Dann stands by 'Secretariat' review

Horse patootie Dann?

Looks like my less-than-flattering review of “Secretariat last week didn't meet with reader approval. Among the posted comments:

Ÿ “Dann appears to thrive on negativity and stirring the pot. Unfortunately, he seems to abhor a well-made uplifting and decent movie. My first impression is shame on him, but upon reflection, what a pity. How sad. It must be very lonely ... wherever he is.

Ÿ “I only read Gire's review because it was so extreme. Ever since he said that Bernie Mac would have made a movie better if he had danced in it (having had a lung disease for 30 years), I have placed no faith in a Gire review. More and more, I have come to believe that he only writes to be sensational, not reasonable.

Ÿ “The only thing lame here is Dann Gire ... and the Daily Herald for keeping him on the payroll for so long as a ‘movie critic.' He might be better suited for the food section as a butcher. That he found no soul or merit in this true, inspirational story, which is great family fare, is a travesty.

Ÿ “My hope is that this movie sets records for attendance this weekend and next, deep into the fall, which will reconfirm how inept Dann's pathetic insights are.

Note: “Secretariat didn't win or even place last weekend, but it did show with $12.6 million. The strained Katherine Heigl rom-com “Life as We Know It placed second with $14.1 million. The winner: the superior “The Social Network with $15.5 million. On its second week!

Ÿ “Geez, Dann, lighten up a little. I saw the movie with my wife and kids and it was not as bad as you make it out to be. Maybe because as adults we all are aware of how the story goes and what the outcome will be it was a little lacking. But not as awful as you make it seem. Get a grip.

Ÿ “‘Secretariat' is not a film to be dismissed as you mistakenly have but to be recognized for the triumph of determination, commitment and ultimate reward the performances reflect for a somewhat unlikely small group of people who helped to enable a public to be fascinated by genuine greatness in Secretariat.

“The performances in the new release provide a far better distraction than much of the truly mediocre, shallow ballast that's mistakenly rated by you and some others as worthy of our time and cash. John Wulfers

John: Thank you for your articulate (and signed) e-mail. My review in no way casts a dim light on the historic achievements chronicled by the movie. But, just because a story is true doesn't mean it's well-told.

So far, not one person has refuted my critical points by saying, “The dialogue is really realistic," or “The Judeo-Christian religious references make perfect sense in this sports film," or “John Malkovich's subtle, nuanced performance fits in nicely with the narrative fabric of this movie."

My review stands.

Missing: movie ads

You might have noticed during the past few weeks that some theaters no longer advertise their movie schedules in the newspaper. Apparently some theaters (and they know who they are) think they can get by with online schedules and don't need to advertise in print anymore.

So if you're someone who doesn't have access to the Internet, or who likes the convenience of reading movie ads in a newspaper, these theaters have a message for you: Drop dead.

‘Love' ads misleading

The current trailers for Edward Zwick's Nov. 24 release “Love and Other Drugs" suggest the story is a funny, sexy rom-com starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway. Part of it is. But the trailers never mention that Hathaway's character also has a debilitating disease. (This is not a surprise plot twist, but part of her character revealed early on.)

The last time we had movie trailers this misleading was 1991's “My Girl," which Columbia Pictures sold as a wacky, fun-filled kids comedy.

Oops! They kinda left out the part about the main little girl (Anna Chlumsky) being surrounded by death (her mother is dead and her father (Dan Aykroyd) runs a funeral parlor), and the part where her best friend (Macaulay Culkin) dies of fatal bee stings.

Movie trailers should tell us what a film is really about, without giving anything away, don't you think?

Add ‘Fuel' to a debate

Self-described biofuel activist and filmmaker Josh Tickell will host a showing of his timely 2009 documentary “Fuel" at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, at Harper College in Palatine. It's in room E-106 in Building E. He and his wife, actress and author Rebecca Harrell Tickell, will stick around afterward for a discussion posed by the movie: Can energy ever be free of consequences?

Free admission! Call (847) 925-6100 or go to harpercollege.edu.