Wow, this is one of the more nauseating and sadly believable stories I've come across in some time. Way to start with a bang Andrew, and congrats on another great site.

Most of the directors in the fav - er, "best" list - are products of the studio system. Doesn't mean they weren't great (I like a lot of the work of most of the directors included, 'Best Years of Our Lives' is one of my favorite movies) but it does illustrate that the author has an AMC sense of what "great" is in terms of movies. There's nothing wrong with that except...

When one goes about trashing some of greatest directors in the history of film and then produces a list of "The 10 Greatest Directors" that, with few exceptions, is a list of directors from the studio system, well, let the digital lynch mob form. Big Hollywood, from what I remember, was supposed to be a place for people who love movies and television to enjoy well-though pieces about the respective areas while avoiding the liberal claptrap that infects most other places discussing the same things.

Shaprio's two pieces reinforce the false stereotype that Conservatives have vanilla taste in what's good and what's not while having zero respect or understanding for a film canon that didn't just happen by accident. Shapiro is only one voice at BH, but just because everyone is entitled to an opinion doesn't mean they don't come off like a twit when expressing it. BH has done better and can do better than this. Any critic who says that Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock are overrated doesn't deserve a spot making judgments about film at a heavily-trafficked site. This is the kind of thing that one would find at, I dunno, LiveJournal.

Finally, after looking at the overrated and great lists (and those omitted from the greats list), I see one thing that ties almost all of them together: Shapiro is not a fan of R-rated films, realistic violence, nudity, sex scenes and other things most of us don't want to watch with our parents sitting next to us. With the exception of a few of Spielberg's films, Shapiro's likes and dislikes are predictable based upon his aversion to the seedier sides of life being portrayed, which squares pretty well with his two books that I've read.

Nothing wrong with that, but not really a guy in a position to be declaring which artists are "great" and which ones aren't.

Note to Ben - you're supposed to troll in comments, not in your actual post. You may get over 9000 comments, but you shredded whatever credibility you had left as a cultural critic with this, um, post. Having read most of your published work here at BH as well as having bought and read two of your books, I don't often agree with you, but I've never had cause to say the following in any comment section of any site about any writer - I happily break that streak today: You sir are an idiot.

MW - as another conservative atheist, I've always found it best to avoid talking down to believers, and the 'man in the sky' thing just as insulting to them as the 'teabagger' term is to tea party activists - moreso, actually, and understandably so. While I agree with most of the piece, trying to convince a believer on this topic is futile and counterproductive, and tends to lead to the lulz-worthy comments said piece has thus-far received. The hardest thing for any atheist to grasp - especially a conservative one - is that if one talks/writes about believers, one immediately risks sounding like a zookeeper talking about animals. For obvious reasons, this is insulting to the believer and doesn't help the smear against atheism in conservatism a whit.

The best atheist-believer interaction I've seen came from Htichens debating Dr. Timothy Jackson in a Tennessee church - funny, respecful, good-natured, and thought-provoking.

An unexpected but wonderful interview. I also loved Death Proof, and have said here before that one should watch the director's cut DVD without the first movie and the fake trailers. One thing that is extremely refreshing about QT is his films aren't political - he doesn't take cheap shots at contemporary political issues. BH might be a conservative site, but it's also an entertainment site, and to score such an interview with QT is refreshing.

Also, regarding QT hatred, it's rather funny - like those obsessed with hating Palin, QT haters can't leave well enough alone. Don't like his films, don't go, but whether one likes it or not, he is one of the most influential modern directors working.

MP's revelation of incest reminds me of the closing moments of Mommie Dearest, only a lot, lot more twisted. Having done my share of teenage drugs, I must confess that it never occurred to me to be attracted to a relative, much less one of my parents. Famous people really are different.

I DVR'd it, tried to watch it tonight - yeah, not so much. Sorta sucked. Sorta. Didn't watch the whole thing.

Why do I like DMB? They're a great band. If people don't like them, I don't have a problem with that, but to say that they suck as a band or that their music sucks is just silly (you didn't say that, but many commenters have). Some of my favorite songs are DMB songs (#41, Two Step, Grey Street and Grace is Gone are my personal favs) and some of my best memories come from DMB shows. I'm not a dirty hippie jam band guy, either - I'm a lifelong Conservative who prefers Sarah Palin to all other leaders at the moment. What DM said was patently stupid, and if you go to www.antsmarching.org and go to the forums, you'll see that most other DMB fans feel the same way. Like I tell everyone - if you ever get a chance to go to a show, then go and see what it's about.

This doesn't matter to me, but the band does a lot of philanthropic work, free shows for worthy causes, the Bamaworks project etc.

I'm in the odd position of being a huge DMB fan and appalled by his comment. I've gone to 5 shows so far this year and will finish the season in Tulsa - hella-disappointing, but not exactly a shocker, and I like the music too much for it to be inexcusable. But Dave, grow up bud.

I've read most of his 40+ books,and still think "Basic Economics" is his best - as I've said many times before, if it were taught to a decade's worht of high school students, there would be no modern Democrat party. Sowell is a national treasure.