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Under discussion:

War, Inc.  (2007)

Artist on Artist: John Cusack and Diablo Cody

There’s a really strange moment in the above Artist on Artist video with Diablo Cody and John Cusack, where Cusack is all, “The mainstream media don’t understand my my shitty war satire movie, so I gave Liz Phair a copy and she gave me a blurb for my website,” and Diablo’s all, “Uh, yeah, I’ll give you my quote soon,” and she has this look on her face like, “Shit, people are actually doing that? Liz Phair’s actually doing that? I have as big a crush on Lloyd Dobbler as anyone but … seriously?” Maybe we like Diablo Cody better than we thought. Although this does come right after she says something about how blogging=good because “you don’t have to contend with The Man,” which is about as fresh a sentiment as any in War, Inc, so maybe her pullquote really *is* on the way…

Under discussion:

Mister Lonely  (2007)

According to indieWIRE’s specialty box office report, Harmony Korine’s Mister Lonely made more money last weekend per-screen than any other film in limited release. The IFC release took in $16,769 in its single engagement at the IFC Center in New York, which is pretty astounding when you consider that a) he hasn’t released a movie in almost ten years, and b) Korine’s last film, julien donkey-boy, made just $85,400 in its entire run. Because today is Lazy Video Link Day, let’s celebrate Harmony’s big-money victory by watching the scene from julien in which Werner Herzog spends some quality time with a bottle of cough syrup. Oh, and we reviewed Mister Lonely and talked to Harmony about obscene Southern rap and his favorite YouTube videos, too.

Under discussion:

The Dark Knight  (2008)

Death sells. Movies. Apartments. You name it. So, it isn’t too surprising to learn that toys from the upcoming film The Dark Knight are flying off the shelves. According to the New York Post, action figures of The Joker, which are somewhat modeled after late actor Heath Ledger (I don’t see the resemblance, even in the more detailed figure) have sold out completely in New York City after debuting in stores a week ago. An employee of Toys “R” Us claimed the warehouse is all out, too, though a company spokesperson says stock of the figures will continue to be replenished.

Considering Mattel isn’t likely trying to cash in on Ledger’s death, there’s no reason to think the toys are in limited supply. So why are people buying them in bulk (one guy apparently bought 30 at one time) and/or selling them on eBay for marked-up prices? Even if there is an extreme demand for the figures now, there won’t be much interest in the future. Especially if Mattel’s entire run is enough to supply all the toy stores in the U.S. (not to mention the rest of the globe). Collector’s item it may be, but not in terms of financial investment. It just won’t be enough of a rarity in the long run.

For those who still think it’s going to be worth it to buy the figures in bulk or for $20 a piece, just check out the eBay listings. There’s a ton of them, and few of them have bids. Imagine what the same page will look like in a year, or two, or twenty (OK, in twenty years it might be worth $20 tops). Personally, I think nothing is worth collecting for financial gain in a world in which the internet exists, mainly because I saw my entire comic book collection go down in price thanks to the world-decreasing powers of eBay. But hey, if you want something to throw into a box with all your “Death of Superman” comics, feel free to spend your money how you wish.