Dude
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Posts posted by Dude
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2004 Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby beats out Martin Scorsese' The Aviator and most people don't agree with The Aviator being a far superior overall film achievement than the film that he finally won for down below.
2006: Martin Scorsese's The Departed wins Best Picture.
You completely lost me here. Million Dollar Baby was a stellar film that hit all the right notes for me without resorting to Mystic River histrionics. The Aviator suffered from biopic bloat, and wasn't even really great for Scorsese. His best films in my opinion (Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Casino, Cape Fear, hell even King of Comedy) have a grittiness to them that I think the Departed has but the Aviator doesn't have. There wasn't really much tension there for me, just a long slow descent into Hughes' insanity.
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some of that last sentence may be made up.
He gave it four stars. He's also given a few widely considered classic films some mediocre reviews. Fight Club and Brazil immediately come to mind, but there could be others.I can't remember if it was Siskel or Ebert who said Babe: Pig in the City was the top film of the year the year it came out.
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Roger's a pretty cool guy, no doubt. I wonder if crits can score a Lifetime Achivement Award from the Academy. He certainly has done more than any other critic to draw attention to the importance of film as an art form... (okay, with the possible exception of Pauline Kael and the Cahiers du cinema guys.)
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I had a Muffit / Daggit action figure. Didn't have no goddamn cylons, though.
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I unfortunately can't pull myself away from work to attend this show on a Monday night in Miami Beach (grumble grumble), but have a pair of GA floor tix for anyone interested.
kevintmorris@gmail.com
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I wish I were a bit more excited about Toy Story 3, but the trailer wasn't kicking my ass and making me its bitch.
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Is Chicago next? One Trib reporter thinks so:
Hands off our Wilco
Back off poser cities, this band belongs to Chicago
By Dan Simmons, Chicago Tribune reporter
8:27 p.m. CST, February 25, 2010
How cool is Wilco?
So cool that the Chicago rock stalwarts touched off a cool rivalry between two Midwestern cities north of here.
The fun started when Duluth, Minn., Mayor Don Ness, a big fan, proclaimed the group an honorary Duluth band before a concert last week.
"Our intent was to let folks know Duluthians really value Wilco's talent," he said. "It was meant to be a quiet thank you."
Apparently, Wilco didn't get the memo about the quiet part. The next night at a show in Madison, Wis., lead singer Jeff Tweedy explained the Duluth honor and wondered why Madison hadn't made a similar proclamation.
Among the revelers was someone who actually could do something about it: Ald. Satya Rhodes-Conway.
"I sent the mayor a text," she said. "I thought it sounded like good fun."
Rhodes-Conway drafted a resolution granting Wilco honorary Madisonian status, explaining, "Duluth may be cool, but we would not want it said that either their fine city or its mayor are cooler than Madison and our mayor."
Ness said he wasn't put off by copycat resolutions and encouraged Chicago to join the fun.
"We're the trailblazers for Wilco proclamations," he said. "I invite Mayor (Richard) Daley or any other mayor to steal our idea."
So will Chicago follow the lead when Tweedy plays solo shows at the Vic Theatre on March 12 and 13?
"We're always open to suggestions," said city spokeswoman Kate Sansone (no relation to Wilco member Pat Sansone). "We're very proud that Wilco hails from Chicago."
Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune
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The Grey/Afro cover is fucking brilliant. The Tele with the Danelectro-ish pickguard is pretty cool, too.
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This sucks, I had been following the story a bit hoping he was alive and just laying low.
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Really interesting performance although I was really distracted by the Singer's manboobs. And he's a relatively skinny guy.
It happens to the breast of us.
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Awesome, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound have recorded this in the studio. You can order the 45 here:
http://www.therabbitfactory.net/rf10/
and here's an in-studio performance. Love the surprise second Wilco song that appears midway through.
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Perhaps it's just urban legend, but I was under the impression that prisioners are especially merciless toward "baby f*ckers" (and guards look the other way) - both of which are fine with me. People like this guy deserve whatever horrible things that happen to him. And more.
Yeah totally, I hope he's someone's prison wife. But I imagine his fate would be even a bit worse if any of those families had their way.
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The sad reality is that prison is exactly where I would want to be if I were him. (what a horrible phrase that is, "If I were him", when used with this guy...) He is reasonably safe from retaliatory actions from the victims' families, all 150 of them or whatever the final toll ends up being. Of course, things of that nature happen on the inside, too.
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Looks like Madison may be joining the party. If nothing else, the wording of the resolution is mildy amusing:
Laptop City Hall: City Council may declare Wilco members honorary citizens of Madison
After receiving some admonishment from the rock band Wilco at their sold-out concert at the Overture Center last week, one City Council member is setting the record straight on the city's fondness for the frequent musical visitors by declaring them honorary citizens of this fine city.
"Last night, the mayor of Duluth made us an honorary Duluth band," Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy informed concert attendees on Saturday. "And we've only played there twice. How many times have we played Madison? A lot. No key to the city, no certificate, nothing."
