More lists!

Sorry Lulu. While I know you are asking for lists, I don't think that this one is exactly the sort of subject matter that you are looking for.

But, as a big-time nerd, I am duty bound to link to this site and allow for a forum with which the list may be discussed.

While I grew tired of "3rd Rock" I think it is ranked far too low and I ABSOLUTELY think these idiots screwed up by putting "Futurama" where they did. Idiots!

And even more idiotic? Putting "Buffy" more than half-way down the list?! That is a serious insult! Maybe they are punishing the TV show for the awful movie? And . . . wait a minute? You CAN'T be serious?! You morons are ranking "Stargate: Atlantis" ahead of "Buffy"? Excuse me while I throw up in disgust!

I don't think I can keep reading this stupid list. I guess "Firefly" is about right at 17, but how can anyone justify putting "Sliders" in the top 10? And how can you claim that "Xena" wasn't on the air long enough? Are you then going to argue that the Kevin Sorbo "Hercules" show should have won Emmys?

"Stargate: SG-1" at number 6? Really? Are you sure? And, oh yeah, placed AHEAD of the "Twilight Zone"? Ugh.

Aww crap! "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" isn't even ON THE LIST?!!!

Damn, you people are fools.

More details on Spiderman 3

Kirsten Dunst has let slip some important information about the villains of Spiderman 3.

We all knew that Thomas Hayden Church was in as a villain, and we recently learned that Topher Grace was involved as well. But now reports are that we have confirmation of what villainous characters they will play. You can read about it here.

People, we need some action!

A spark--yes, that's what we need. Something fun! Something non-TV related! I'm so frickin' sick of TV already, and the fall TV monodrones have just started, I know it!

So I propose some Top Ten lists. Only I don't know what to propose.

The precious Spark! Soggy now.

Top Ten . . . hilarious movie moments

Top Ten . . . songs to listen to on an upbeat road trip (no shoe-gazing trips to see shoe-gazing bands!)

Top Ten . . . scary movie moments

Top Ten . . . best song lines

Top Ten . . . best movie lines ever uttered

You get the gist. Takers? Or am I just a fool? How 'bout I start with one from each category:

One hilarious movie moment: Catherine O'Hara as Cookie Fleckman walking toward her husband and Best of Show dog with a gimpy knee, filmed from above in an "epic" shot.

One great upbeat road trip song: Country Boy by Johnny Cash. It has the road rhythm and great guitars and, yet, is not a cliche (not that cliches are bad!)

One really scary movie moment: When the little kid in The Shining is riding his big wheel through the hallway of the haunted hotel. The sound of him alternating between the carpet and the bare floor is totally creepy, and when he stops in front of the one evil room, well, I might pee my pants just thinking about it.

One great song line: So many! I have three.
1. "You're my blue sky, you're my sunny day, lord you know it makes me high when you turn your love my way." Allman Brothers How sweet is that? Especially from a bunch of scruffy, long-haired country boys.
2. "I'll be rollin' down a straight, smokin' endo, sippin' on gin and juice, laid back, withmymindonmymoneyandmymoneyonmymind." Snoop Dogg, describing a perfect way to spend a lazy summer afternoon
3. "Suddenly I turned around and she was standin’ there, With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair. She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns. Come in, she said,I’ll give you shelter from the storm" Bob Dylan. Why not?

One great movie line: "You had me at hello."*
*Just kidding!
How 'bout . . . this one is hard! How about this exchange from Dr. Strangelove:
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Colonel... that Coca-Cola machine. I want you to shoot the lock off it. There may be some change in there.
Colonel "Bat" Guano: That's private property.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Colonel! Can you possibly imagine what is going to happen to you, your frame, outlook, way of life, and everything, when they learn that you have obstructed a telephone call to the President of the United States? Can you imagine? Shoot it off! Shoot! With a gun! That's what the bullets are for, you twit!
Colonel "Bat" Guano: Okay. I'm gonna get your money for ya. But if you don't get the President of the United States on that phone, you know what's gonna happen to you?
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: What?
Colonel "Bat" Guano: You're gonna have to answer to the Coca-Cola company

Marketing is Pretty Obnoxious

I went to a site to read This Modern World. After reading it, I noticed a tasteful, unobtrusive, and clearly labeled "advertisement" for Patagonia. I used to buy Patagonia long underwear when I could find it on sale, and even received the catalog for a time. Of course, I never bought anything from the catalog because Patagonia clothes are really expensive. But they really are high quality. It's worth it if you want some good "action-gear" that you can send back for a refund anytime, and if you're really into saving the environment and buying hemp products.

