LAZY SUNDAY # 35: THE REEL GEEZERS

I'm almost done with my latest hopscotching of North America. Phew! Ten days, both coasts, Nashville to set up a new pilot and visits to the Heartlands (North and South) in between.

The summer's half gone and the only blockbuster I've seen was "The Dark Knight". Now, is it just me, or was that supposed to be a Batman movie? I mean, shouldn't a Batman movie have Batman in it as more than just transitional filler?

Anyway, I've got some major movie catching up to do and that means perusing all of the reviews I normally never bother with to sort what's worthy of the theatrical experience from what can wait for rental or an evening with the movie channels.

I know there are people who swear by certain critics or have a circle of friends with similar tastes. But I like to get guidance from people who've been there and are impervious to marketing, fanboys and the need to appear hip and cool.

Geezers.

A little while ago, old friends, screenwriter Lorenzo Semple ("Three Days of the Condor, "The Parallax View", "The Drowning Pool") and producer Marcia Nasatir ("The Big Chill", "Hamburger Hill", "Ironweed") decided to experiment with this newfangled innertubes thing and offer their own take on current films.

It started out as a goof, but in a few short months their filmic discussions have garnered a huge audience among Hollywood insiders, drawn (as you will be) by their intelligent debates. These are two people with more days on movie sets than most of us have spent on the planet. There is little in the film world they haven't personally experienced or seen before.

On top of that, neither has a personal agenda, a career relationship they want to curry favor with or a media conglomerate to placate, so what you get is a straightforward reaction that's of far more value than your average review.

Here's a sample of "The Reel Geezers" work. You can find more on Youtube or their own website www.thereelgeezers.com.

And enjoy your Sunday. Me, I've got another border to cross.