Beltmann

I was thinking--and hoping--the same thing. But doesn't Turner only hold about 600 people? Wish I could have been there... damn those parent-teacher conferences... One of my students went to the show and came by this morning just to gloat. When he told me about Tweedy doing "Someone Else's Song," I stared at him and then said, "I am going to swear now. Son of a bitch."

Rushmore is one of my all-time favorite movies, but I agree with you... in particular, I felt Life Aquatic went over the edge. But even when I sense it's not working, I always admire a filmmaker who swings for the fences.

Fair enough, but I wasn't really trying to specifically defend Anderson so much as make a broad statement about how watching movies through a filter of standardized expectations is reductive, limiting, and unfair--both to the artist and to the viewer.

I finally watched the SNL performance this afternoon, and I agree: Not so hot. The band didn't sound tight, and Britt Daniel seemed very, very stiff. Neither song really sounded like the Spoon I know and love. But they sounded much better on both Leno and Letterman.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I haven't seen Hara Kiri yet, but I like Masaki. Not long ago I revisited Kwaidan, which he made right after Hara Kiri.

You mean something like this?

Yeah, I'm not sure about this development... it takes the show into more melodramatic territory, and that could be disappointing. Hopefully the writers will approach it in credible and emotionally honest ways. Last season NBC put all of the FNL shows on its website for free. I haven't checked this season, but if you want to catch up, I'd start there.

Rubrics have no place in art. One thing I've always liked about Wes Anderson movies is that they do away with established ideas about what a movie should be--they exist on their own terms.

Of course this is a cash grab. Thing is, though, there are actually people out there--a lot of people--who don't own any Dylan and this new package might be just their thing. If so, good for them. If you're like me and already have this stuff, well, we don't have to bother. What's the big deal? Are we seriously supposed to be pissed about how there's another CD out there that we must somehow find the time and energy to ignore?

Hodie!

Got screwed... can't make it.

FYI: Season 2 of this most excellent show starts tonight! NBC, 9/8c

I loved Bachelor Party as a kid... but probably only because, as an 11-year-old, I saw it by sneaking over to a friend's house and watching it covertly. Ah, memories. Just returned from: My Best Friend is a very pleasant Leconte movie--and a very rare example of Daniel Auteuil being upstaged by his co-star.

I believe such people should rule the planet.

The Banquet / Feng Xiaogang / Hong Kong / 2006 Hamlet by way of colorful wuxia melodrama. Cool.

SOLD.

This Is England has terrific texture, and surprising poetry.

I have a spare for Wilco's Oct. 9th show at Milwaukee's Eagles Ballroom. It's a GA show. Face value, of course. Please send a PM if interested.

Anybody catch The National on Ferguson last night? Played "Apartment Story" and it sounded fantastic.

Great story, Leo! Thanks for sharing!

I found that interesting as well, but I also felt that Kot had preconceived this dichotomy and then filtered everything so that it would fit into that neat literary story--at the expense of accuracy, fairness, and complexity.

I lurve that movie... one of my favorites, and definitely one of Bogart's very best performances. Last night: It was a sold-out screening, which added to the fun. Sitting next to me was a guy with his young son (perhaps ten years old), and it was terrific listening to this man share his enthusiasm for Strummer with his son.

I vote go! I saw them in Milwaukee last Friday, and it was one of the better shows of my year. Lots of highlights, especially the epic version of "About Today," which concluded with a crunching blast of guitar impressionism. I didn't much care for St. Vincent, though--she was too precious, too reliant on cluttered effects and a juvenile slashing aggression. (Am I alone on that? I'll concede that her record sounds much better, at least.)