But I digress.

I looked at a skirt with no intent to buy. There was a box describing what it's made out of and how long it is--all the usual suspects. But it was preceded by this, um, 'description':

"On the thousand-meter walk up to the tea house she wore her Vitaliti Skirt -- the one with the otherworldly Moonflower print. Upon arrival, she knew something different was required. Stepping discreetly behind a boulder, she reversed the skirt to its solid, quiet side."

Pretty darn obnoxious, but there are so many companies--J. Peterman comes to mind immediately--that try to sell cotton skirts by playing to your undisciplined imagination and longing for exotic travel. It's obnoxious, but Patagonia is not alone.

But . . . then there was this box:

Ideal Uses

A full-stride, mid-calf length travel skirt. Use it for:

Dinner Out
Picnic
Farmer's Market
Around Town

Here's another Ideal Uses box for another skirt:

A travel friendly easy-care, dress up or down skirt. Use it for:

Day job
Tuning up the Subie
Dinner Out
Around Town

I'm sorry, but, what the frick?!

Who makes this up? Do I really need a $78 organic cotton skirt with an otherworldly Moonflower print to go to the farmer's market? What should I wear to Kroger? To Target!? Do I really need some flunkie, funky patchouli-smellin' intern at Patagonia to tell me the "ideal" uses for this skirt? And what if I don't have a "Subie"? Oh my gosh--I don't even tune up my own fat American sedan.

I would say more, but the skirt I'm wearing is not suitable for more lengthy ranting.

Multi-media

I finished reading "Saturday" on Friday. It was a good book, easily read and offered an interesting storyline.

The title says it all, following a British neurosurgeon throughout the events--both mundane and decidedly not mundane--of his Saturday. The overall lack of total complexity would make this a perfect script for a movie, starring . . . oh, maybe, Rupert Everett (ok, not really) as the doctor.

But to say that the story is simple is wrong (did I just admit that my previous paragraph was a lie?). While the span of time is simple, the complexity of the story is very evident. Ian McEwan's prose is very detailed and you can take a few pages to go through a minute or two of the story.

It's a good book that I recommend.

I won't go into more details because I've got other things to get into here, such as last week's season premiere of LOST. I was not disappointed by it, as some at flipper's premiere party seemed to be. In fact, I found it to be exactly as expected. While the contents of the hatch were a bit of a surprise, as was how that connected to Jack . . . I didn't expect to find out a great deal about very much. So, in that sense, everything was as I thought. If you want to find out what others thought about the season premiere, you can read this. There are some interesting observations there from people who were recording the show.

The other important bit of news coming up this week is the premiere of Alias. The hot rumor about the show this year is how long Michael Vartan's "Vaughn" will be on the show this year. Many reports are that Mrs. Gafleck feels "icky" working with Vartan because of her brainwashed allegiance to The Affleck. Maybe she just feels icky because of the pregnancy? I hope so, and I hope the rumors are false. Because, even if I thought Vaughn's chemistry with Sydney was lessened less year, having him completely off the show would be a bad thing. Not that I'm not used to complete plot rewrites every six months. . .

Of course, the other thing coming up this year on Alias is . . . this.

Sydney . . . pregnant?!

Yep. If that is true, then the likelihood of spandex this season is almost nil. (sigh)

Bob Dylan 101

Have you heard of Bob Dylan? Did you know that he is a famous musician? Do you know that a documentary (filmed by Martin Scorsese) about this guy is going to air this coming week?

Well, if you don't know much about Dylan's music . . . which I don't, really, then I present this information, provided to me via Entertainment Weekly and now provided to you via the magic of Omnimedia.

