Interesting
article in the Chicago Tribune the other day about how movies often get a second wind on video -- and how their gains reflect changing tastes over time.
Examples abound: The initial box-office failure of
"The Shawshank Redemption," now firmly lodged as the Internet Movie Database's No. 2 film of all time; Darren Aronofsky's "Requiem for a Dream," which gains new viewers every year; "Donnie Darko," "Blade Runner," and on and on.
It will be interesting to see what overlooked films of the past couple years stand out in 2010 -- or 2050.
This morning, trying to put together something about
comedian Richard Jeni's death, I cobbled together
a few of his lines for a sidebar.
I knew a little about Jeni -- I'd seen him on talk shows and I have a vague memory of one of his specials -- but I was unprepared for how his lines appeared, unadorned by his wisenheimer New York delivery, and knowing Jeni's fate:
"It is a sad fact that 50 percent of marriages in this country end in divorce. But hey, the other half end in death. You could be one of the lucky ones!"
"My mother never saw the irony of calling me a son of a bitch."
Funny and angry, as comedy often is. But now, also sad.