CLASSIC REVIEW: ‘Bonnie and Clyde’

Part of a continuous series of classic film reviews from some of the most eloquent, hilarious film critics from yesterday and today. That sounds really official. It’s really just self-indulgent.

I’m not a huge “Bonnie and Clyde” fan. There’s certainly some cool stuff in it. The way director Arthur Penn shoots flashbacks. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty’s acting. The New Wave storytelling. (Francois Truffaut helped write the script.) Lots of good stuff. Regardless, I’ve always felt I was born two decades too late to truly appreciate “Bonnie and Clyde.” When it came out, everyone marveled at the casual violence — something Penn didn’t resist. It’s remarkably bloody for 1967. It was also a controversial movie when it was released — so controversial that Warner Bros. offered then-first-time producer Beatty 40 percent of the movie’s gross rather than pay him a producer’s fee.

Hi, my name is Mattijs Van Heijningen

Kurt Russell in "The Thing" directed by John Carpenter

Some guy named Matthijs Van Heijningen — which is the worst name in history — is readapting “The Thing.” No timetable on when, however.

Van Heijningen is a commercials director, and he’s done spots for Toyota, Pepsi, Heineken, Bud Light and Visa, but whatevs. Twenty bucks says this bites. They’re moving the story to Norway. This guy is also developing a movie, “Army of the Dead,” at Warner Brothers.