FOR THE TOTAL BEGINNER
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1063) This is where it all really starts. On his second album, Dylan goes from Woody Guthrie wannabe to his own man, wise beyond his years. With "Blowin' in the Wind," "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," and the truth-to-power indictment "Masters of War," he turns protest into poetry.

Bringing It All Back Home (1965) How fitting that the album where Dylan goes electric also turned him into lighting rod, inciting the fury of folk purists. From the opening honky-tonk scat of "Subterranean Homesick Blues," Dylan conjures astonishing images and bends words with the might of a circus strongman.

Highway 61 Revisited (1965) This is Dylan at his creative peak--a time when he seemed to be redefining music every few weeks. Kicking off with the monumental "Like a Rolling Stone," the album never lets up. "I'm not going to be able to make a record better than that one," Dylan said later. Well, at least not for a few months . . .

Blonde on Blonde (1966) For Dylan's third masterpiece in just over a year (this one a two-record set), he packed up his harmonica and headed to Nashville, where he feverishly dashed off surreal lyrics in his hotel room like a mad prophet channeling the divine. "Visions of Johanna" just might be his finest moment.

Blood on the Tracks (1975) Written during the bust-up of his marriage to Sara Lowndes, Blood is what they call turning lemons into lemonade. At turns stung, disgusted, regretful, and relieved this is the brutal, brilliant kiss-off every heartbroken lover wishes he could dedicate to his ex.

Time Out of Mind (1997) Death-rattle lyrics and a dog-tired growl--not to mention great songs and spooky production from Daniel Lanois--make this umpteenth comeback sound like an aging man narrowly out-running the hellhounds on his tail.

FOR THE MODERATE FAN
The Times They Are A-Changin' (1964) It's a veritable Greatest Hits of the Protest Era that just happens to be a single studio album. The title track, "With God on Our Side," "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," and others all captured the social zeitgeist in such a career-defining fashion that he still hasn't completely shed the socially-conscious-folkie rep he's spent four decades transcending.

Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964) The other side was this: nasty, emotionally charged, brilliant love songs. Or anti-love songs, mostly, with venom like "Ballad in Plain D" and "It Ain't Me, Babe"--the latter probably directed as much at his soon-to-be-jettisoned trad-folk compatriots as ex-girlfriend Suze Rotolo.

Biograph (1985) The collection that ignited the boxed-set phenomenon remains a great greatest-hits compilation. But the real reason to check it out is the 17 previously unreleased tracks scattered throughout--a perfect introduction to the thrills of Dylan's much-obsessed-over treasure trove of outtakes and unused songs.

The Bootleg Series Vols 1-3: 1961-1991 (1997) Once you get a taste on Biograph, dip into this, the musical equivalent of busting into Fort Knox. Previously swapped, smuggled, and sold illegally, these 58 rarities and outtakes from the Dylan vaults are pure gold, especially the impossibly rare "Farewell, Angelina."

Live 1966: The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert (1998) This recording from Dylan's infamous 1966 British tour captures the wrath that fans unleashed over his new electric direction. Between songs, an irate crowd member yells out, "Judas!" Dylan waits a beat and sneers "I don't believe you!" before launching into a loud and angry version of "Like a Rolling Stone."

Love and Theft (2001) Dylan's previous album, Time Out of Mind, was about raging at the dying of the light. This one laughs at the dying of the light, with that same sadness subsumed in a return to his phantasmagorical narratives of the mid-'60s, a lot of Henny Youngmanesque one-liners, and a travelogue through a whole century of American music.

FOR THE BUDDING DYLANOLOGIST
John Wesley Harding (1967) Dylan goes country! After a two-year hiatus, he returned with these dozen rural-roots yarns, which baffled some fans. (You'd think they would have come to expect the unexpected by this point. Oh well.) Instrumental in kick-starting the whole country-rock movement, Harding is also famous for "All Along the Watch-tower," later covered by you know who.

