Another Critical Darwin Award Nominee!

The field is getting crowded. I may have to narrow my criteria: from now on, quotes must not merely be stupid and pretentious, but must also make me laugh out loud. The latest from Manohla Dargis of the NY Times, however, certainly qualifies:

“Rise of the Silver Surfer” is an existentially and aesthetically unnecessary sequel to the equally irrelevant if depressingly successful “Fantastic Four.”

Did I read that right? The Silver Surfer is existentially unnecessary???? Them's fightin' words!

The Critical Darwin Award

I'm thinking of instituting a recurring series called the Critical Darwin Awards, named after the famously posthumous honors dedicated to "chlorinating the gene pool."

This week's nominee: Joan Anderman of the Boston Globe, who informed us on Sunday that:

"Rock musical is for all intents and purposes an oxymoron, two words -- and two worlds -- separated by a gaping divide in aesthetics, audience, and mission. Broadway's aim is to fill seats, to satisfy most of the people most of the time. Rock wants to stir and provoke."

Yeah, right. Sell it, sister.