But the best evidence that the decade of rollerblades, raves, and Yanni Live at the Acropolis is back may be the resurfacing of Joe Eszterhas, the luxuriously maned shlockmeister whose steamy Clinton-era extravaganzas of greed, lies, and improbable lesbianism once made him the highest-paid (and most notorious) screenwriter in Hollywood.

Shlockmeister. Try standing in the freezing snow for two hours without shoes"), and becomes the metaphor closest at hand for almost anything: a burning fingernail, for instance, summoning thoughts of the crematorium.

Among other goodies, Monty Python's Terry Jones showed up to present hard-to-see Flying Circus clips, while Stephen Kessler's The Independent affectionately mocked shlockmeister producers and the Z flicks they make.