Beltmann

Hi, Jeremy!

I think the title of Boyhood is a misdirection, because its main subject isn't childhood so much as it is time: It's about the passage of time, yes, but also about how time leaves its mark, and about how to find meaning in the present moment. It's also about how maturation--whether in a child or in a parent--takes time. (On a smaller level, it's also about how the technology of an era becomes part of that time's DNA.)

Some viewers have complained that Mason eventually grows into an unlikable, mumbly cipher. I can see where they are coming from, I suppose, but that's not how I responded to him. I thought it was fascinating how the movie, which is so introspective about the mundane, quotidian details of everyday life, deepens its substance by evolving into a rare example of a movie that chooses to gaze at an equally introspective personality. I think audience resistance to the older Mason says something about how unaccustomed we are to seeing such characters on our screens.

Since posting my initial batch in June, I think the only films I've seen that might deserve consideration are The Great Beauty, Under the Skin, Boyhood and Le Week-End. The summer has been relatively weak, with the caveat that many of the most interesting releases never found their way to Milwaukee. I'll have to catch up with them on Blu.

It's very quiet in that scene, but unmistakable. Bonus: If you stay through the end credits of Boyhood, "Summer Noon" plays in its entirety as the final featured song.

I'm seeing A Most Wanted Man today. The other two are, um, lower priorities. (I'm slightly interested in Begin Again, but only because the director also made Once.)

More info about Season 2's plot: http://uproxx.com/tv/2014/07/fargo-season-two-will-travel-back-in-time-while-keeping-the-story-in-the-family/

I'm there. The first batch was so strong that I'm primed for more. The idea of starting from scratch is promising, too, as long as the quality sticks.

Just a few for starters, off the top of my head: Big Star Fountains of Wayne The Feelies Beulah The Broken West The Lemonheads Weezer The New Pornographers The Apples in Stereo The La's Brendan Benson The Rentals The Format Voxtrot The Gaslight Anthem Imperial Teen Some of them might be loose fits, but there is a lot of room in those categories. Most of those are power pop rather than pop punk.

That's the sequel to Boogie Nights, right? Dirk Diggler in the videotape '90s!

Good to see you around these parts, old pal.

And a Wilco song ("Hate It Here"). Linklater has been a Wilco fan for a long time, and so has Ethan Hawke. (For those unfamiliar, it's worth mentioning that Tweedy did all of the music for the 2001 movie Chelsea Walls, directed by Ethan Hawke. And the movie is overflowing with Wilco references, including one scene where the band is the backup band on stage.)

When I saw the new video, I couldn't help but think of The Red Balloon (1956), which is a classic, well-known short film by Albert Lamorisse about a persistent balloon that follows a young schoolboy as he travels through Paris. (There was also a variation in 2007 by Taiwan's Hou Hsiao-Hsien, which is very good but not, precisely, a movie for children.) I don't know if the "Summer Noon" video is intentional homage, but the connection seems very strong. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Y1tRBOXfA

That reminds me of the morning I woke up and had the sinking feeling that I didn't bring my baseball glove home after the previous night's game. This glove was well-worn (12 seasons!) but still a treasured, perfect extension of my shortstop arm. Horrified, I remembered what must have happened... so I raced to the garage and, luckily, found my glove right where I left it--on the roof of my car. I had somehow managed to drive all the way home from the ballpark without the glove ever sliding off the car. I retired that glove a few years later, but still have it. Its replacement is now in it

When I was 13, I found a $20 bill in a wave pool, and later that same day I found a $10 bill lying on a sidewalk.

That was fascinating. Thanks, Diane!

AM: Box Full of Letters BT: Misunderstood ST: Via Chicago YHF: Poor Places AGIB: Handshake Drugs SBS: You Are My Face WTA: Bull Black Nova TWL: Whole Love That's today, anyway.

AM: It's Just That Simple BT: Why Would You Wanna Live ST: My Darling YHF: Reservations (although I still love it) AGIB: Wishful Thinking SBS: Leave Me (Like You Found Me) WTA: Solitaire TWL: Sunloathe I didn't put too much thought into this, but while reviewing the tracklists, I was struck by how this was a tough exercise for albums 1-5, and equally tough for albums 6-8--but for the opposite reason. If there are any Wilco songs that routinely compel me to locate the skip button, they are all post-AGIB. Another observation: The crossover between these two threads speaks to Wilco's endurin

Wilco Me, I came here to see your list. Since you are usually a fount of Wilco positivity, I thought your particular list would be particularly intriguing. Alas, no list from you. Come on, now--you can't use a thread about disfavor to offer only raves. Give us your list!

My wife quotes that bit a lot. That was an inspired moment.

The sheer velocity of the day is what is widely misunderstood. It's hard to explain to anyone who hasn't lived it.

Thanks for sharing, Crow! I always appreciate your personal contributions to this community.

Two years ago our employee handbook added language that explicitly prohibits teachers from using their phones during student contact time or planning periods. This didn't affect me in the slightest, since I never used my phone during the day, anyway. At the same time, however, our site adopted a policy that does allow students to use their phones, e-readers, iPods, or other items during "non-academic" times, such as study halls or off periods. And next year, there is a district-wide initiative called "Bring Your Own Device" that will openly encourage students to bring their devices, connect

I'm a public school teacher, and I turn my phone off while at work. In all seriousness, I don't even think about my phone between the hours of 7am and 4pm. There's nearly zero opportunity for checking messages. Maybe I'll check during lunch if I'm expecting some kind of emergency message, but otherwise I leave it untouched in my bag. (Lunch, far from being a break, is actually one of the most frantic periods of the day: In 20 minutes I need to eat, check work email, set up for the next class, and literally sprint down the hall to use the bathroom, if there's still time.) Wasting time on t

The premise is indeed ridiculous, but rather than suppress it, the movie embraces and thrives on that fact. Realism is not achieved nor attempted; it's probably closer to fable than anything else. In its own way, The Host, too, seemed to comprehend its own absurdity. Bong Joon-Ho is a director who often weaves that thread, and I'd especially recommend Mother and Memories of Murder.