Beltmann

I am downloading this from eMusic right now.

I'm annoyed that the Brewers are on a 9-1 stretch and haven't even gained a SINGLE game on the Cubbies. That's baseball, I guess.

I do, and I do it more than I don't. I'm by no means a Luddite or anything... I just enjoy buying something (whether in a store or online) and being completely surprised by the contents. I don't know why, exactly, but I always feel more attentive to, and invested in, the music when I've paid money to hear it. The sense of ownership, and the corresponding investment, is part of the overall pleasure for me. (I'll concede that this is a luxury that I have been able to afford only in recent years.)

There's no way to change rules mid-stream without invalidating the entire process. You can't play an exhibition game, and then near the end of the regular season somehow claim that your exhibition win ought to count towards your record. It doesn't compute. Besides, neither election in FL or MI were truly representative, and not just because Obama wasn't on the MI ballot and not just because no campaigning occurred in FL. The real problem is much larger: Since voters in each state knew the primary wasn't going to count, many voters stayed home who might otherwise have participated. (Can we blam

Right now I'm very interested to see The Last Mistress. Catherine Breillat directing Asia Argento... who could pass that up? Also high on my list (although it's unlikely all will be released this summer): Fatih Akin's The Edge of Heaven Yung Chang's Up the Yangtze Ari Libsker's Stalags Errol Morris' Standard Operating Procedure Roy Andersson's You, the Living

There are countless people here whose taste I trust, but off the top of my head I'm thinking especially about Kidsmoke, MattZ, TheMaker, and solace.

Marx Brothers double feature: Monkey Business (1931) and Horse Feathers (1932). Two of their better ones.

Eaxctly. I wasn't upset about the assassination reference, because even though it was ill-judged, it still was a comment more about timeline than about potential violence. I was much more insulted by the fact that she's trying to sell the 1968 timeline as somehow analogous to the 2008 timeline.

7 Women / John Ford / 1966 I've never been a huge fan of John Ford, but this story, about a strong-minded, liberated, atheistic female doctor at a Christian mission in China, is one of his most underappreciated films. While it offers an intriguing moral crisis--what happens when the values of sacrifice and purity are at odds?--it's notable primarily for the emphasis on women (rare for Ford) and a withering critique of dogma and self-righteousness.

Director Sydney Pollack dies at 73 in Los Angeles

Bamako / Abderrahmane Sissako / Mali / 2006 Sissako's fantasy conceit is to stage a mock trial in a dusty Bamako courtyard, with all of African society as the plaintiff, charging the World Bank, the IMF, and the international community of institutionalized exploitation of the continent--resulting in a neverending cycle of poverty and oppression. In between statements by "witnesses" (a breathtaking mix of philosophy, cogent number-crunching, howls of suffering, chanting songs, and sometimes even simple silences that speak volumes), the movie makes room for snapshots of everyday African life,

Agreed. As a fan of filmmaking, I suppose I appreciated what Moon was trying to pull off, but as a fan of the band, it didn't give me what I was hoping for. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I would have much preferred a more conventional take... The EP was a little underwhelming, too, but definitely a pleasant listen.

Innocence / dir. Lucile Hadzihalilovic / Belgium One of the oddest, most beguiling, and most transfixing movies I've seen in recent weeks. It's about a group of prepubescent girls at a woodsy institution (a boarding school? an orphanage?) trying to navigate the mysterious rules and regulations of the community. Right from the start, when a new girl arrives in a coffin serving as her carriage, the movie is clearly operating on a metaphorical/symbolic wavelength; I read the entire thing as an allegory for how innocence eventually gives way to rigid expectations, whether social, physical, emo

I'm not sure, but I doubt Obama would agree with Rove's assertion that one of Obama's top goals is a "precipitous" withdrawal from Iraq. The last statement also has specious wording, since it confuses "talking without preconditions" with "giving them what they want." Does Rove honestly not see the difference? If not, I guess that proves Rove is hopelessly out of his depth on national security.

Lake of Fire is a documentary about the topic of abortion, at least as it pertains to the culture wars. Long, sprawling, gruesome, totally gripping.

He may not realize it, but he's been rescued!

The rhythms and visuals felt like network TV to me--but, it should be said, really smart network TV.

Same here!

Ryan Braun has gone deep twice tonight, giving him 4 homers in the last two games. His groove might be back. Still, I think my favorite part of tonight's Brewers-Cards game was when Molina was ejected, and responded by taking off all of his catcher's gear and leaving it at the feet of the umpire. A short time later La Russa was tossed, too.

Strangely, I can answer all of those questions, partially because Obama has already answered them all, some with great frequency. If the GOP doesn't already know the answers, then that points to their own ignorance. Wait, these are rhetorical questions, you say? Questions intended only to smear and raise doubts? Oh, I see: Politics as usual.

Laughed out loud more than once.