Beltmann

I kind of felt that way, too--although not to such a degree that I was bothered much by it.

Surprise: ikol posting in a non-political thread.

I wish somebody had taught me this irrefutable fact earlier... maybe then I wouldn't have wasted 2007 being enthralled by the sounds found on Boxer. Dammit.

You're overlooking the fact that if an artist isn't mentioned in the mainstream media, he or she doesn't actually exist. Same thing with movies: If it's not advertised on TV, it's clearly not worth seeing.

No kidding. It's annoying as hell.

I think the "now" referred to the scalper's price as opposed to the regular price from five minutes earlier.

Not yet... still waiting to have access to it.

No kidding... worked perfectly. Can't wait.

Looking at my list of favorites, I sort of felt the opposite--but most likely, that's because I missed a lot of intriguing titles this year and therefore my number of personal connections are down. (Likewise, my list of priorities is much longer than usual.) As you know, I feel modern cinema is, overall, in a healthy state, but this year I just haven't had time to explore all the worthwhile corners. I'll catch up eventually, though.

I agree. Unwatchable.

Lebowski obviously has legions of defenders, but I don't like it very much. It's okay, I guess. Truth be told, when the Coens aim for broad comedy, it usually leaves me cold--which probably explains my distaste for Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers. I much prefer them when they are working on ironic or deadpan wavelengths, but for me their best work is their most sincere work. (That said, I do really like O Brother, which is one of the loopiest movies in recent memory.)

One year a friend gave me a large, framed picture of G. W. Bush with a faked autograph. He always did know how to piss me off.

That right there is pretty much my list of top viewing priorities as the year winds down.

True, not a bad one in that stretch. And yet, for me at least, only three of them are unquestionably great movies: Fargo, Miller's Crossing and The Man Who Wasn't There. I certainly admire the others to varying degrees. (There are only two Coen movies that I actively dislike: Intolerable Cruelty, which just seems ill-conceived, and The Ladykillers, which I think is a total failure.) One thing about the Coens that sometimes troubles me is their readiness to pour on the contempt; often their characters are treated with a prickly mockery and it makes me, as a viewer, uncomfortable. I say thi

I re-read The Scarlet Letter every year, but I keep on loving it.

All the best bits of business emerge from the movie's singular, absurdist tone--I laughed a lot, and had to immediately rewind the "cool beans" scene to watch it again.

Seconded.

Nine-year-old Anna tries to understand why her parents have turned their home life upside down in order to become political radicals in Paris in the Seventies. What I liked most is how the story is told, with steadfast consistency, from the young girl's point-of-view; in specific terms, it's a movie about how a child tries to navigate the complex and sometimes contradictory nature of political conviction, but in general terms, it's a movie about every childhood.

Since release dates vary from region to region, I always go with when a movie first became available in my area. Lives of Others, for example, was a 2006 release, but wasn't released in Milwaukee until later in 2007, so it's eligible for my 2007 list. Such are the vagaries of film distribution. The same reasoning explains why I think Killer of Sheep qualifies for my 2007 considerations, even though it was first screened in 1977.

Movies I really dug this year (at least so far), in alphabetical order: American Gangster / Ridley Scott / USA Away from Her / Sarah Polley / Canada Black Book / Paul Verhoeven / Netherlands Blame It on Fidel! / Julie Gavras / France The Bourne Ultimatum / Paul Greengrass / USA The Bubble / Eytan Fox / Israel Deliver Us from Evil / Amy Berg / USA Eastern Promises / David Cronenberg / USA Gone Baby Gone / Ben Affleck / USA The Host / Bong Joon-Ho / South Korea Hot Fuzz / Edgar Wright / UK I

I am a huge fan of Eastern Promises.

Yeah, I think Mom was a little embarrassed to explain her quest! I believe I made a super-clever crack like, "A dentist party? You gotta be pulling my... tooth?"

He's 7, I think. That's the trouble--my wife just mentioned Shakiest Gun in the West, and my first thought was: What are the odds these kids will know that one? I guess I'll add it to the list. I'll let Mom determine what's in their range of knowledge.

A friend of mine has a child with an upcoming birthday, and the boy wants a dentist-themed party. (Mom was pushing for a baseball or Spider-Man theme, but he was having none of it!) Anyway, mom wants to play a game where she presents various movie clips and have the kiddies guess the film--but she wants all the scenes to be related to dentistry. She asked me if I could think of any familiar kids' flicks with dentist scenes. I thought of only a few, so I'm asking VC for their suggestions. Any thoughts?? My list is pretty short right now: Finding Nemo Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Mar

I've heard exactly half of your list... and now have a printed copy to remind to keep an ear out for the rest.