ASK MICK LASALLE
Dear Mick LaSalle: I’m tired of all of the constant Marilyn Monroe shtick. The fascination seems more in the minds of media and entertainment freaks — and the cross-dressing community — than anyone else.
Bob Thomas, Castro Valley
Dear Bob Thomas: No, it’s not shtick. People really do love Monroe. You’re seeing this and not feeling it, so you’re having a kind of Vulcan response. As for the cross-dressing community, I haven’t taken a survey, but I suspect that most men captivated by her image don’t want to wear her clothes, or think about them. As for me, I consider Marilyn about the most desirable woman who ever lived (with the exception of my wife, of course), and I’ve never even put on a pair of women’s underwear, except once or twice in the dark by mistake.
Dear Mick LaSalle: The love of my life for the past 45 years would, all things considered, prefer to know the ending of a movie before it begins. Is this a “syndrome” considered in Professional Reviewer 101?
Gene House, Kentfield
Dear Gene House: I don’t have the syndrome, but I understand it. Knowing the ending is a hedge against anxiety.
Dear Mick LaSalle: Your article comparing the top box-office hits of 2011 with the top box-office hits of 1972 was devastating. But it didn’t have to be 1972 — you could have chosen 1962, 1952, 1942 or 1932, and the results would have been similar.
Larry Lujan, Belmont
Dear Larry Lujan: It turns out you’re right. The top 10 of 1932 contained five bona fide classics — “Shanghai Express,” “Grand Hotel,” “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” “Red Dust” and “Red-Headed Woman.” The top 10 of 1942 had four classics — “Bambi,” “Mrs. Miniver,” “Cat People” and “Casablanca.” The top 10 of 1952 had four classics — “Moulin Rouge,” “Singin’ in the Rain,” “The Bad and the Beautiful” and “High Noon.” The top 10 of 1962 had six classics — “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Dr. No,” “The Longest Day,” “The Music Man,” “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Gypsy.” The top 10 for 1982 contained two classics — “E.T.” and “Tootsie.” By 1992, the top 10 had no classics, unless you count “The Bodyguard” and “Basic Instinct.” I don’t. And there’s no classic in the 2002 top 10, unless you count the second “Lord of the Rings” movie, the weakest in the trilogy. Now this must be said: Just because quality movies don’t make the top 10 doesn’t mean they’re not made. 2002 was a good year for movies (“Chicago,” “About Schmidt,” “The Pianist,” “Catch Me If You Can” and “The Hours”). Likewise, though the top 10 box-office list of 2011 is a stinking garbage pile, many good movies were made last year, too. But as more bad movies make big money and more quality films get marginalized, fewer good films will be made.
Dear Le Magnifique Mick: What do you think of Ol’ Blue Eyes as a dramatic actor?
Cary Sekoff, San Francisco
Dear Le Magnifique Cary: He was very good, but then he was an excellent actor as a singer, so this should be no surprise. That guy could even sing “Old Man River” and make it his own. I mean, the mere fact that Sinatra could seem like a nice person onscreen proved he was a good actor.
Dear Mick: So “no one who has died has seemed less dead” than Marilyn Monroe. Ever heard of a guy named Elvis?
Gwyn Edwards, Mountain View
Dear Gwyn: Yes, but Elvis Presley is more like the opposite. Near the end, when he was alive, no one seemed more dead. Ever see footage of that last concert tour in 1977? When he’s all swollen and forgetting the words to “Are You Lonesome Tonight”? That traumatized me so much as a youth that I haven’t had a peanut butter and banana sandwich since. Have a question? Ask Mick LaSalle at mlasalle@sfchronicle.com. Include your name and city for publication, and a phone number for verification. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.