At the Movies With Stephen Hunter

The Latest Cinema

Washington Post film critic Stephen Hunter was online Friday, May 30 at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss the latest movies. Whether you're in search of a popcorn cruncher or a quality indie film, Hunter will provide guidance about what to see and what to skip at the movies this summer.

A transcript follows.

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Washington, D.C.: On a scale of 1-10, how excited are you for the "Sex and the City" movie?

Stephen Hunter:-5,678. No, no, there's plenty of room for all kinds of movies for all kinds of folks and I'm sure SitC is fine, though I think we are all relieved I was not asked to comment on it.

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Arlington, Va.: Many attribute the downfall of American culture to the supposed removal of prayer from public schools. Don't you think Drive-Ins provided both a much needed communal gathering as well as a safety valve for repression? Might we convince one of the candidates to make a plank of his/her social policy a free summer of Drive-Ins? I've not done much research on this but I'm betting there is a correlation between lower crime and less violence in a Drive-In culture. I already got the slogan: Drive-Ins, not Drive-bys.

Stephen Hunter: Extremely witty and clever question for which I have no amusing response. I know when I'm outclassed. Good work, Arlington.

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Goodbye: I'll miss reading your movie reviews in the paper. You can still turn a phrase. Good luck with all your future novels. Can't wait for the next Bob Lee book!

Stephen Hunter: Hmm, there's no question here so I guess I can't publish this one as a way of getting it into the discussion that yes, I am taking a buy-out and soon will be nothing but a gosssamer strand of memory. Was he here? Did he exist? It's all fading. So of course I won't publish it.

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Ballston, Va.: You took the buyout. WHY? You're leaving. Desson's leaving. Ann's great and all, but this development ... how should I put this? ... sucks.

I guess you're taking your Pulitzer and moving on. Nothing left to accomplish at the Post. Books to write.

We'll miss you.

Stephen Hunter: More than the money, more than the books, more than the movies, it was that #$%^&*( $#@!$%&&*( ###$$$@ drive down New York avenue that finally ground the bloom off my rose. A life with no New York Avenue in it seemed entirely worth living.

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Ft. Belvoir, VA: Stephen,

Will this be your last chat? Faced with the prospect of Hunter withdrawals, how can we chat with you about movies in the future? Stalk you at your favorite firing range?

Stephen Hunter: Future plans are yet unformulated. Feel free to stalk but be forewarned I stalk back. I haven't had to shoot anyone in some months now, and that last guy is out of the hospital and evidently ambulatory. And they say they make very fine plastic ears, so he should be okay in time.

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Laurel, Md.: Are women that obsolete? Maybe that's not the word I'm looking for. I don't understand critics who say "SATC" won't make money b/c it's Rated R (THANK GOODNESS! No teeny boppers) and men won't see it. Did you see all those women lined up at MIDNIGHT in Georgetown and all across the US to see it? Why don't they believe we have as much earning and buying power as men?

Stephen Hunter: As a market entity, women don't rank highly, or as highly as "acned teen-age virgin boys who've spent too much time in front of the X-box shredding mutants." However, carefully advertised and skillfully made films can make a lot of dough if they inspire the niche audience. Now I would never call a woman a "niche," but in marketing terms, that's what they are. Honey, honey, put down that-- owww!

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Alternate title for the new Indiana Jones film:"Indiana Jones Jumps the Shark."

I also read that the Peruvian government is upset over the blatant historical inaccuracies in the film (e.g., some learning an Incian language from Pancho Villa, who was in Mexico, and an Azetec pyramid appearing in the Amazon forest). Certainly the producers are relatively smart folks. Are such inaccuracies just a bit of whimsy, to give a tone of fun, rathe than serious history, to the film (putting aside the fact that many Americans have no idea of differences between Azetec, Mayan and Incan)?

Stephen Hunter: in my opinion, whimsy, the whole thing itself a $175 mil whimsy. Spielberg is capable of astonishing accuracy; in Private Ryan, for example, he was criticized for having Hanks' Tommygun wrapped in cellophane-like material during invasion sequence and for having officer's ranks painted on helmets. Both, as it turned out, were accurate details.

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Wheaton, Md.: What? You couldn't arrange for a telecommuting deal? Come on!

