Q. The neo-Nazi terrorists in the film version of the "The Sum of All Fears" were radical Muslim terrorists in Tom Clancy's book, but as you noted in your review, the change was made in order to avoid offending people. What's your take on all this? Has the Muslim terrorist in movies gone the way of the Indian marauder? (Stephen Athanson, Blue Ridge VA)
Q. Everyone in Hollywood thinks CGI is the end-all of special effects. The way it is being used in some movies is a big step back. I heard how much it cost to make "Spider-Man," but I felt like I was watching a cartoon half the time. The "effect" is spoiled when I can effortlessly tell when it's a real person and when it's a computer image. This is why I hated Jar Jar Binks in "Star Wars." I didn't for one second think there was something physically there. In the old "Star Wars," you could tell there was a real being there. In "Blade II," I'm watching a great fight sequence, then suddenly two flimsy cartoon creatures jump around. The last great movie I saw that used it right was "The Matrix". (John Dingess, Nashville TN)
After the film festival thing, William Holden said, “I flew back to the States on the Concorde. There was this guy sitting next to me who pulled out a pocket calculator, and so I asked him to figure out something for me. If I'd covered 16,486 miles in 73 hours, I said, how many miles an hour was my body averaging?”
“Rocky” and “Network” - one about fighting your
