Beltmann

Not all conservatives are willing to spew that nonsense. Ramesh Ponnuru, a leading conservative thinker, wrote a piece for NRO called "The Freeloader Myth."

I would highly recommend the nonfiction film Give Up Tomorrow (2011), a hoppin’ mad story of wrongful imprisonment that eventually indicts the upper echelons of the Philippines government.

Santorum is coming to my small WI city on Monday, and he's bringing the Duggar Family with him (they are providing song and testimony at a local church tonight) as part of his campaign entourage. There is no region more Santorum-friendly than this tri-county area; this is the reddest of red Wisconsin. My wife and I are seriously thinking about moving.

I really, really liked their first album--and I loved the Format--but this new one is pretty uneven, I think.

Sometimes that works. I share your enthusiasm for Yankee Hotel Foxtrot--it's my favorite, too--but Being There is next on my list. Welcome to the board, by the way!

I hear the "all-style-no-substance" complaint about Drive a lot, and cannot agree. First, I've always believed that style is substance--after all, a film's style is a window into the director's point-of-view--but I also believe that Drive offers quite a bit to chew on. At first the style suggests mere pastiche (early Michael Mann and the French New Wave are clearly referenced, and the opening sequence would make Hitchcock envious), but eventually that style gives way to something more deliberate, mesmerizing, and inquisitive. On a basic narrative level, I thought the characters were all car

The only reason I'd vote for Dujardin is because I can't think of any other actor who could play such an outsize, throwback role. The Artist works almost exclusively because of the unique presence of Dujardin. (Can you imagine someone else pulling it off?) There's absolutely nothing wrong with Clooney's performance--he's genuinely terrific--but The Descendants probably could work just as well with another well-cast actor at its center. That's not a knock on Clooney; it's merely an acknowledgment that Dujardin gave us a singular gift at the movies this year. The argument has been beaten t

I've seen everything except for a handful in the Foreign, Documentary, and Shorts categories. I don't much care about predicting winners, but if I was a member of the Academy my ballot would include The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick, Jean Dujardin, Viola Davis, Jonah Hill, and Octavia Spencer in the major categories. For Screenplay, I'd likely pick The Artist and Moneyball. Huh. I just realized that I wouldn't vote for The Descendants in any category, even though it was one of my three favorite films of the year. Weird how that plays out.

Same here... "Firefox can't find the server at www.sooutoftune.org." Been trying all week.

His movie about A Tribe Called Quest, Beats, Rhymes & Life, has been on DVD for a few months now. Worth a look.

I really like Gaspar Noe's movie, but I'm pretty sure Dr. Dog doesn't want their new album to be conflated with a movie about a dead junkie floating through the ether, experiencing all sorts of sordid aspects of Tokyo.

I noticed, too! Even better, my 7-year-old daughter also noticed.

I certainly recall having constructive disagreements with some people here, you included, bleedorange. The problem with online political discourse isn't passion, it's a lack of sophistication--which explains the widespread lack of civility. As I always say, the key difference between people is not conservative vs. liberal, Republican vs. Democrat. The real difference is serious vs. unserious. We can have a civil, constructive debate with serious opponents, but it's fruitless to engage with the unserious (left or right). Facts will never interfere with the propaganda cartoons running in their

Speaking of The National and soundtracks, I've been hearing them pop up all over the place. Most recently, I heard them in the movie Win Win and also featured heavily in the opening and closing scenes of Warrior.

I remember that! (I think we actually first interacted over there, not here.) I was never a huge poster there, but years ago I would check in almost daily, just to read if nothing else. I still pop in every few months.

Last week I heard "Dawned on Me" at a Landmark movie theater as part of the pre-show entertainment. My 7-year-old daughter was along--we wanted to see The Artist--and she noticed the song before me, which made it even better.

Currently enjoying Roger Ebert's memoir, a biography about Pauline Kael, and The Tree of Life on blu-ray.

Might be "Long Time Ago," from Golden Smog's Another Fine Day.

Here in Milwaukee, the deafening rumor is that Ryan Braun was taking prescription medication for herpes, which inadvertently resulted in the failed test. I have no idea whether there is any truth to this rumor, but if it's true it does explain a lot of the weirdness related to this saga, including why the players union is so peeved about the breach of confidentiality. I'm not sure whether a revelation that it was prescription rather than PED will matter much--after all, something was indeed in his system--but the gossip mill says that it might result in a 25-game suspension (or no suspension

I've always liked the nicknames, Crow! Don't let Internet strangers bring you down.

I love that cover, too! (Hated the movie, but that's for a different thread.)

It stuck to my ribs, too. You might be interested to know that Chinese director Zhang Yimou has also made a film about the Rape of Nanking. It's called The Flowers of War, stars Christian Bale, and looks completely unlike The City of Life and Death. Zhang, of course, used to make masterful period dramas like Raise the Red Lantern, To Live, and The Story of Qiu Ju, but this new war movie seems closer to the showman's pageantry of his more recent work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ7eBs6YbT8

"Misunderstood" into "Bull Black Nova"... wish they had done that in Milwaukee!

I'm a big fan, and even after all these years Bachelor No. 2 is still in fairly heavy rotation. I agree with bleedorange about The Forgotten Arm, though--that one never grabbed me. (Magnolia definitely is a worthwhile showcase for her material.)

As a lifelong diehard Brewers fan, I agree. If this proves true, then Brewers fans have been robbed of our next Robin Yount, a beloved franchise face that became a local legend for many reasons off the field as well as on.