Beltmann

Thanks for all the ideas! Many were already on my mind, but quite a few will help. The course is for high school kids, so the entire concept of social criticism in film is fairly new for them. To provide context: For them, discussing the political underpinnings of AVATAR was revelatory. And they were most interested in discussing the ethical questions raised by films about 9/11. So far they have been receptive to more unusual fare--for example, we had an engaging discussion about subtext in Scorsese’s THE BIG SHAVE--but the furthest I might try to go is Haneke, the neo-realists, and perhap

I’m developing a list of 50-100 film directors known for being political or socially conscious. Fiction, nonfiction, domestic, foreign, male, female, mainstream, marginal, liberal, conservative… everything is fair game. Obviously I’m going to include names like Spike Lee, Michael Moore, Jafar Panahi, Ken Loach, John Sayles, etc., but I don’t want to overlook any worthy names. So, who should definitely be included on the list? Thanks in advance for any help!

Email sent!

What's the difference, anyway? In the long run, it is critics, historians, and fanbases that are ultimately in charge of what gets remembered, not awards shows. I've been watching these shows for 25 years, and the only thing I've learned is that these shows come and go, and matter not a whit. My view? Enjoy the Oscars for what they are--crowdpleasing entertainment--and don’t bother giving them a moment’s thought or analysis. I stopped griping (and writing) about the Oscars a number of years ago because it finally seemed irredeemably silly; serious film writing exists in a universe far, fa

I was going to write, "Don't you mean yanky?," but then I realized that was as lame as that ManCrunch commercial. (My wife liked the commercial, which might explain a lot about our night life.)

Most Americans aren't catastrophically ill. There's no doubt that insurance companies do an excellent job providing for healthy, covered Americans. But how many sick Americans rate their health coverage as excellent? And how many aren't included in the poll because they have no coverage with which to be satisfied or unsatisfied?

Bump, since it's scheduled for this upcoming Thursday.

This sounds fantastic. Can't wait.

The Cuckoo Song

Remember when AMC showed L&H shorts every Saturday morning? (That was the early '90s.) Laurel & Hardy are a gateway drug, if you want to get kids addicted to old movies.

Wilco would have to stop making music they care about, and make instead music they don't care about merely to sell more records. I think a celebrity scent, a TV show, a commercial, and a comic book are all silly. But all of those things are merely selling, not selling out.

Didn't see this until now. Holy crap. Continued )))vibes((( of course!

It wasn't my favorite M. Ward, but I'm still surprised Hold Time didn't crack the top 100.

That's one of the best memoirs I have ever read, and probably one of the best music books, too.

Seconded. Nice call.

I don't think I've ever seen Wilco live and not been given "Via Chicago" and "IATTBYH." "Heavy Metal Drummer," on the other hand, has been about half the time.

I'm pretty excited about the expanded catalog, too, but it does come with hard-to-ignore strings: The membership plans are being altered, and prices are going up. At the end of the month, my current plan--which I've had and loved for three years--will automatically convert to a significantly less awesome plan. My current plan is 75 downloads a month for $191.90 yearly, but it will become 35 downloads a month for $151.99 yearly. True, I'm paying 20% less, but I'm receiving less than half as many tracks. In other words, I'm going from 21 cents a track to 36 cents a track. I haven't yet dec

I don't even like the impersonality of drive-thrus, so you can imagine how I feel about IMing.

Watched Chris Smith's The Pool yesterday, and Matteo Garrone's Gomorrah today. Both are impressive accomplishments, but for totally different reasons: One has a warm feel for humanity, while the other has a coldly cynical view.

Eels

I WISH! It's actually something fairly close to this: I'd post a pic of my actual clock, but I only have Polaroids.

I have used the same alarm clock since 1985, and it has never, never failed me. True story.

I'm hoping for this as well...

For Christmas I asked for, and received, Colson Whitehead's Sag Harbor. I hope to begin reading very soon.

If it weren't for Transformers 2, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra would easily be the most boring movie of 2009. I don't really mind movies made for 12-year-old boys--I pretty much loved Avatar--but I do mind when the movie thinks I must be a retarded 12-year-old boy.