Another Cliche Put To Rest

James Wolcott, pooh-pooh'ing the inclusion of a dream sequence in last Sunday's Sopranos (although I'm not sure why he mentioned it considering he doesn't watch the show), was rolling his eyes and sighing loudly this week:

Dream sequences are a curse on series TV, equal in their artsy-kitschy intrusiveness to ghostly visitations from deleted characters, and perhaps even worse than dream sequences are dream-sequence interpretations, which compels talented critics to smack at every symbol that pops up from the watery unconscious with wooden paddles.

Maybe he's just watching "Medium" too much. "The Sopranos" has always been rich in symbolism and, when it comes to dreams, what else is there? David Chase made excellent use of the device, but, then, I've been fascinated by the phenomenon of dreams for as long as I remember.

When I took the link to gawk at the geekery (I have a soft spot for "talented" film critics, of which there are few), it was a pleasant surprise to see the former Dallas Observer film critic Matt Zoller Seitz up to his eyeballs in the dissection. Reading the discussion was like listening to 1973's "Yessongs" but, hey, it's a blog. People no doubt think the same thing when they read some of my, uh, extended commentary.

Seitz was always a pleasure to read, but I'd lost track of him since moving to the boonies from Dallas some years ago. Despite his exhaustive knowledge and insightful reviews, I never felt like I'd just been mugged by a film snob.

Checking out Seitz's blog, The House Next Door, I noticed a sidebar link, Feature film "Home". Matt The Critic has taken on a dual role as Matt The Film Maker.

I have no way of knowing whether "Home" will reflect Matt Seitz's nuclear potential as an artist, but now that he's crossing the Rubicon, I'm certain this guy has a stellar future crafting films for thinking people.