Beltmann

Ah, thanks!

Wish I could go, but I'm already overbooked that day: Milwaukee Film Festival all day, plus the Eels at night.

Same here, but my VHS copy is in very bad shape. But isn't this on one of the JHamm DVDs? I'm pretty sure I have that, too.

Funny Games is deeply polarizing--and the remake unnecessary--but I'm in its corner: I think it's one of the great films of the '90s. White Ribbon is better, though. It is equally hectoring, but far more subtle and nuanced.

Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon is a hell of a movie--kind of like watching Ingmar Bergman doing Village of the Damned. Loved it.

Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker (1979) is the best movie I have seen in a long, long time.

I totally agree with this. I like Arcade Fire, but I love The National. I don't know which I would have preferred at age 20, but at 36 there's no doubt which band resonates more deeply with me. (Nevertheless, it's rather silly to debate which band is superior--after all, the bands are really two quite different beasts.)

Mine too.

Some cool curveballs in the setlist. Wish I had been there!

I'm not usually excited by late Sixties experiments about existential meltdowns--especially ones that glibly suggest we've all died in the prisons of consumer culture--but Marco Ferrari's 1969 Dillinger Is Dead is certainly, well, something. After discovering an old revolver wrapped in newspapers announcing Dillinger's death, Michel Piccoli spends the night's wee hours cleaning the weapon, making a gourmet dinner, watching old home movies, seducing the maid, and listening to radio songs as the soundtrack to his hollow life. My favorite surreal bit? The parts of the gun being polished in a b

Went to see the Heartless Bastards on Monday night in Milwaukee. The pre-show house music included 5 consecutive songs from Summerteeth: "Can't Stand It," "She's a Jar," "Shot in the Arm," "Via Chicago," and "We're Just Friends." (There were also similar runs from Dawes and Deer Tick.)

That was in response to Tweedling's moving request for "Magazine Called Sunset," which included a sincere thanks for Jeff Tweedy being a great father and husband as well as a great songwriter. Jeff said that his critics who call him "dad rock" should be so lucky to one day be a dad, or something along those lines.

Another memorable Jeff quip: After I told him how I used "Theologians" to teach Whitman and Dickinson to high schoolers, he responded, with a raised eyebrow, that I ought to teach Little Richard instead.

Wow, that is cool. I didn't notice that while watching, but I did notice how Edith Piaf's song was featured in a movie starring an actress best-known for playing Edith Piaf (Marion Cotillard won an Oscar for La Vie en Rose).

I only like things I've never heard of. Once somebody like me hears it, it's clearly too mainstream for my tastes.

I'm never frustrated when someone doesn't share my enthusiasm. People have to come to things in their own way and in their own time. Since my tastes trend non-mainstream, I rarely make recommendations to family and friends. After all, I know what I like and why, but that doesn't mean anyone else will like it or like it for the same reasons. When asked, I just talk about things and describe my own reaction to it, and then let people make up their own mind about whether that's something that might interest them.

Unfortunately, I have never seen Dreamscape. Well, I hope so. Of course Inception, like all movies, inspires thought of some kind. (Heck, Tommy Boy made me contemplate the prospect of losing my father, but I'm not sure that qualifies it as a masterpiece.) I'm unconvinced that Nolan is interested in seriously examining any sophisticated notions about dreams and the subconscious, which might explain why the film lacked both emotional and cerebral suspense (at least for me). I spent the movie thinking, Man, this is so damn cool! instead of Oh my god, I hope they get out of there in time!

Well, I'm not sure how "smart" Inception is beyond its ingenious construction--it flatters the audience by saying, "See, I knew you could keep up!," but it doesn't really give the audience much to chew on in terms of deeper ideas. That's not intended as criticism; after all, the movie is designed as a big-budget summer entertainment, and on that level it succeeds wildly. We would be very fortunate if every blockbuster action movie was so well-crafted. I agree that many movies benefit from connecting to the viewer on some relatable emotional level, but for me that didn't really happen at In

Personal observation that may or may not be relevant: I teach high schoolers, and eight years ago it was fairly easy to get teens interested in Wilco. These days, though, it's much more difficult. Today's teens pretty much consider Wilco and their music to be stuff for older folks. Apparently, the gap between modern teens and Wilco-coolness is wider than ever before. Closing that gap is certainly possible--last year I turned a few kids on to Wilco--but it's tougher than ever before. (That was bound to happen eventually, wasn't it?)

Should have kept the Brewers cap...

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, "This Land Is Your Land"

I still follow James with enthusiasm, and just listened to a Better Than Ezra CD while on a road trip in June.

Seems like bad business to target a dwindling market.

New song, "Looking Up," is available for download at the official website. It's excellent.

I am going to watch that soon, very, very soon.