Surprises too are often tied to expectation, or lack of it. The first film I saw in 2011 surprised me in part because it was the first film I saw in 2011 -- that is, a film shunted onto the whistling heath of the January release schedule.
It wasn't quite a complete reunion for Peter Bogdanovich and the cast of his 1971 breakthrough The Last Picture Show last night at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; there was no Jeff Bridges or Ellen Burstyn in sight, but plenty of the other main players including Cybill Shepherd, Timothy Bottoms, Cloris Leachman (who gives a funny anecdote about an underwear-related scene), and Eileen Brennan joined Bogdanovich to recount stories from behind the scenes of the adapted Larry McMurtry novel. Yeah, it'd have been nice for The Dude to stop by, but you'll find yourself transfixed by Brennan very soon anyway. Mrs. Peacock in the flesh, yo. Video (featuring moderator Luke Wilson) after the jump.
FILM NEWS 