Culturopolis

(Photo courtesy: Magnolia Pictures) Almost everyone must at some point harbors a secret desire to drop off the grid: to leave behind the racket of health insurance and home payments and just, be , in that hackneyed Sixties sense. Surfwise , the documentary about Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz, a Stanford-educated M.D. who dropped out of the rat race to raise his nine kids in a 24-foot camper, is both a cautionary tale and advertisement for living free. I have a deep affection for lovable iconoclasts and for surfing movies, so teamed up, this film is pure narcotic.

How not to feel like Queen Sourpuss when your 7-year-old sits guffawing beside you and the rest of the movie theater audience sounds ready to bust a gut and all you can do is squirm for some release? The Get Smart movie had some amusing moments, but not the kind of full-throttle hilarity I'd leave my house for. I find comedy the consistently most disappointing and alienating of film genres. Everyone else is making like Hands Across America over Superbad and Borat , and there I am with my arms folded feeling like the sad-eyed goth in a Tim Burton film. I recently met an Atlanta artist who told me he enjoyed my art reviews, but thought my movie reviews took all the fun out of film. He's apparently not the only one, as this golden oldie proves. I still smile every time I read it.

Roman Polanski remains one of my favorite filmmakers despite some personal life snafus that test my ability to admire him. Both pop and profound, his films stand up to countless repeat viewings. Rosemary's Baby remains my favorite film for straddling that Polanski line; a slick potboiler on one hand, but on the other prickly and subversive for how it delves into the way women's bodies are colonized, occupied and owned in pregnancy. Polanski has an identification with life's victims that adds moral depth to his artistry. But what to say about the man himself, with that unpleasant yen for young girl flesh? I love him like a deeply flawed relative: I can't seem to break the ties. Read my review of the new HBO documentary (coming to theaters soon) of Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired , in New York Press .