Beltmann

Battle in Heaven / Carlos Reygadas / Mexico / 2005 Much better than Reygadas' Japon, but still too mannered, too doctrinaire, too not very good. Incidentally, that poster has clearly been doctored for public consumption. In the movie, her hair is, um, much shorter.

Although this series was a defining one for my childhood, I haven't seen it for many years. I'm a little surprised by how well they hold up. Still funny, especially the first episode.

The first and third aren't great movies--they aren't even good movies--and the second one isn't a chore at all. For me, at least.

Me, I love Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins and like Rilo Kiley, but hate Postal Service and Death Cab. I'm also baffled by this.

Does Dreaming In America: A Film About Lucero count? Since it tags along with a working band as they tour small dives across America, I suppose it's a bit of a Moment in Time doc. As music, there's plenty to recommend to fans of, I dunno, UT or DBT, but as documentary, this is pretty standard-issue stuff.

I know for sure I listened to AM, BT, ST, and YHF start to finish through during a July family road trip. (AGIB would be listed, too, but my wife made me cut the drone short.) Since then, I'm sure I've heard YHF all the way through, and probably BT and KT, too. I often listen to albums in their entirety, though.

My wife and I were discussing this yesterday, and arrived at the same conclusion.

Dear Lord. I can't think of any other great movies that I find to be such a chore. I saw all of these twice in the theater: Kill Bill Vol. 1; The Truman Show; Fargo; Matilda; The Full Monty; Beauty and the Beast; Twister; The Cable Guy. That's kind of an embarrassing list.

Indiana Jones and the Leaky Tub

I cleaned the basement and wrote 2,500 words about a film festival.

I'm afraid you might be right.

Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock?

Pollock.

In both APA and MLA, book titles are italicized, but underlining is an acceptable alternative, especially when using a typewriter.

Didja read the hate mail section? That's even better.

I was going to ask for that, but it was cut from the list to make room for Sledgehammer: Season 2 and the complete series of Police Squad!

Califone - Roots & Crowns. Just picked it up yesterday, and am listening while stringing lights on the Christmas tree.

I believe deeply in the virtue and importance of quality criticism. But at the same time, I have little patience for reviewers who substitute dismissive, snarky witticisms for critical perspective. That's not consumer protectionism, that's self-aggrandizement, and it has little to do with real criticism. When I read a piece of criticism, I'm searching for thoughtful perceptions--pro or con--that are rooted in knowledge and sound musical theory, not in some cynical, pathetic desire to score points with the hipster crowd (or any other crowd). The best critics, to my mind, help illuminate a

Perhaps he simply adjusted for the fact that he was talking to a British publication.

That sounds familiar to me.