Manohla Dargis on The Ring Two

You can finally see what Manohla Dargis sounds like. [Click on Audio Slide Show halfway down the page.] She and A.O. Scott have vocal reviews of the New Directors/New Films series in the New York Times Movies section. Once again, Ms. Dargis reminds us that she is unique by quoting other film critics and recommending films that she's not sure that she likes. She's playing Whack-A-Mole while everyone else is playing Don't Break The Ice!

Speaking of moles, her take on Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Dangerous includes:

...Gracie undergoes yet another transformation, one designed to strip every ounce of charm and integrity from her character. Clarice Starling, meet Paris Hilton.

Usually an effervescent screen presence, Ms. Bullock turns in a performance as flat as day-old Champagne. It's hard not to blame her, particularly given the shoddy work by both the screenwriter Marc Lawrence, who helped write the first "Miss Congeniality," and the director John Pasquin, whose previous crimes against cinema include the Tim Allen vehicle "The Santa Clause."

I definitely think that she has had an effect upon A.O. Scott and he has now elevated his game, water skiing in Ms. Dargis' wake. His review of Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda included this paragraph:

Which brings me to the real reason to appreciate Mr. Allen, which is as an unrivaled pornographer. I'm not talking about sex; there is some bed-hopping in "Melinda and Melinda," but the camera always stops at the bedroom door. These days, in any case, the kind of New Yorkers likely to see a Woody Allen movie reserve their true lust for real estate, and the long hallways, high ceilings and open kitchens on display in this movie are likely to keep local audiences sighing and moaning for the full 99 minutes.

For those of you who are counting that's two Allen wrenches; who'dathunkit but the Grey Lady is now one of the better places to find good reviews of interesting movies. Now about that comics page...