Stephen Hunter: Oh, I s'pose. Even now I've been doing some low-level telecommuting. Still, that ties me to a schedule, a raft of places to go and be. Im sort of not into "going and being" now. I may do some contract work for Post afterwards, but details haven't been worked out.I am available for bar mitzvahs, supermarket openings and contract killing.

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Washington: Maybe it's just me, but the joy I got from seeing Indiana Jones back on the big screen -- from the hat to the smirk, from the John Williams score to Speilberg's unrivaled set pieces -- it all far outweighed the problems with the new movie. A few friends said they couldn't buy... SPOILER ALERT?... the alien connection. Some were offended when I suggested it wasn't so far-fetched if you consider "Raiders" was about a magic box, "Temple of Doom" was about some magic stones, and "Last Crusade" was about a magic cup.

At the end, I walked out satisfied. (Though I do hope the money is too great a calling that they return with something that builds on what they did right and can have Indy go out on a better note.)

Stephen Hunter: You said almost exactly in two paragraphs what I said last Thursday in 35 inches. I don't think you had as many jokes but your succinctness far outweighs my endless account of plot permutations. Well done.

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Baltimore, Md.: Steve: Just a note to say that I was sorry to hear you took the buyout. Are there any plans afoot to write occasional pieces for the Post, or to write about movies for other publications? I guess the alternative is whiskey, guns, thrillers and more whiskey and guns.

Stephen Hunter: I think I already answered this but you have to admit "whiskey guns, thrillers and more whiskey and guns" sounds pretty much like Hunter's view of paradise.

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Nashville, Tenn.: I watched Sam Peckinpah's "Wild Bunch" and "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" this week on DVD. What is your favorite Peckinpah movie?

Stephen Hunter:"Wild Bunch," without a doubt. Haven't seen Alfredo in YEARS; if it's out on DVD (wasn't available, like far too many films, for long, long time) I may have to look at it again.

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Washington, D.C.: Hello Mr. Hunter, love your reviews. Are there any movies that you have drastically changed your opinion about, either with further viewings or over time?

Stephen Hunter: thanks for kind words. Whenever I DVD a movie, I always hit "English" for subtitles which compensates for my hearing diffrculties. Sometimes it improves the movie a bit. "Miami Vice," for example, began to resemble coherence with the subtitles going on. I would have moved by conclusion from something like C- to something like C+. But that's about it.

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Alexandria, Va.:"Son of Rambow" is seriously awesome.

Stephen Hunter: I pass this along for others.

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Ocala, Fla.: What do you mean, you don't have to be a movie critic? I'm pretty sure that it's in the Second Amendment.

Stephen Hunter: No, I think they cut it out right before signing, along with "Plus it's okay for anybody to have a machinegun." Now, I think they made a BIG mistake in both, but I pretty much can live with No. @ as is!

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New York, N.Y.: So now that you're retired, have you been drinking more or just starting earlier in the day?

We hope you can find time for contract work at the paper.

Stephen Hunter: I had a pretty good evening last night. I got my wife so mad at me she wouldn't go to dinner with me, so I reasoned that saved about a thousand calories, which meant I had a thousand calories to burn, so I burnt them in bourbon. Oh, so nice. It's sort of the bad boy's version of cap and trade!

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Silver Spring, Md.: You and Desson both? Wow.

So this means drunken political donations will be jake now, eh?

Good luck and fair winds, sir.

Stephen Hunter: Why, sir, I won't NEED to be drunk to contribute to such fine causes as "Howitzers4tots.com" or "Heat-seekingMisslesinevr'ygarage Inc."

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Los Angeles, Calif.: To read most of the press you'd swear the only movie out there was "Indiana Jessica Parker and the Manolos of Doom." But there's a lot more if you care to look. I like such WAY off-the-beaten-path fare as "Savage Grace," "Edge of Heaven" and "Mister Lonely." What say you?

Stephen Hunter: I think you'll be a little disappointed in "Savage Grace" which should have been so much more fun. Haven't seen the others but your larger point is well taken: to get the most out of your moviegoing dollar, you've got to monitor the smaller films in the art theaters and make careful selection. They can suck, but they can also take you places you never dreamed existed, if you only go boldly where only movie critics have gone before!

