Oliver Stone After W. Screening Opening Night

Talk about weird coincidence. TheWife and I went out to see "W." tonight (watch for a Pocket Review tomorrow) and who does @Siskita notice on the way out but the guy who directed the damn film!

How do ya like that? Come all the way from Los Angeles to the Big Apple and we bump into a filmmaker. Go fig. Just wish I had a copy of my book on me. It's jammed with conspiracy stuff--he'd totally love it.

The good news is that "W." is well done. The odd news is that it's not a terribly deep film and seems to take only from the media as its source. Still that doesn't stop it from being entertaining.

When I shook his hand I told him the movie was great--I probably should have said "very good" instead. Ah well. I've met famous people before and I still get a little starstruck--even though I think he's kind of an asshole in real life. Still, he's a great filmmaker.

ANYway, watch for my review tomorrow :)

Want to see more pics of Oli? Check out my Flickrset here: http://flickr.com/…136383749/

YAY THE NEW BEV IS BACK!

29-07-07_2136.jpg, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

YAY! After the very unfortunate and untimely passing of founder, Sherman Torgan, screenings have returned at the New Beverly Cinema in Hollywood! It's the last independent single-screen revival movie house in LA (that I know of) and it runs some of the best movies made from around the world. It reopened last Tuesday, but I couldn't make it before tonight's screening of The Goonies, a film I haven't seen since the late 1980s. Back to the Future, I've seen a few THOUSAND times so we didn't stay for it, but we did get out there and show our love for the beloved New Bev. Just $7 for a double feature EVERY DAY!

Check out NewBevCinema.com for what's playing now and in the future! And GO SEE MOVIES THERE! They need our support more than ever!

LA MOVIE GOING WILL NEVER BE THE SAME

Ohhhh, this is so sad.

One of us has died.

And by "us" I mean the group of people I was prominently a member of before I got all busy with politics and shit.

And by "the group of people I was prominently a member of before I got all busy with politics and shit" I mean, movie buffs.

Damn.

The guy who, since 1978, has owned, operated and programmed the New Beverly Cinema in Hollywood, just down the street from CBS Television City on Beverly Blvd, has died of a heart attack.

According to a statement at NewBevCinema.Com, Sherman Torgan died doing something he loved to do--riding his bike on the Santa Monica bike path.

I've been going to the New Bev for over ten years. I remember when he charged just $3 for a double feature. It's now $7, but it's still the best deal in town.

Oh, I'm so depressed now...

Fuck.

I think I saw him almost every time I saw a movie there and despite that, I never spoke more than a few words to him. Truth be told, he wasn't the warmest of fellows, but his love of great and diverse cinema put us in that same group. And now, he's gone and the LA movie-going landscape will never be the same.

I'll probably see a movie this weekend and as cheesy as it sounds, the picture will seem a bit less bright.

Yeah, it's corny, so what? He was one of us.

....and he will be remembered!

RIP SHERMAN TORGAN .