A new documentary attempts to figure out why the film is so popular. LA Times (7/30)
---
I once was on the same plane as Jeff Bridges. When I mentioned this to one of my co-workers, the name sounded familiar but they couldn't quite place him. I said "Jeffrey Lebowski" and they immediately understood.
Bridges, I might add, looked like he was still in character.
---
I get annoyed when movies I like reach cult status. Cult status seems to apply to movies that touch a societal nerve but people aren't quite willing to accept as "good" movies in some critical Oscar-nominated sense maybe because they aren't formulated as Greek tragedies or because their meaning is not deep underlying or abstract. The Big Lebowski, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou are three of my all-time favorite movies fitting this description. Their cult status make them somewhat less appealing because, I guess, I don't want to feel like I am a fan of movies for which frat boys go out and dress as the characters for Halloween. Because if frat boys like it, it makes it harder to believe that these movies will ultimately be seen as art ahead of their time.