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Arlington, Va.: I just wanted to say thanks and bon voyage. Your reviews have been very helpful as well as entertaining. And you seem to understand that sometimes a person will want the motion picture equivalent of a sirloin and a pint of Guinness, sometimes the motion picture equivalent of a big glob of cotton candy.

Stephen Hunter: Nicely said and thanks. However, else I be accused on milking this thing forever, I should tell you that I ain't leaving the joint till July 31 and there should even be another one of these chat things upcoming. I do enjoy the Viking funeral aspects of the endgame however; pass the grog, Ingrid!

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Cleveland Park, D.C.: Boo to all of the SATC naysayers. I'm especially irked by the sexist comments surrounding the film, including last night's "Daily Show" spoof. The hating is entirely unnecessary. My friends and I are excited about the film. I could care less that others would rather strangle themselves than to see it. Whatever. Don't see the movie. I didn't want to see "300" or "Transformers." And I didn't.

Stephen Hunter: Well said, madam! As I said earlier, different movies for different folks is GOOD not BAD. Moreover, hating is ALWAYS unnecessary. Stay home, watch a game, enjoy America in the spring.

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Annandale, Va.: The Post says you are firing yourself for being too old. It's been mostly a good run, even though you did pan one Bourne film during its opening credits. Thanks for many good reviews (not including that one.)

Stephen Hunter: I really got creamed over that Bourne thing, by the way. Some creepy lizard at NY magazine tried to incite my assassination. As for the "firing for being too old," that was actually me that said it, IN the Post.

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San Pedro Sula, Honduras: Funny about the English subtitles, we do it as well so as not to wake up the little kids in the next room. AND because British accents are a foreign language to me!

"Wild Bunch" is a great movie and I had the privilege to see you talk about it at Johns Hopkins before a screening.

Good luck with the future.

Stephen Hunter: Nice to hear from smart people all the way off in Honduras. Good luck to you.

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Flight of the Red Balloon: Can you please try to explain what's so special about this movie? My husband and I, regular foreign/independent film goers saw it last weekend. We just don't get it. There's no plot, per se. There's a little character development. And not much else. As for the beauty of it, I've seen much nicer looking movies.

What's the big deal that we're missing? BTW, the folks at the Avalon said that based on comments they've heard, people either love it or hate it. People have walked out of it, they say. We didn't hate it but we sure don't understand what all the fuss is about, either.

Stephen Hunter: Haven't seen it, don't plan to, but again let's address a general point you astutely raise. Which is: what happens if you go to a classic and you HATE it? Happens to me all the time. Umbrellas of Cherboug? Wouldn't it work better if they could sing and dance? Lawrence of Arabia. Hmm, was that FOURTH trip across the desert really necessary? Scenes from a Marriage. ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz. And on and on. The only thing I can say, to you and to me, is: it's okay. Enjoy hating it. Enjoy being spurned and scorned. Make frends with your dyspepsia. And like me, have the following engraved on your tombstone: HE WAS RIGHT ABOUT BOURNE.

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Montgomery Village, Md.: You will be missed. I have relied on your excellent movie reviews. I love your books and hope you will make guest movie review appearances in the WP on occasion. Thank you for a job well done!

Stephen Hunter: VERY KIND WORDS, much appreciated. And for the fellow who said, "I hope you die," guess what? I will.

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NoVA: How tolerable will the new Indiana Jones movie be for a wife (who is only going with her hubby because she loves him) who loathes most action movies (Indy, "Star Wars," etc.)? Is it at least funny? Smart? Dare I say - short?

Stephen Hunter: Short it's not. But it's not as ominously macho as the typical actioner with a high level of wit and self-mockery. I think you'll kind of enjoy yourself, though the last big sequence--all CGI--is less engaging than it might have been.

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Chicago, Ill.: What are your top movie picks for this summer?

Stephen Hunter: Glad you asked. Yes, it's called "Night of Thunder," to be published by Simon & Schuster in late September. Bob Lee Swagger, a hell of a ride, about various plots and ambushes in the week leading up to a big NASCAR race. Cars, guns, no swords, what's not to love?

