Beltmann

I found Bronson fascinating, but unsettling, too. For those who haven't seen it, the movie recounts the story of a real-life petty thief who borrowed his name from the American action star and, through notorious violence, turned a minor sentence into a lifetime of solitary confinement in the British prison system. At the start, Charlie declares that he always wanted to be famous, but the director, Nicolas Refn, seems skeptical of that motive--his movie implies that “Britain’s most violent inmate” is driven by a deeper need, even if that need is ultimately unknowable. Throwing up his hands, R

Over the last year or so, I have also cut back considerably. Netflix really changed the game. I joined Netflix in 2000, and ironically, that access to so many otherwise obscure titles only increased my desire to collect more movies, by inspiring an even greater passion (obsession?) than before. But now Netflix streaming points towards the future, doesn't it?

My rules prevent me from spending a lot per movie, but do not prevent me from buying a lot of movies: Even after weeding out 18 months ago, there are still nearly 3,000 movies on the shelves (more if you include ones transferred from VHS or TV, and short films). I am thoroughly embarrassed by this and store them in the basement where no one has to look at them. But they are there, perfectly housed, perfectly alphabetized. And it is invaluable. I constantly pull things from it, for my own use or to lend or to show my kids or to use clips in class (I teach). It brings me great joy and convenien

I'm sticking with my usual post-Thanksgiving change. What's Christmas without familiar traditions?

Just learned about Michael Jackson: The Experience, set for release next week. My daughter would probably love this, but I'm not sure I want my six-year-old mastering MJ moves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bF4PlviGWs

If hate were people, I'd be China! Metacritic used to be one of my favorite web destinations. Now, I use it only sparingly.

Yep. This is the last straw for me, I think. Most of the albums I buy are from labels like those. I signed up in July 2006. At one point my plan was 75 tracks a month, at 21 cents each. That was brilliant and I loved it, often taking chances on unfamiliar bands. The recent changes, though, have chipped away at that plan, and now that same plan offers about 20 tracks at 89 cents each (with worse content, too). The subscription model doesn't really work with those numbers; I'm better off just looking for better deals elsewhere outside of any subscription. My plan is annual, and doesn't

I own a copy of SALO, even though I think it's crap. Like I said, you can find anything at the right price eventually!

I haven't watched any episodes yet, but I have the first few saved on the DVR. I'm very interested; just have to find some time. (I also recorded all of Dead Set, which looks promising, too.)

It's a great deal for great movies, but still too much for me--after all, it's still $20 for one film. As many of you probably imagine, I buy a lot of the DVDs and must ask my wallet for forgiveness. I always abide by two rules: 1. Only buy used. 2. Only buy for $8 or less. With patience and diligence, I can pretty much find everything under those conditions, even Criterions.

Both my daughter and wife have expressed interest in Dance Dance Revolution for the Wii. My daughter loves to dance. My wife wants a game that will give her an entertaining workout. I know nothing about any of these games, so I'm looking for advice about which to purchase. I know DDR needs a dance pad. The metal and foam ones seem too expensive, so I'll probably have to go with the basic pad. Will my six-year-old daughter be able to use it? Are they durable? Should I stick with the Konami brand, or some other manufacturer? Which DDR game is the best? I know Just Dance doesn't need

I don't think I would survive that. Although I enjoy gift-giving, I have always dreaded holiday shopping; recent years have been much more fun, thanks to Jeff Bezos.

I know this sounds weird, but for me, it's the smell of fake plastic trees that makes it seem like Christmas. We always had artificial trees when I was growing up, so for me the fakiness is all part of the overall (very welcome) tackiness of the holiday.

We take down the Halloween decorations on Nov. 1, but leave the fall decorations up through Thanksgiving day. One of our family traditions is to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner at an uncle's home, and then we come home to put up the Christmas tree while The Grinch or Christmas Vacation plays in the background. All Christmas decorations are put away Jan. 1 or 2, before school starts again.

I miss Leroy plenty.

Yes! I think it was!

Man, that sounds like a perfect double bill. Love that band. Probably the best opener for Wilco that I've seen is the aforementioned Dr. Dog. Side question: Does anybody remember who opened for Wilco at Milwaukee's Eagles Ballroom on August 2, 2004? I was there with a few friends, and recently it came up in conversation... none of us could recall who opened.

I'm planning to buy a new HD camcorder, mostly because I'm not happy with my current JVC GZ-HD300, which saves everything as obscure .MTS files and uses lousy Everio software, among other annoyances. I'd like the new machine to do at least this: Record in full HD Record to HDD (60GB minimum) Easy drag-and-drop manipulation of files on the HDD Easy backup to PC and easy upload to YouTube Simple standard DVD creation (my kids love to watch DVDs of themselves) Imprint date (superimpose) when making standard DVDs (my current JVC offers no way of getting the date on screen except when playing bac

Me too.

I have been loyal to eMusic for years, but this might be it for me, too.

That's one of my all-time favorite songs, but I never noticed a similarity between them until you mentioned it--but I hear it now, at least a little.

I assume these are included in the JHamm DVD Project... can anyone confirm that? (If I have time tonight, I'll check my discs...)

Maybe the soundtrack to The Yes Man--which was loaded with Eels--made him a fan!

Going on Saturday. Can't wait.

I liked Blue Valentine, but I'm not sure how much I liked it. Still, there's no doubt about the terrific acting by Michelle Williams and especially Ryan Gosling.