Prayers Of Gratitude

Ben Stein goes to see Defiance. Then he prays. Then he reviews:

To put it mildly, the movie was mind-bogglingly depressing and upsetting. The suffering, misery, and terror of these people, my blood, was almost beyond belief.
But the movie served a purpose. As I left the theater, I knelt on the pavement of the parking lot to thank God for letting me be in 2009 America instead of 1941 Byelorussia.

Me? I believe Stein did kneel in the parking lot to pray. Why not?

Read the whole thing here.

Defiance previously mentioned here.
Denby Refresher: "The movie is a kind of realistic fairy tale set in a forest newly enchanted by the sanctified work of staying alive."

Clear Eyes

Ben Stein's Diary
I ate at an Italian restaurant near the hotel. It was so horrible I really cannot say. The food and my reaction to it kept me up all night. This goes back to something I have often said, namely that fast food is better than expensive slow restaurant food in about 90 percent of cases
...
[New city, new meal]:
I checked into my modest suite at the Canterbury Hotel and went out for food at P.F. Chang's. As usual, it was a barely edible meal, but a very comfortable seat.

Lesser celebrity food reviews here.