Beltmann

I should have thought of Jesus Camp. Good call.

Same here. A lot of the criticism seems to target elements that I thought were strengths. Like all of his movies, it's a movie about movies, but here it feels different: Rather than merely lift and re-fashion genre conventions, now Tarantino is re-working the metaphorical meanings of those genre conventions. It might not be as well-sustained as, say, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, but overall it's a much richer experience. For me, the climactic sequence was intensely satisfying and surprisingly cathartic--surprising because I usually loathe revenge fantasies, but when the giant ghostly Jewish face ca

Lots of good mentions already. I'll add Rosemary's Baby.

Finally saw In the Loop today. Loved every minute. The dialogue is razor-sharp, the performances are perfect, the comedy is golden, and the satire is devastating.

Laurent Cantet's The Class is perhaps the best, most sophisticated movie about teaching I've ever seen. It's as good as they say.

No kiddin'.

I've never even seen him in a car. I mean, look at his movies. No cars. Deliverance - canoe. Midnight Cowboy - boots. Runaway Train...runaway train.

Agreed. I wish the discussion centered on such subtle distinctions rather than the cartoonish and counterproductive demagoguery that is currently driving the debate.

When Sarah Palin declares in a speech that our current private insurance system is "downright evil," and concedes that the current push for reform is designed partly to address how private denial of coverage is killing people, then we can talk about whether she has any intellectual honesty.

Well, "a lot" is relative and I don't know what you mean by it. Regardless, I think we can agree that the vast majority of Obama-is-Hitler protesters are aligned with right-wing groups rather than LaRouche. The more relevant point deals with how each side of the spectrum generally treats their lunatic fringe: While mainstream Democrats have a long record of shunning and marginalizing LaRouche types (like Frank dismissing that woman), mainstream Republicans are now actively courting and riling up their crazies (like DeLay validating the birthers last night).

That's true. As a Packers fan, I'm irritated. As a football fan, I'll be watching every game.

Not quite the same thing. Barry Sanders earned plenty of goodwill from his teammates because he had a long record of playing well on their behalf. Brett Favre, on the other hand, hasn't done anything to earn special treatment from the Vikings. Favre may have earned the right to skip Packers camp, but not Vikings camp. I suspect some Vikings may think Favre is acting like a rookie who hasn't played a single down but still thinks he's the team's superstar.

Jack's Mannequin

True. I said pretty much the same thing at a get-together tonight.

Factual. I am a huge Packers fan and even lived in Green Bay when they won the Super Bowl (and worked as an intern at the local TV station where "The Mike Holmgren Show" was taped). Watching Favre play for the Jets hurt, but it was forgivable and forgettable. This, though, is a different beast. This pisses off Packer fans. This tarnishes the legacy. For the most part, time will restore the luster. But not entirely.

That inane article seems to think that "libruls" ought to feel exactly the same way about Iraq as they did four years ago--as if the facts on the ground in Iraq are exactly the same now as four years ago. What made sense four (or three or two) years ago is pretty much irrelevant to what makes sense today. (The article might as well accuse the left of not being serious about civil rights, since they lost interest in protesting segregation.) The left's changing relationship to the Iraq War is more complex than simply looking the other way because now it's Obama's war. Those who read it that

Exactly. If I was polled today, I'd probably say that I disapprove of the president's handling of the issue--but not nearly as much as I disapprove of the way Republicans are handling it. I can't remember where, but earlier today I read that national polls suggest roughly 70 percent favor a Medicare-style public plan as part of health care reform.

My wife likes Wilco, but more "California Stars" than "Poor Places." I'm still a little stunned that she really likes "Bull Black Nova."

Done. Listening to the first track right now. This better be good, dude. EDIT (four minutes later): It already is.

I actually received that DVD as a gift last Christmas. It's a pretty straight-forward, conventional documentary, but it tells his story well--the section devoted to Les and Mary is riveting--and contains some really great contemporary interviews. Definitely recommended.

I agree with the sentiment, but I don't think our relationship with the arts is a childish thing. In fact, I think a sophisticated and passionate relationship with art is one of the hallmarks of maturity.

I teach high school literature. Most days, I play music in my classroom. Trust me, young people have no idea who Bob Dylan is. I'm lucky if 3 or 4 kids out of 130 recognize the name. They all know about Jack's Mannequin, though.

And the same media that twirled their moustaches over the Reverend Wright and Bill Ayers stories and actually treated these as serious questions worthy of debate: Does Michelle Obama hate America? Is Barack Obama a socialist? Is Obama a secret Muslim? Does Obama hate the American flag? Is Obama not a citizen? McCain got plenty of negative coverage, but it really never went any deeper than he's old. With Obama, the negative coverage was (and is) dominated by far more nefarious themes, like his otherness and perhaps un-American-ness. When I complain that modern conservatism is, in general