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Greensboro: I am NOT cool with you leaving. You were the go-to movie reviewer for the kinds of movies I actually want to watch! Case in point: Your Indy review. Brilliant.

Damn you, sir.

Stephen Hunter: Thanks, chap. I take your damnation as a badge of honor and will wear it proudly on my sleeve!

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Michael Dirda...:...stil does a weekly book chat here, so I don't see why the Post couldn't arrange for you to continue doing movie chats online.

Stephen Hunter: It's possible. But wouldn't that mean I'd actually have to GO to movies. I mean Dirda gets by on book flap copy but there's never any flap copy on movies! I suppose I could actually read the reviews, but . . . really.

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Sorry I can't agree: I bet drive-ins were responsible for MANY MANY illegitimate babies. Do we need to bring back a dark secluded place that legitilizes kids canoodling in the back seat?

Stephen Hunter: Well argued, sir. wish I'd been quick enough to come up with that one. See, you people will get along just fine without me. You're much faster, wittier, cleverer. So you ask, how come I got the job? My lips are sealed!

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Silver Spring, Md.: I don't mean to raise old issues but I did resent your piece on "Old Boy" and the Virginia Tech shooting. I felt that it raised the issue and then you didn't fully defend the position that movie violence somehow lead Cho to his actions (I do not believe that at all).

I felt that it was especially disingenious coming from a person who had recently had a film made based on one of his novels about a sniper if my sources are correct -- "Shooter," right?

I am a fan of "Old Boy" and similar ultra violent Asian and American films and I felt your piece did not defend a position so much as add to the noise wanting to blame Cho's actions as a disturbed person on the media.

That argument is too easy and would mean that the millions of others who enjoyed "Old Boy" would turn out violent sociopaths as well.

And to ask why they are singing in "Umbrellas of Cherbourg" is to miss the point of the film. It's the whole package just like with old MGM Hollywood musicals, the difference being that Demy set that kind of technicolor song-and-dance amid the working class of a French seaside town in the early 1960's.

Sorry to see you go even when I disagree with you.

Stephen Hunter: Well argued, nicely written. Again, I am humbled by the wisdom out there. I will say that the subtext of the imfamous Virginia Tech piece was my own uneasiness about my own movie. I wrote the book carefully so that Bob never killed an unarmed man who wasn't trying to kill him and all engagements took place in firefights and we never enjoyed the look through the 'scope at the exploding head. The film just went crazy with all those issues. In fact, I've made my living DEFENDING violent movies and I felt that those who criticized me were taking that piece out of the context of the whole career--inevitable, but still not fair. I also didn't see the piece as fixing blame but as explaining. Anyhow, thanks for your thoughts and I still hate Umbrellas of Cherbourg.

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Hating "good movies": I find myself in that category often. I hated "The English Patient" when everyone loved it. I hated the Bob Dylan movie from last year while all around me were oohing and aahing over the creativity of it all. Meh. Choppy, with much that was oddly paced and jarring.

Nothing substantive to say really, but your columns will be missed.

Stephen Hunter: nice, smart comment. thanks.

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Tucson, Ariz.: Good novels, good reviews-is that you starring in that beer commercial as the world's most dangerous man? I used to enjoy you on Imus-I hear he's back on the air, do you do the new show?

Stephen Hunter: My contact with Imus was through our mutal agent Esther Newberg. But he's had a falling out with her--he has a falling out with EVERYBODY, have you noticed--so it's unlikely I'll be there. Will still do Tony Kornheiser in this area, but that's of no use to you in Tucson.

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McLean, VA: I think I have an idea for the final installment of the Indiana Jones saga:

Indiana investigates the cultural symbolism involved when a hereto unknown Apocalyptic cult plants a flaming toilet in the fountain at Alexandria City Hall (the part about the flaming toilet is based on real event of several years ago). Jones traces the flaming toilet to a cult that worships walrus oosiks, led by Gene Weingarten and Dave Barry. Jones saves the earth from being flushed down the cosmic commode by figuring out that the number of the beast is actually 69.

What do you think?

Stephen Hunter: As I said, you guys are so smart you don't need ANY of us. Hope to do one more of these. Thanks and best to all. S-Hunt has left the building.

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