It’s the time of year when my mailbox is filling with endless letters from those “environmentally conscious progressives” at Miramax and Warners Brothers (to pick only today’s offenders), advertising screenings no known person would want to go to since the films will be sent to us in DVD form anyway. I never open this Acado-litter, pitching it straight into the circular file and thence into the blue (paper) recycling garbage bin. If these people were anywhere near as “green” as they say they are, they would save us all the effort and stop adding to the gigantic Southern California landfill.

But they’re not – and we know it. It’s all a charade.

Still there have been a few improvements. DVDs this year are arriving in simple paper envelopes, not elaborate containers of seemingly indestructible plastic. One studio at least (sorry, I already forgot which) sent around an opt-out for dead tree mailings (those endless screening letters).

OTOH (as the acronym goes), there was another first in the “Moi? Pretentious?” department (or perhaps it’s a new form of strategic marketing). Today I received a “Director’s Cut” of David Fincher’s Zodiac, having received the DVD of the studio-released version only the other day. But wait – I see they must both be the same thing because they both clock in at a loooong 158 mins. (Not to worry – it carries with it a nomination for a Teen Choice award for star Jake Gyllenhaal… phew…)