Not to be outdone by Duluth of all places, Ald. Satya Rhodes-Conway quickly drafted up a resolution over the weekend that will be introduced within a few hours at the City Council meeting. After introduction, it will likely be brought back for a vote at the next council meeting on March 2.
The resolution (sponsored by Rhodes-Conway and Mayor Dave Cieslewicz at this point) reads:
"Title: Declaring the band Wilco and its members Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Glenn Kotche, Mikael Jorgensen, Nels Cline, and Pat Sansone, honorary citizens of the great City of Madison, Wisconsin.
Body: WHEREAS, Wilco has visited Madison and played concerts here at least thirteen times since 1995 (including a show at Club DeWash in February of 1995); and,
WHEREAS, Jeff Tweedy says of Madison: 'We really like it here'; and,
WHEREAS, Wisconsinites generally have a love/hate relationship with all things from Illinois but the sold-out show at the Overture Center on February 21, 2010 (sic) had only love for this band from Chicago; and,
WHEREAS, at least one member of the Common Council attended the show and can attest to its excellence; and,
WHEREAS, The Isthmus called Wilco 'America's shiniest rock object'; and,
WHEREAS, Duluth, MN may be cool, but we would not want it said that either that fine city or its mayor are cooler than Madison and our mayor (even if Mayor Dave is not sure who Jeff Tweedy is); and,
WHEREAS, the City of Madison looks forward to many future visits by Wilco; and,
WHEREAS, It is generally true that late is better than never,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Common Council and Mayor declare the band Wilco and its members, Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Glenn Kotche, Mikael Jorgensen, Nels Cline, and Pat Sansone, honorary citizens of the great City of Madison, Wisconsin."
Now the question is, is being declared honorary citizens of a city as good as being declared an honorary band? On the other hand, I can only imagine the debate that might occur over declaring an honorary Madison band after the Great Flamingo Debate of 2009.
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Abbey Road studios win preservation order
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61M3LW20100223
LONDON
Tue, Feb 16 2010
LONDON (Reuters) - Abbey Road, the recording studios made famous by the Beatles, was designated a historic site by the government on Tuesday to protect the pop music shrine against any plans to radically alter it.
ENTERTAINMENT | MUSIC | LIFESTYLE
Reports last week that owners EMI were to sell the studios attracted worldwide interest and sparked fears the site might be converted into a residential development.
Culture Minister Margaret Hodge declared the iconic venue a Grade II listed building -- the second-highest category -- on the advice of national preservation body English Heritage.
In a statement she said the listing had been granted "overwhelmingly on the historic merit of the studios" and because of its "huge cultural importance."
The new status means that although changes to its interior can be made, any proposed alterations must respect the character and preservation of the site.
Abbey Road became synonymous with the Beatles who recorded almost all their albums and singles there between 1962 and 1970. Pink Floyd also used the studios for their late 1960s and mid-1970s albums.
Tourists still regularly pose for snaps on the nearby pedestrian crossing over Abbey Road which features on the cover of the Beatles album of the same name.
Among those calling for the buildings to be saved were ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber, who signaled he was a potential buyer.
On Sunday, EMI said it wanted to retain ownership of the studios in St John's Wood, north London, though it indicated it was talking to other parties about revitalizing them.
The firm, owned by private equity group Terra Firma, has previously said it welcomed reports about the planned listing although the restrictions involved could potentially lower the selling price.
"It's a testament to both the importance of music in people's lives as well as the passion this kind of issue stirs up, that so much interest has been generated by the perceived threat to the future of Abbey Road," Hodge said.
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That description doesn't remotely do justice to what Up in the Air achieves. On a surface plot level, sure, it can be reduced to that arc. But what separates the movie from the pack has little to do with that arc, and everything to do with the intangibles, including sophisticated characterizations, an uncommon humanity, a surprising depth of feeling, and a unique, mature tone. All of those things elevate the movie far above the usual pablum; in fact, they are the mark of a smart, thoughtful, accomplished talent behind the camera. What's nifty isn't the premise; what's nifty is the execution.
Agreed, by far the most touching scene to me was
the scene where Clooney / Bingham gives a pep talk to the groom. So well done, I thought the scene worked on so many levels given Bingham's arc (and he does have an arc). It's exactly the kind of speech his character would have given at that moment.
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If Wilco have to suck as badly as Green Day or Fall Out Boy do to appeal to a much wider audience of teenagers, then I'm really fucking glad they don't appeal to a lot of teenagers.
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I also had the Zork books when I was a kid, were a bit of a mishmash between Choose Your Own Adventure and an RPG. You had to keep track of your character stats as the book progressed. It was pretty fun and a lot less frustrating to play than the Zork PC games.
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Not really slit your wrists depressing, more poignant / maybe a bit sappy sad:
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Got tix for both shows, thanks everyone.
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Okay, refreshed a few more times and it finally showed all the options. Much better now.
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On Ticketmaster? I just see Main Floor Seating, which I select, and Best Available. If I select General Admission, it has a price listed of $150...
Dear Beltmann
in Tongue-Tied Lightning
Posted
Yeah, that's a great comparison that I indepdendently made myself between There Will Be Blood and Citizen Kane. Both create larger than life personae that are loosely based on real people.