Beware the Undulating Curve of Shifting Expectations!

A landmark! Unmissable! An American masterpiece! Well, it’s official: If you haven’t yet seen Brokeback Mountain, there’s no way you can see it now without being at least a little disappointed. Then there’s the pre-release drubbing of Munich, so it will probably turn out to be better than you’ve heard. Meanwhile, the long-simmering Lost revolt has finally boiled over, as answer-hungry fans prepare to mutiny. So let’s look forward: Scorsese’s got a new film, Auster’s got a new novel, and X-Men 3, thanks to an enticing trailer, is ever-so-slowly reversing the backlash that greeted the hiring of director Brett Ratner—and the film’s not even coming out for another six months.

Beware the Undulating Curve of Shifting Expectations!