RealityChuck

Impact, bah. Influential, humbug. Which one did you enjoy more?The first, by far. Empire was just more of the same -- well done, but not up to the same level because I'd seen it before. Any science fiction fan (and, at the time, that meant people who read science fiction, since films were few and far between) found the film to be wonderful. I recall that the reviews for Empire at the time said essentially the same thing: good movie, but not up to the original. It wasn't until the 90s that I started seeing people saying how it was better. I'm too young to have seen it in the theater. Was the "I am your father" line like a punch in the gut? Was it a shock? Or did people know ahead of time? Homer spills the beans in one Simpsons episode and a guy in line is pissed. With no Internet and whatnot I'm guessing it was not generally known, unless a dumbass like Homer ruined the surprise.It was an interesting plot twist, but I didn't particularly think it was all that shocking. It seemed to me at the time to be something just tacked on as a "gotcha" for the audience. I also remember being skeptical that it was meant to be true: Vader was certainly in a position to lie about it to gain an advantage.

Jose Oquendo

A pretty good sequel, but not up to the original. It just didn't have the impact that Star Wars -- probably the most influential movie in the past 30 years -- had. Well done, but it wasn't new any more, and that weakened it.

Logically, the second player would seem to be someone affected by the Rule V draft, since they're waiting until after that to announce it. The two options are: 1. It's a player eligible for the draft. 2. It's a player not eligible for the draft, but who would be replacing any drafted pitcher.

Looks like the only Met to share my birthday is Ray Burris -- whose hair was more interesting than his pitching. I do share with three hall of famers, including one born in the same county as me.

Vic Sage wrote:i liked it alot, too... but if you give 5 Stars to the INCREDIBLES, what rating do you give to CITIZEN KANE, CASABLANCA, WIZARD OF OZ, SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS and THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY?i think we're devaluing the 5 star rating. INCREDIBLES is a solid 4.I give the first three five and Sullivan's Travels four (no where near as good as Miracle of Morgans Creek or The Great McGinty.) Haven't see the other.If it were a ten-point scale, I'd give it a nine, but since The Incredibles is the best computer animated film ever, it deserves a five.

Great comedy, second only to Bringing Up Baby as Howard Hawk's best, and probably in the top 30 for the decade (not shabby, with the large number of films during that era and the Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, and Mae West in their prime). The original play was funny enough, but the movie upped the ante by speeding things up. Some of the best in-jokes ever: "He looks like the movie actor, Ralph Bellamy." "Mock turtle." "Archie Leach." Billy Gilbert is also terrific, as was Clarence Kolb as the slippery mayor. "You didn't come here." "Yes, I did." "No, you didn't." "Yes, I did. Just now."

One of the better animated films of the past few years. Lets give credit where credit is due: Brad Bird, after The Iron Giant and this is clearly the best director of animated films after Nick Park.

Seven out of ten. Forgot about Pete Reiser.

Best Hollywood film in years. Works brilliantly on all levels, with fine acting throughout and no easy answers.

Mr. Deeds is definitely #1, since it keeps the preachiness under control. It's a Wonderful Life is vastly overrated. Stewart is too much of a doormat. N.B., I am probably the only person still alive who actually read the short story the movie was based on before I saw the movie. It took a lot of work to find the film, too -- I saw it on late night TV in the summer of 1974, before it was ever considered a Christmas film. And, of course, the story is better and more subtle. Capra evidently thought it was worse for Mary to be unmarried than to be married to an abusive husband). You Can't Take it With You is much more Kaufman and Hart than Capra (he didn't improve it), and his film of Arsenic and Old Lace is only so-so. Mr. Smith is just an inferior (and more preachy) version of Mr. Deeds, but It Happened One Night was pretty good.

Just a great little film.

Polaris, by the vastly overlooked, Jack McDevitt.McDevitt has been publishing great hard SF novels for about a decade now, but no one seems to notice him.

Interesting to see Bob Friend as #2 on the list: he was the second Mets pitcher to get a win against Koufax (other than McGraw). McGraw started that game, but left in the second inning.Glad to be here, EdgyDC.

Yeah, I was there when Koufax pitch in what turned out to be his last appearance in Shea Stadium. It was billed as a chance to see Tug McGraw start against him, since McGraw was the only Mets pitcher to beat him.Koufax had a terrible day. Got knocked out of the box and took the loss. Pitched two innings and gave up six runs, and left in the third without getting a man out. As he left the mound, he gave a shrug as though to say, "I just don't have it tody."It was the last bad game he pitched, though.Most of the time, Koufax was unhittable. He was by far the most dominant pitcher of the 60s.