Noah Baumbach, Eric Stoltz, Parker Posey

Have I seen the Squid & The Whale yet? No. Am I already sick of Noah Baumbach? Yes.
I was less than impressed with NB's presence on the Life Aquatic commentary track—the more I read and hear about him the more my initial impression that he is a pretentious little weasel is enforced. SIgh. Of course he's married to Jennifer Jason Leigh. How could he not be? Meanwhile, did I gasp aloud in a crowded theatre the first time I saw the Squid preview? Yes, because Anna Paquin and Jeff Daniels, having burned themselves forever into my consciousness as father & daughter as a result of Fly Away Home, lean in for a kiss. Eww... sigh.

Of course I will see Squid at some point, because Laura Linney is great and because I want to see if NB is worth a damn. But the buzz is killing me. Yes, I saw Kicking & Screaming. Sadly, Eric Stoltz does not guarantee a quality indie. Josh Hamilton and Parker Posey, even... and yet still not so much. Despite the above, does NB deserve to be labelled the ruiner of Wes Anderson's brilliance? Who can say. We'll have to see if Wes gets it back next time.

Segue. What the hell happened to Eric Stoltz, anyway? Poor bastard. He's still in action, but apparently as some sort of smarmy cartoon of himself. Sheesh. And Parker Posey! Party Girl is either laughing her ass off all the way to the bank or seriously starting to slide (maybe both?). Blade III? Frankenstein? And I thought You've Got Mail was a low.