Beltmann

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.

Hard to fault the emphasis on The Whole Love since it is a tour in support of, um, The Whole Love. More surprising was the inclusion of "Can't Stand It" and both "Outta Mind (Outta Sight)" and "Outtasite (Outta Mind)." Wow! My other highlights were "Misunderstood," "Box Full of Letters," "I'm Always In Love," and "Poor Places" morphing into "Art of Almost." (Almost as sublime as "Poor Places" giving way to "Spiders," like they used to do.) The set list was so strong that the absence of staples like "Handshake Drugs" and "Via Chicago" barely registered. (Me? I would have dropped "Imposs

Thanks! Fantastic news. This band is one of my favorites.

Listened to this last week, Derek. Sounds great! I've been eagerly anticipating the new EP for a long time now--yes, it's been a long break--and I'm pleased to hear there's a release date planned for January. I'll set aside some Christmas cash...

My wife and I were watching the TV show New Girl tonight, and one of the characters had a Wilco poster in his bedroom, prominently featured. He also had a Black Keys poster on his door, and poked fun at Steve Miller in a line of dialogue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg0OODPSc44 Page One: Inside the New York Times / dir. Andrew Rossi / USA / 2009 The Green Wave / dir. Ali Samadi Ahadi / Germany; Iran / 2010 There’s no doubt our media landscape is changing, but should we mourn the changing of the guard? The all-access documentary Page One: Inside the New York Times expresses hard-boiled anxiety about a news culture that allows venerable print institutions to collapse and be replaced by amateur bloggers, cable news, Twitter, and aggregate websites. As the Times performs old-school investigations that require weeks to p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KAm7E_R18Y Sophia Takal’s Green begins as a miniature, naturalistic story of culture clash--a Brooklyn couple re-locates to the countryside and befriends a chatty local--and somehow morphs, seamlessly, into an intense psychological study of female sexual jealousy. Takal owes a debt to Cassavetes, yes, but the mood is something new. There’s a strange friction between the comfortable acting and affable dialogue, and the way the forbidding electro score portends the mounting neurosis. Odd, too, how the leaves always seem to be eavesdropping. Unfortunately, t

Have you seen Cinemania, GtrPlyr? (I assume you have. But if you haven't, it's worth seeing. It's also about a particular groups of obsessives, here NYC film fanatics.)

I'm certain that I've heard that tidbit before, but I can't recall whether that was from Jay or some other involved party.

I enjoyed that interview immensely. Thanks for the heads up. Although I've been disappointed in pretty much everything Jay has done since Okemah, I'm still eager for both the Guthrie project and the new Son Volt. I haven't given up on him yet.