Nothing signals the start of high-culture season like the onslaught of fall film festivals: Telluride, Venice, Toronto, oh my! But this fest-glut requires a careful management of expectations; consider the unconventional Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There, which will likely go through a raves-backlash-backlash-to-the-backlash cycle long before you ever get to see it. Meanwhile, minimalists salivate for Muji; shoot ’em up fans salivate for Shoot ’Em Up; and the specter of Ryan Seacrest, Emmy host, suggests we have, in fact, created a monster. Then again, who better for the job than Dick Clark 2.0?

Related:

• Archive: “Movie Features”
• Articles by Adam Sternbergh
• Table of Contents: September 17, 2007 issue of New York | Subscribe!