Beltmann

I think it is fair game for a reviewer to question, or even disagree with, Mr. Tweedy's point. In fact, isn't part of the goal of criticism to evaluate an artist's thinking, as well as how skillfully that thinking has been expressed? I might not agree with everything in those two reviews, but both are reasonable in their arguments.

Patty Griffin - Children Running Through I bought this back in February, but I never spent much time with it until the last few weeks. It's fantastic.

I use that phrase all the time now. Larry David and I would get along just fine, I think.

I'm with you. I enjoyed Shaun of the Dead immensely, but Hot Fuzz is the better movie--sturdier plot and character construction, wittier jokes, a more consistently deadpan tone. It's terrific. The best joke might be that while it's taking the piss out of bloated actioners--I loved the overkill editing as the officers do paperwork--it's also completely kicking the ass of most comedies. I almost fell out of my chair at the line "Forget it, Nicholas... it's Sandford." That line was integrated so seamlessly... and the tone of delivery was perfect. I had to lean over and explain it to my wif

I'd just like to observe that tonight the Brewers improved to 17-9, which is good enough for first place and the best record in baseball.

Wow... that's truly unexpected.

Yep. Suppan has been their most reliable starter; he and Estrada were both terrific additions. Hall will come around, I think. At this point I think reaching the playoffs is a reasonable goal--in this weak division, they might make a real run for the division title. Anyway, back on topic. Anybody else notice that Wilco and SBS are featured in this week's iTunes New Music Tuesday email?

My wife noticed "What Light" playing in a restaurant tonight. I was preoccupied with a baseball game, but heard the last few bars.

One link--even one that is transparently the work of a shill--might be appreciated, but two is desperate and three is wearing out your welcome. The best way to get this community to hear and respect your tune is to actually be part of the community, and not treat the place as your own personal billboard.

Three terrific movies this weekend: Pickpocket / Robert Bresson / France / 1959 Boudu Saved From Drowning / Jean Renoir / France / 1932 Hot Fuzz / Edgar Wright / UK / 2007

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Lou!

I used to write headlines... I can't remember many, but I do recall that our city once had a star high school athlete with the last name of Butt, and my headline was "Butt Heads For State."

Alec Baldwin Chews Out Dora the Explorer

That's not a gripe with MT; that's a gripe with reviewers.

I've got a bee problem and would like to know how to exterminate all those bastards.

I don't think "Spirit on the Water" is Dylan's best vocal, but I didn't laugh out loud in this thread until I got to some of your comments. Modern Times strikes me as clearly in the midrange. What's worse? Sugarcoating the fact that it's not among Dylan's best work, or overstating the case merely to project oneself as a "pure" set of ears? Is there any difference? To my mind, your overcooked dismissal of the album as complete shit says more about your need to project yourself as a tastemaker than about the album itself. That kind of calculated, hyperbolic contrarianism is about as "pure

Man, you should write for Pitchfork.

Thanks! That's a killer single. I hope they swing by Milwaukee...

Stars - Set Yourself On Fire

Same here... I've never really understood the tepid response to GBMS. I suppose some of it is a byproduct of the inevitable Jack White backlash.

My entire weekend brightened after the Brewers took the series against the Astros, especially after that horrific collapse on Friday night. Now 11-7, good for first place. And thank God they sent Aquino to the minors today.

Indeed.

Marah - 20,000 Streets Under The Sky

Same here. Although I lost interest a long time ago, I still think Siamese Dream is one of the great albums of its era. I liked Zwan and have a passing interest in this new album. I'm skeptical, but hopeful at the same time. At this point, Corgan's become such an underdog that I'm rooting for him to put out something good again.

Martin / George A. Romero / 1977 Martin appears to be a quiet, introspective twentysomething, but in the opening scene, set on a train, we watch him drug a woman and drink her blood. He's traveling to stay with his cousin, a devout Catholic who is convinced Martin is another in the family's long line of vampires. This is a genuinely original bloodsucker movie, one in which Hollywood conventions are downplayed--Martin is only slightly annoyed by sunlight, and sleeps in a regular bed. Most interesting, though, is the dual psychological doubt: Is Martin simply mentally ill? Is his cousin s