Beltmann

I felt the same way... of all the live versions I have of that song, the Conan version is easily the least interesting.

Obviously Varda's made great films in the past--especially Cleo from 5 to 7--but I'm partial to The Hundred and One Nights of Simon Cinema, perhaps because it plays like a reverie through cinema's greatest hits. It's sentimental and sophisticated all at once. I'm sure you're already familiar with his most highly-regarded titles, so let me just put in a good word for these lesser-known, still wonderful works: Dreams, Red Beard, The Lower Depths, Drunken Angel. Most directors would kill to have made even one movie as terrific as those four.

Love this film. Varda peppers her homeland with vital questions, traversing the French countryside to learn why trash-pickers exist in wasteful consumer cultures. Although salvageable fruits and furniture occupy her digital viewfinder, her themes quickly swell beyond mere social protest. Recognizing how filmmaking is a form of scavenging, Varda converts into a "gleaner" herself, one in search of supple and profound images. By gathering footage that most directors would skip over--including digressions about her own aging--she creates a movie about perceiving what others willfully ignore.

You want to know what? If I do nothing else I will convince them that Herbert Stempel knows what won the goddamned Academy Award for best goddamned picture of 1955; that's what I'm gonna accomplish.

Heard "Theologians" a few times last year and "Kamera" once several years back. That's it. "Just a Kid" once played as part of the pre-show entertainment at the multiplex.

Yes! I'm excited, too--and I think Stacy will leap at a chance to see him again.

Not like Michael Moore, who can also breakdance.

If there's a politician cuddlier than Alan Keyes, I haven't seen him.

Jesus?

What I found most interesting was the attempt to draw an analogy between this kind of extremism and the extremism of radical Islam--a comparison that even the subjects openly invite.

That game used to drive me nuts. I finally bought it for the Sega Master System just so I could kick its ass.

Happy birthday, Kristina! You were among the very first VCers to welcome me here, and also among the very first VCers I met out there in "reality." Miss seeing you around!

Artists often rely on recurring themes because they feel compelled to explore ideas to satisfaction--that's what makes them artists. But I know what A-Man means... I don't think he meant it as a criticism so much as an observation that Lynch has a distinct voice as an artist.

I was there that night, and was thrilled with "Blasting Fonda"--that was one of my top hopes for the set.

There are no sacred cows. I'm a little ambivalent about Lynch--love some, hate some--but always eagerly anticipate his work. Unfortunately, Inland Empire isn't coming to Milwaukee until March 23.

I enjoyed Parachutes and especially Rush of Blood. I thought X/Y was a colossal bore, but I'm hoping they will once again make decent music. Since I don't listen to much radio, or watch much TV, I guess the hype machine doesn't factor into my response. But that's an issue completely separate from the music itself, isn't it?

I see a kitten wearing a sweater. I suspect your browser cache just needs to be cleared. Once you do that, you'll see what we see!

Two of the most welcoming voices on VC share a birthday? Sounds astrological...

I understand what you're saying, but our society has clearly made exceptions to your rigid theory, usually on the grounds that such exceptions are in the general interest of the society. One example is free public education for all--it is illegal for schools, which provide a service, to turn away students. Perhaps people do not have a legal "right" to health care, but in my view it is in the general interest of our society to provide it. More importantly, in a prosperous society we have an ethical obligation to take care of each other.

Kamikaze Hearts Centro-Matic Joanna Newsom TV On the Radio Band of Horses

Thank you for sharing your story, Tristan.

I don't have to be in the right mood to enjoy the eels. No great work of art is ever truly depressing--the subject matter might be difficult, but I always feel lifted by the sense of artistic accomplishment. You know what I do find depressing, though? Bad music.

Seconded.