Beltmann

"Fanatic"

Plus, the Crew swept Pit, bypassing the Cardinals by percentage points in both the division and wild card races. Today was a good day for the Brewers. I have mixed feelings about the Sabathia trade. Overall the deal makes good baseball sense, but I still fear we might regret giving up LaPorta for a half-season rental.

That's how I feel, except, as Brewers fan, it's the 1982 World Series standing in the way. Game 7 may have ruined my entire childhood.

I'll second this endorsement.

Yesterday we took the daughter to see WALL-E. Started today with the city parade and park activities, such as a bounce house, free root beer floats, a duck derby, live music, etc. This afternoon we're hosting a family gathering for ice cream sundaes, then walking two blocks to see the city fireworks. Tomorrow, a major family reunion on the lake.

We ought to be friends.

The shifts in tone are sometimes abrupt, and the last third doesn't quite connect the dots seamlessly, but overall Hancock is very enjoyable, funny and surprising. I had a blast. Plus, a Ryan Adams song ("Two") is featured during a dinner scene.

I enjoyed James Lilek's article about Pixar in general, Wall-E in particular. Over at National Review Online, we can read negative takes from conservatives Shannen Coffin and Greg Pollowitz [minor spoilers]:

10,000 B.C. is monumentally dull.

I remember a few critics carping about how the characters of Cars were unrelatable since they were, um, cars. Strangely, I found it simple to relate to the cars, but difficult to relate to the criticism--one of the great gifts of animation is that it can easily transport us to completely unrealistic and irrational settings; all it asks is for us to have a sense of imagination, and a willingness to be transported. I'm hoping to catch Wall-E later this week, if time allows.

Gross.

The Furies ranks right up there with Anthony Mann's greatest films. Helluva story.

The Orphanage was very strong... I should watch that again.

The Last Mistress / dir. Catherine Breillat Loved it. It's probably the best thing Breillat has ever done.

Same here.

You know I love you, UW.

Actually, I was just referring to a certain segment of Republicans, the group that, for example, actually has convinced themselves that Michelle Obama is nothing more than a "nasty, bitter, openly racist ingrate," and aren't interested in knowing the Michelle Obama that actually exists in reality. They prefer to believe in the cartoon playing in their head, because they are not interested in policy debate so much as demonization. I think my description was accurate for that particular segment. I don't think I even remotely implied that every person who doesn't support Obama must be an irrat

Emerson: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines."

"Saint Obama" is much like "Bitter Michelle" in that both are cartoon characters that exist nowhere but in the paranoid nightmares of Republicans. These visions have nothing to do with the real Obamas, of course, but when reality stands in the way of demonizing your opponent, it's always been politically convenient to believe the cartoon. When you buy into the myth, it's much easier to work yourself up into a lather and justify your irrational hatred. (The same thing is happening with "Addict Cindy," who I suspect bears zero resemblance to the real-life Cindy McCain.) The irony is that th

Looks like Obama has already dropped the seal. I thought the seal was a tad obnoxious...

Sounds cool to me.

My sentiments exactly.

Sharing movies with my daughter is one of the great pleasures of my life. It's been awesome introducing her to all kinds of stuff, including the silent comedians. It's especially interesting watching her develop tastes and preferences (she's partial to Harold Lloyd, but can't stand Laurel & Hardy) and watching her gravitate towards aspects that she identifies with. For example, she often focuses on the depiction of young girls; for her, Tarzan is a movie about a girl named Jane, who happens to meet a guy in the jungle... Tonight: Showgirls. (Maybe I should bookmark that parenting thr