Beltmann

If I had Charleston tickets, I'd definitely be peeved about this. But speaking as a Wilco fan living far from Charleston--in other words, speaking on behalf of the vast majority of Wilco fans--I'm glad Wilco chose SNL, because that's a gig I'll actually get to see; it's a move that shows appreciation for Wilco fans everywhere, not just the ones in Charleston.

She was astonishing--her performance definitely makes watching the movie worthwhile--but the movie itself, I thought, was fairly unadventurous. I'm glad I saw it in the theater, because I might have fallen asleep during a DVD.

Among the major winners: No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, La Vie en Rose, and Michael Clayton. That's quite a list. Just a few short years ago the Academy was honoring the likes of Chicago, but this year they crowned as Best Picture a great movie that feels like one of the best movies of the great 1970s. And they also rewarded Taxi to the Dark Side, which I didn't see coming. (I thought No End in Sight, which is less polemical, had a better chance.)

Definitely. Thanks!

Agreed. I like the song, but that's no way to showcase this band.

Good, not great.

I think Stacy and I are going to try to hit the Milwaukee show. Love the Pabst.

The sheer hypocrisy of this person is startling. After months of consistently sleazy and shameful campaigning, she actually has the nerve to say "shame on you" to Barack Obama?

I haven't seen that since it came out, and I've been meaning to revisit it for years. At the time, I thought it was easily one of the best of the year. Good to know you think it holds up. Have you seen Jindabyne, the recent Australian movie based on the same Carver story about the fishing buddies?

Hey, sometimes it's fun to explore our own personal preferences. Again, I totally understand where you're coming from, but I'm still struck by how what you're describing better applies (for me) to the Coens, especially in terms of cynicism and even, sometimes, condescenscion or misanthropy. (There are a handful of movies by the Coens that rub me the wrong way for that very reason, even as I admire the craft.) I might be in the minority, but I see in Anderson a joy of making movies coupled with a forgiving, egalitarian spirit; to my eyes, Anderson seems more saddened than cynical about the l

That would be awesome. I'd be just as happy with "You Are My Face."

Here he is, four days after delivery. Mom and baby are coming home in about two hours.

I too felt sympathy for Plainview--he becomes a monster, but he almost seems helpless to prevent it; he doesn't have the emotional tools to capably resist the the strains of darkness within him. I believe he sincerely loves that boy, and is just confounded about how to communicate with him, and, especially, how to deal with his disability. This is partially what makes the later scene--to avoid spoilers, I'll just call it the scene where son becomes competitor--so tragic and heartbreaking. Plainview cannot stop himself from allowing his competitive streak from destroying the only true family

Exactly. I saw the entire speech, and within context that line's intended meaning was obvious. It requires no further explanation. Why should Michelle Obama clarify a perfectly clear statement? It's not her fault people are trying to be stupid. O'Reilly Apologizes BTW, I don't think O'Reilly deserves to be fired or is necessarily a racist... he's just a bonehead, oblivious to the connotations of such phrasing. And he clarified that Michelle Obama was guilty of nothing, that her comment, in context, was "only referring to politics."

A few years ago I convinced the entire sophomore class that, once upon a time, I had recorded a hip-hop album under the name of B-dawg. Also, I am a guru of the breakdance.

Yes, and I take it as a personal swipe.

I would do everything possible to get to such a show. Of course, Milwaukee would be even better...

My favorite part of O'Reilly's "apology" was when he insisted that no offense was intended and that "context is everything." Context is everything. Unless, apparently, you are trying to hate on Michelle Obama. Irony is just so damn cool.

I do know what you mean, but I guess I'm okay with Anderson's archness for the same reasons I'm okay with Orson Welles' archness--they have the chops and artistic insight to pull it off. In their hands, it seems justifiable. Maybe I'm confessing a bias; I like when directors swing for the fences. Oddly, I've always considered the Coens to be in that category, too. To my eyes, many of their films are among the most self-aware movies I've ever seen (and I don't intend that as criticism). I liked Juno, but yeah. Its achievements are relatively mild.

Gotta think metaphorically. I wrote this elsewhere: It was a very good year for American movies, and no movie was more American in its vision than P. T. Anderson

Weird. That's how I feel, but flip-flopped. I actually think TWBB might be one of the best American movies of the last 10 years. I was absolutely mesmerized by every frame, every artistic decision, every nuance. It's been a long while since I responded to a film so deeply and on so many levels. That's not to denigrate NCFOM, though, which, to my eyes, is also a classic. Agreed. In recent memory, I can't think of another year so strong, at least for American movies. I'm a little dismayed, though, about how most of the riskiest and most rewarding movies didn't perform so hot at the box

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so hostile.

I love them both, but I love There Will Be Blood a lot more.

Good grief. And yet you're not smart enough to understand that, in context, the comment had nothing to do with partisanship. Your (mis)interpretation, though, is profoundly colored by partisanship.

Maybe, but two years' worth of enjoyment still sounds like a worthwhile investment.