the scoop.  Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson have scheduled an emergency call with Zaslav to protest about the gutting of TCM!

https://www.indiewire.com/features/commentary/tcm-layoffs-warner-bros-spielberg-scorsese-paul-thomas-anderson-protest-1234877220/

 

Also someone on Twitter posted Zaslav’s email in case you want to voice your thoughts (which I did in scathing detail)

david.zaslav@wbd.com

Perhaps these three guys can buy the rights to the movies and start a whole new network.  They appreciate classic Hollywood and know how to showcase it.

 

Sadly, it appears that Warner's is interested in the $$ bottom line.

A sad state of affairs....

[Milburn Stone]

Update on the story, in which the 3 directors express confidence coming out of their conversations with Zaslav. (Whether that confidence is warranted, we shall see.)

https://deadline.com/2023/06/steven-spielberg-martin-scorsese-set-david-zaslav-meeting-regarding-tcm-layoffs-update-with-statement-1235422098/

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, Milburn Stone said:

Update on the story, in which the 3 directors express confidence coming out of their conversations with Zaslav. (Whether that confidence is warranted, we shall see.)

https://deadline.com/2023/06/steven-spielberg-martin-scorsese-set-david-zaslav-meeting-regarding-tcm-layoffs-update-with-statement-1235422098/

I keep hoping, but I'm realistic.  BTW, I watched the documentary on Z Channel last night--had not seen it before.  It's still on Watch TCM.  ( I also watched the Pauline Kael documentary, which I had not seen before either.)  The Z Channel was the precursor of a TCM.  We used to have numerous repertory and art theaters in NYC that showed this kind of programming, but apparently in LA they did not have it. People like Quentin Tarantino and Alexander Payne and Jim Jarmusch and Robert Altman were interviewed and showed how they relied on this amazing content to learn about films.  The crazy genius programmer, Jerry Harvey, who created the content, ended up killing his wife and himself, and many people feel that giving him such a laudatory treatment was not right.  But it was still fascinating. 

As to the Pauline Kael documentary, she was a character.  I never joined the cult, although I always read her in the New Yorker.  She seemed to be quite humorless.  She wrote a nasty takedown of Andrew Sarris, but then she was upset when Renata Adler wrote a nasty takedown of her.