edited by Jonathan Doyle

Mafioso (The Criterion Collection, 3.18.2008) Nino Badalamenti is a supervisor in a car manufacturing plant who hasn't taken a vacation in over two years. On his way out the door to visit his beloved childhood hometown of Sicily -- with his blonde wife and daughters -- Nino is handed a package by his boss and asked to deliver it to a powerful and influential Sicilian gangster named Don Vincenzo. Once in Sicily, Nino has a hoot seeing friends and family, but his wife has trouble fitting in and is unfairly dismissed as a snob by Nino's family. Even more worrisome, Nino finds himself entangled in an intricate web of secret mafioso dealings and is eventually sent on an unexpectedly... elaborate errand. (continued)

Upcoming

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Hancock

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The Whackness

July 4

Diminished Capacity

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson

Holding Trevor

Kabluey

We are Together

July 9

Full Battle Rattle

July 11

A Man Named Pearl

August

Eight Miles High

Garden Party

Harold

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Meet Dave

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

The Stone Angel

July 18

A Very British Gangster

Before I Forget

The Dark Knight

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Felon

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July 22

Two Tickets to Paradise

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Boy A

Plastic sandwich containers

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If I could make every last clear-plastic takeout container disappear from the face of the earth by waving my hand, I would do that. Is there anyone who doesn't hate these things? Who doesn't wince at that sharp loud sound that happens when you try to compress or scrunch them into a garbage can? Who doesn't find them generally irritating and pointless and just awful? Styrofoam sandwich-and-potato-salad containers are nearly as bad, but at least they aren't so noisy.

"Devils" DVD on 5.20?<< previous | next >>"Burn After Reading"

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on February 28, 2008 at 04:07 PM

comment #1

thorsen1nk says ...

I believe the term is "slow news day."

Posted by thorsen1nk at February 28, 2008 04:22 PM

comment #2

actionman says ...

My bread pudding from Urth came in one of these things this morning; completely useless and an utter waste of plastic. a bag would have been suficient.

Posted by actionman at February 28, 2008 04:23 PM

comment #3

actionman says ...

sufficient

Posted by actionman at February 28, 2008 04:24 PM

comment #4

Marty Melville says ...

Norman Mailer thought the devil lived in plastic. I tend to agree (on a less literal note than Mailer intended).

Just trying to rip open a hermetically sealed bag of potato chips is enuf to convice the hungriest atheist.

Posted by Marty Melville at February 28, 2008 04:24 PM

comment #5

Josh Massey says ...

I feel the same way about small condiment packets. I have an unnatural loathing.

Posted by Josh Massey at February 28, 2008 04:29 PM

comment #6

Devin Faraci says ...

Can anybody point me to the full list of Italy's 100 film treasures? Variety only lists a handful and I suspect that Ruggero Deodato did not make the list.

Posted by Devin Faraci at February 28, 2008 04:29 PM

comment #7

christian says ...

One word:

Plastics.

Posted by christian at February 28, 2008 04:34 PM

comment #8

Balthazar says ...

Have y'all read "The World Without Us" by Weisman? All this fucking plastic is going to be here for a billion years. Damn us. Damn us all.

Posted by Balthazar at February 28, 2008 04:37 PM

comment #9

Jason says ...

Get the fuck out of here Devin with that off-topic bullshit.

Posted by Jason at February 28, 2008 04:37 PM

comment #10

christian says ...

Devin, I have the tally. The top three Italian Film Treasures:

NIGHTMARE CITY
ZOMBI
CANNIBAL FEROX

At the bottom of the list:

LA DOLCE VITA
LA AVVENTURA
DUCK YOU SUCKER

Posted by christian at February 28, 2008 04:52 PM

comment #11

Jay T. says ...

I don't just like them, I LOVE THEM. Probably the single greastest invention after the wheel and sliced bread.

Posted by Jay T. at February 28, 2008 05:40 PM

comment #12

T. Holly says ...

There's probably not a top 100 list for a reason.

http://www.palgrave-usa.com/catalog/product.aspx?isbn=1403975655

Posted by T. Holly at February 28, 2008 06:03 PM

comment #13

D.Z. says ...

So pro-gun advocates should be happy to know that Bush's reversal of Clinton's semi-automatic weapon ban lead to (surprise, surprise) eight people in L.A. being injured by a nut with a semi-automatic. But they're not white, so who cares, right?

Posted by D.Z. at February 28, 2008 07:38 PM

comment #14

Devin Faraci says ...

They're not you, so who cares.

Posted by Devin Faraci at February 28, 2008 08:04 PM

comment #15

jackkerouac says ...

Here's an idea... instead of "scrunching" them into a garbage can, how about finding a recycle bin?

Styrofoam is actually much worse as it can't be recycled.

Sorry... that's the liberal independent in me coming out.

Posted by jackkerouac at February 28, 2008 08:11 PM

comment #16

nemo says ...

Who among us does not hate clear-plastic takeout containers? Who among us does not love NASCAR?

Posted by nemo at February 28, 2008 08:18 PM

comment #17

Zimmergirl says ...

"Slow news day," LOL. I love how Jeff's rug is always getting a starring role on this site, cause man, it ties the room together.

Posted by Zimmergirl at February 28, 2008 08:51 PM

comment #18

nemo says ...

Who among us does not love Jeff's rug? Just keep the Treehorn thugs and the nihilists away from it.

Posted by nemo at February 28, 2008 09:27 PM

comment #19

BurmaShave says ...

I can hear that pernicious clacking sound of one of these bastards opening as if it were happening right now. God damn.

Posted by BurmaShave at February 28, 2008 09:37 PM

comment #20

christian says ...

But if there's a chocolate cake with rasberries from Sussina inside that plastic, I'll survive the night.

Posted by christian at February 28, 2008 10:03 PM

comment #21

TheJeff says ...

All this and Andy Rooney tonight on 60 minutes.

Posted by TheJeff at February 28, 2008 10:32 PM

comment #22

K. Bowen says ...

Does it bug anyone else when you're at the store and they put your three items in three separate bags? That bugs the heck out of me.

Posted by K. Bowen at February 28, 2008 11:15 PM

comment #23

UnChien says ...

People, just now I managed to wipe my ass using only 2 sheets of toilet paper!!

Posted by UnChien at February 29, 2008 01:27 AM

comment #24

York "Budd" Durden says ...

Word to the mention of The World Without Us. It is a heartbreaking read.

Posted by York "Budd" Durden at February 29, 2008 06:53 AM

comment #25

Krazy Eyes says ...

Whole Foods uses waxed cardboard boxes in their salad bars now and they seem to work just fine to me.

The rest of the store (especially the desert section) is still full of those godawful plastic containers though.

Posted by Krazy Eyes at February 29, 2008 07:22 AM

comment #26

Bocephus says ...

Not a big fan of plastic or styrofoam, they always melt through in the microwave. Although the thought of bread pudding in a bag is less than appetizing.

I'm also not really much of an environmentalist. Teleportation technology probably isn't too far off, in 50 years we'll be zapping all our garbage into a black hole.

If not, oh well. I'm never having kids and I could honestly give half a shit about anyone else's. Looking at the current model of ignorant, apathetic little shit that people are making nowadays, it won't be much of a loss.

Posted by Bocephus at February 29, 2008 09:27 AM

comment #27