Beltmann

That's how I remember it, too.

I wasn't referring to that group, which I actually forgot even existed! (If I remember right, that group started only when VC was down for a few days and wasn't really meant to be a long-term substitute.) All I meant is that many of the old posters are just friends with each other on FB, and I hear more from them there than here at VC.

The emergence of Facebook really threw a wrench into it, too. Many of the old VCers migrated discussions over there. Some of us still drop by here somewhat regularly--I check in at least once a day--but it's certainly not the same as it used to be. That's the nature of things, I suppose.

Definitely cool. I was surprised that those videos were publicly available, so it's no shock to learn that Zoran was instructed to lock 'em up. I'm glad I took a look at them this afternoon! (Thanks for the heads up, RainDog!)

The movie is gorgeous. It's set in Russia's remote, partly radioactive Chukotka region, and the crew actually trucked across the Arctic Ocean, Werner Herzog-style, to capture the fog, the steep cliffs, the polar bears, the blue water, the stone fields. Nevertheless, the main emphasis is really the internal landscapes of the characters.

I can't offer any kind of knowledge or advice, guys, but I can offer my best wishes. You'll both be in my thoughts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45_2ZZlbirY Alexei Popogrebsky's How I Ended This Summer is one of the best movies I've seen in ages--it has the primal simplicity of a fable, and the throat-tightening suspense of a thriller. It's also about the conflict between youth and experience, and the precarious nature of good timing.

Sylvain Chomet's The Illusionist is probably not a better film than his earlier The Triplets of Belleville, but it's a closer match to my own sensibilities--I really like reflective movies, cunning visual jokes, and anything reminiscent of Jacques Tati.

I had the same initial reaction. The show started very shaky, far too reliant on common archetypes and conventional sitcom scenarios. I was ready to abandon it, but my wife liked it so we kept watching. I'm glad I didn't give up on it: After a few weeks it began to find its voice, and at this point it's probably one of the best shows on TV.

Agreed. I actually teach that film now--we study it as an allegory for our modern celebrity culture--which means that I have the opportunity to watch it again and again and again. My admiration only grows.

I am of two minds regarding the willfully provocative, unflinching, hammering sensationalism of Gaspar Noe--I thought I Stand Alone offered worthwhile insights into the psyche of the marginalized, but thought Irreversible was exploitative and fatuous--and feel similarly divided about his latest movie. I can say that the formal audacity of Enter the Void definitely held me in its grip, even during its long, trippy, abstract sequences. It has a beauty all of its own.

Whatever flaws George Lucas has as a storyteller, Star Wars still has the power to hold kids rapt after all these years. When my daughter was four, she went through a stretch where she wanted to watch Ep 4 all the time--but only the scenes with Princess Leia. My son is now three, and he loves playing with Star Wars figures. It's kind of amazing watching my boy play with my old toys from 1983, and I took special pleasure in buying him a new Darth Vader for Christmas. I'll admit, though, that I love it even more when he asks to see "the train movie," referring to Buster Keaton's The General

I can vouch for this, both claims. (Although it's been awhile--too long--since we last saw each other, Lou.)

If Jeff is being accurate in saying the two sides are adventurous and folk... well, those are my two favorite sides of Wilco. I'd pay double for that double album.

Same here, on all counts--although I have mixed feelings about Spoon.

I usually just blame everything on teachers. Works for me.

Was watching tonight's Brewers-Pirates game in Pittsburgh, and after a ninth-inning walk, the stadium PA blared a few bars of "Walken."

After all the gnashing of teeth four years ago, I can't say I ever think of VW when I hear a Wilco song from SBS. In fact, I had pretty much forgotten about that ad campaign until M. Chris re-posted the old thread. My relationship to the art of SBS remains unchanged by what has proved to be a barely interesting footnote in Wilco history; as I said back then, art has the power to endure long after the baggage fades. If we believe in art, we should have some faith in its resilience.

Wow, that feels like a lifetime ago, back when I still had time for long exchanges on VC. I miss those days. Mostly.

Thanks, hilliard!

Definitely a fan, although, for no particular reason, I lost some interest about ten years ago. "Someday Someway" and "Something's Gonna Happen" were always among my favorites.

This gets my vote for best answer. One friend first responded to "Heavy Metal Drummer," another to "Hesitating Beauty," another to "Poor Places." There is no formula, only subjectivity.

I've listened to this 5-6 times now. First impression: Jeff is often at his best mixing dark lyrics with a bouncy melody, and the bounce here feels less forced than much of WTA. So far, so good.

Thanks for the link!

6-19-1974: Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods, "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-JoRaUDZf4&feature=fvwrel