Beltmann

Yeah, Ceylan is really interesting. Have you seen his earlier Distant? Out of obligation, a professional photographer invites his unrefined country cousin to lodge with him in Istanbul, and we watch, slowly and silently, as these two spinning wheels fail to connect--to each other, to others, to anything beyond their apartment walls. Ceylan maintains a mood of melancholy and loneliness so unrelenting that it's borderline inhospitable; at times, I felt like leaping into a set of jumping jacks. Still, I was engrossed by the way he complements the quotidian with beautiful visual symmetries, espe

No, but I really liked it. As two couples circle around various layers of betrayal, the movie focuses not on adultery itself but on the subtle, bottomless character motivations that accompany indiscretion. It also boasts extraordinary performances from all four leads, and by now everyone must know that Mark Ruffalo is the closest thing to Montgomery Clift the screen has witnessed since, well, Monty himself.

Lots of fun.

I didn't check the timing, but it seemed standard length to me. (I'll second your "top 5 best live Wilco tunes" comment.)

Much more scholarly and sobering than a Moore investigation... and what I liked is how its main gripe isn't with warmongering so much as plain old incompetence.

I don

I've always liked Redford more as a director than as an actor--to these eyes, Quiz Show is one of the richest American movies of the last 15 years--and so was very much looking forward to Lambs. But the trailer did not look promising, and then the reviews started coming in... I'll probably still see it (with an open mind), but it's no longer a top priority.

Many years ago I had no TV signal whatsoever--due largely to unique circumstances, not by choice--and I was surprised to discover that I didn't miss it at all. I did have a VCR hooked up to a TV, so I just ended up programming much more of my own viewing! That situation lasted about six months, and eventually cable was installed.

I laughed out loud at the duct tape. It might not have been a stellar episode, but I thought it had some great stuff in it--especially that last scene.

That sounds awesome. I thought about making some, but then I gave up and just ate a Butterfinger.

This year our school district proposed a $119 million school referendum, the largest in Wisconsin history. Yesterday it was rejected by a nearly 2-1 margin. I live in the most conservative city in the state, so it was always going to be an uphill battle; after all, we weren't just asking for higher taxes, but for money to go to our schools, those evil centers of liberal indoctrination! But budget crunches over the last 20 years have left our school buildings (average age 62 years) in disrepair, energy inefficient, and with literally no room. Some elementary schools are teaching classes in

Stacy and I are still faithful--although we haven't watched last week's yet. Maybe tonight.

I prefer options. I use archive.org, and sometimes I go for lossless, sometimes for mp3--and I like having choices that best suit my particular wants and needs. Choice helps everyone, and hurts no one.

I don't think we disagree about anything, ever.

Hey, some of my favorite movies are about black people! No, really!

Same here. I like it and all, but no great shakes.

Thought it was sensational--a workmanlike tribute, somehow, to both classic gangster flicks of the '30s as well as the grittier ones of the '70s.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Rob!

I'm with ya... if I gave this list more thought, I wouldn't be surprised to see Of Montreal nudge its way into my top 5.

1. The National 2. Patty Griffin 3. New Pornographers 4. Panda Bear 5. Mendoza Line Honorable Mention: White Stripes, Wilco, Broken West, Gogol Bordello, Of Montreal, Radiohead, Spoon, Chuck Prophet, White Rabbits. I didn't think too hard about this; I'm sure I've forgotten a bunch that I ought to have considered. I'll think harder in late December.

I love eMusic. Pros: MP3s at 192, no DRM, much cheaper than iTunes (around 30 cents a track). Cons: The only catch is that eMusic doesn't offer everything--it's mostly indie labels. Still, I have the largest subscription package and never run out of good stuff to download.

"If someone is poor, it's always the result of choices they made somewhere along the line." That's a direct quote from my Republican sister. How do we combat a worldview that replaces reality with a cartoon?

Our local shop had none on the "new release" shelf, but had one copy stuffed in with the other Dylan. Now they have none at all.

I hated it, too. I'm surprised that you did, though. I don't know what that means.