While I've been finishing this book of mine and obsessing here about the presidential race, my favorite blogging stepchild - newcritics.com - has been quietly percolating away thanks to some fine posts by great bloggers on film, books, television and lots of music. This is a new feature alert of major proportions, the announcement of a virtual film festival to be led by none other than the amazingly prolific Lance Mannion. Here's how Lance announced it:
Starting next Wednesday, June 11, and for the four Wednesdays after that I’ll be hosting an open thread right here at newcritics devoted to each one of the five Oscar nominees for Best Picture for 1967: The Graduate, In the Heat of the Night, Bonnie and Clyde, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and Doctor Dolittle. I was going to leave that last one off my list, but our favorite film blogger the Siren insisted I include it. She swears it holds up a lot better than you’d think. We’ll see.
I loved the idea from the start and I'm calling on everyone here - all you Clinton obsessives, Obama lovers, and even you Republicans to throw aside your political armor and set the popcorn a-poppin'. Here's the festival schedule:
June 11: The Graduate.
June 18: In the Heat of the Night.
June 25. Doctor Dolittle.
July 2. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
July 9. Bonnie and Clyde.
Quite the lineup. And you know the crowd over a newcritics will be ready. So here's to you, Mrs. Robinson - get those videos ready and meet up with Lance next week. And speaking of newcritics, I'm very hopeful of a return to Mad Men blogging later this summer, if the fabulous Ms. Peel is up for it.
