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Film critics David Edelstein and A. O. Scott take time–and wordcount–off from reviewing films to discuss books. Books about films. By critics. J. Hoberman’s The Dream Life, a political/cultural history of film in the 60’s and 70’s and Peter Biskind’s Down and Dirty Pictures, a bitchstory of independent film in the 90’s.

How many times have you replayed the Richard Pryor movie, Brewster’s Millions, in your head and said, “I could spend $30 million in 30 days and have nothing to show for it, what’s the big deal?” Not counting P Diddy’s entire, hapless, yacht-renting existence, Howard Dean is the only person I can think of who’s actually done it. He’s a veritable Doctor of Spendology.

The 2-Tone ska band Madness skanked down Yohji Yamamoto’s runway during the Fall ’04 shows. British GQ has pictures of the entire collection, but no acknowledgement of the band at all; he just shoots the clothes. Clearly, a magazine for New Ro poseurs.
On the other hand, the Times has the full band, including frontman Suggs, but Cathy Horyn doesn’t even mention Yohji or Madness in her report. Poseur.
Buy Madness’s One Step Beyond or Ultravox’s The Collection (Poseur). [Obviously, I have them both.]

In addition to what I wrote on Gothamist,

1. Do these nominees follow the Zapf Zipf distribution? It seems like they’re either mega-blockbusters or tiny independent films. Granted, many so-called “indie” films are made by the studio-owned mini-majors, aka Dependents, but still.
2. I’m burning through like $10/day on Google ads for people who misspell Sofia Coppola. She’s now famous enough to have her name spelled correctly. I’m sure the kids from Spellbound would agree, if they weren’t all in some rehab program for washed up child stars.
3. Is Cold Mountain the first movie edited with Final Cut Pro to be nominated for Best Editing?

I would add a big 4. There is no Elephant is this room. That’s more than a Punch-Drunk Love-level snub. I think Gus Van Sant has completely replenished his indie cred. [1/31 update: The Observer‘s Philip French clearly doesn’t vote in the Academy; he calls Elephant “a chilling tour de force.”]

Sarah Hepola’s lawyer boyfriend won a radio contest and a trip to Sundance, and she tags along to shoot fish in a barrel see celebrities on Main Street in Park City. How’d she do? well, she sees Kyle McLachlan. And DMX, aka The Black Guy in Utah Who Doesn’t Play For The Jazz.
Read her minute-by-minute account at The Morning News.

Jeff Jarvis apparently doesn’t spend all his time watching Outkast over at The MTV.
He surfs over to the more demographically appropriate VH1 just long enough to post about the show weblog for Best Week Ever, The Mariah Network’s answer to The Daily Show.
From what I hear, the weblog’s the best part of the show. I have to go by secondhand information since I stopped watching any music channels since the quaintly homemade MuchMusic sold their Canadian souls.