Although Mr. Bret Liebendorfer recognizes the seriousness of steroid use ("Steroid Pigeon Alert," June 7-13), he doesn't seem to comprehend the seriousness of the sport. Surely someone as clever as Mr. Liebendorfer could have come up with something better than the old Woody Allen "pigeons-equals-rats with wings."
Doug Hansen
John Desio ("Fighting for Bronx Film," June 7-13) wrote, "Rumble in The Bronx was actually filmed in Toronto, a fact made obvious by the appearance of a snow-capped mountain in the background of one scene." Not that obvious, because there aren't any snow-capped mountains anywhere near Toronto. Rumble was filmed in Toronto and Vancouver (home of the snow-capped mountains).
Mark Sloboda
I just read your article about the Underground Combat League ("Gentlemen, Welcome To Fight Club," May 31-June 6) in the recent issue-great story!
Daniel Koschera
Since we here in St. Paul are chronically overshadowed by our bigger shouldered twin, I've been enjoying our 15 minutes of fame, what with all the attention we've been receiving in advance of the debut of A Prairie Home Companion debut ("Altman's Art," June 7-13). I'm cut to the quick though when Mr. White asserts in his review that our hometown production is actually based in Minneapolis! Well, I guess that things haven't really changed after all, and that our modest-though not inconsiderable accomplishments-will continue to be attributed to our outsize twin.
Steven Bloomfield
St. Paul, Minn.
For my money, Armond White is the only essential film critic in America today. I consider him a great artist, and I do not think it's an exaggeration to say that his writing changes not only people's thinking, but their lives. This makes it all the more surprising that he fails to locate the cultural pain that has turned The Da Vinci Code ("Misplaced Faith," May 24-30) into a huge hit as both a book and film. White criticizes Hollywood's "secular humanism," and then accuses the film of contributing to "the culture wars." What White's assertions neglect is the deeply ambivalent and often outright traumatic relationship citizens worldwide have with the Catholic Church. A critic who locates the spiritual essence of films like A.I. and Running Scared should be more aware of how the scandal in the Church has contributed to the success of The Da Vinci Code: audiences need a symbolic way of understanding the disillusion they feel as members of a labyrinthine and mysterious institution which preaches spiritual values but delivers exploitation and hypocrisy.
Christopher Shinn
Lower East Side, NYC