Last Call

It's almost fitting that on a weekend that proves the vast majority of Americans are nothing but regurgitating media zombies, that the director of the movie that predicted our FOX-ified news media, Sidney Lumet, (his brilliant and prophetic film "Network" stands as a must watch even today) has passed away at the age of 86.

Sidney Lumet, the American film director known for inspiring top-notch performances from actors in a stream of classic films including "12 Angry Men," "Dog Day Afternoon," "Network" and "Fail-Safe," died on Saturday at age 86, the New York Times said.


His stepdaughter, Leslie Gimbel, said Lumet died of lymphoma at his home inManhattan, the newspaper said.

Lumet was one of the leading film directors of the second half of the 20th century. He was prolific, directing more than 40 movies, and versatile, dabbling in many different film genres. Lumet often shot his movies in his native New York.

Do yourself a favor and watch Network, or Dog Day Afternoon, or especially 12 Angry Men.  Lumet's "what if" stories about our media, our working class, and our legal system are all too true today.