Nashville Skyline (1969) Clocking in at a svelte 27 minutes, Skyline is probably best known as the album where Dylan adopted his "Lay Lady Lay" croon (he claimed it was from giving up cigarettes). His duet with Johnny Cash on "Girl From the North Country" feels like a wonderful back-porch lark.

Blood on the Tracks: New York Sessions (unreleased) Dave Matthews and Fiona Apple weren't the first to have early versions of their albums find their way onto bootlegs. After releasing an acetate of his original album to a few radio stations, Dylan rethought the material an rerecorded much of what many consider his finest album with a different band in Minneapolis. But the earlier, emotionally very different, somewhat more subdued tracks survive for enthusiasts who can track them down.

Desire (1976) Dressed on the cover like a gypsy extra from the set of McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Dylan returns to political protest in the opening track, "Hurricane," a controversial plea for imprisoned boxer Rubin Carter. Spiced with Scarlet Rivera's yawning fiddle and Emmylou Harris' honey-twang harmonies. It's one of his best '70s albums.

Slow Train Coming (1979) The bard's conversion to evangelical Christianity results in an album that many fans hated to love. The excellence of Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett's production and Mark Knopfler's guitar playing--and some of the most passionate singing in the convert's canon left even the faithless little choice but to give in.

Oh Mercy (1989) Among many debts owed to New Orleans is thanks for hosting the sessions for this comeback disc, with Dylan doing a much-needed handover of the production reins to Daniel Lanois. After several blustery, fallow '80s discs, a contemplative Dylan ended the decade in a lower key and on a high note.

FOR THE TOTAL FANATIC
New Morning (1970) A kissing cousin to John Wesley Harding, this was the last of the gentle excursions into Americana that Dylan made at the end of the '60s. "Domestic Dylan" may sound contradictory, but it's there in this, one of his few efforts that really seem to reflect a satisfied mind. Just listen to the suprisingly straight-forward love song "If Not for You."

The Genuine Basement Tapes (unreleased) An official album came out in 1975, but this five-volume bootleg remains the Holy Grail of Dylanania. Recorded with The Band in their basement, it captures 103 tracks of odds-and-sods Americana that are as weird and wonderful as anything Dylan's done. See also Greil Marcus' book Invisible Republic (1997), which serves as liner notes to the complete bootleg set.

Saved (1980) Dylan's second and final album of all-born-again material soured secularists who'd given him a one-time pass on Slow Train. Seen as a sheer black-gospel genre exercise, though, it's Dylan's finest act of cultural appropriation since he went country. "What Can I Do for You?" features that true rarity: a moving harmonica solo.

Infidels (1983) Some fans were happy his "Christian phase" seemed to be over, while others were displeased that the stridency of the religious material was not finding its way into neo-protest songs like the pro-Israel "Neighborhood Bully." Mark Knopfler's production and support from Mick Taylor and Sly & Robbie ensure there's some muscularity to go with the crankiness. Fans still bemoan how this narrowly missed becoming a classic, with great, later-surfacing outtakes like "Blind Willie McTell" inexplicably missing the cut.

Good as I Been to You/World Gone Wrong (1992/1993) Beset by writer's block in the early '90s, Dylan recorded these two albums of oldies--pre-Victrola folk oldies, that is--and his solo acoustic readings of stark murder ballads and lonesome pre-pop blues found his musicality in high gear, even if his muse was on holiday.

Live 1975 (The Bootleg Series Volume 5) (2002) In his most charismatic mode (check out the bizarro white face paint), Dylan opens this rollicking Rolling Thunder Revue show with "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You," bellowing the refrain so commandingly, anyone listening would've immediately granted squatter's--or seducer's--rights. A mid-set reunion with Joan Baez sweetens the deal.

FOR ABSOLUTELY NO ONE
Self Portrait (1970) "What is this s---?" Greil Marcus famously wondered in Rolling Stone at the time. Answer: a motley, seemingly random assortment of cutesy curios, covers, and live tracks intended to throw worshippers off the scent of brilliance.

Street Legal (1978) Released just before he found God, this suggests he was profoundly in need of some kind of born-again experience. Cloying female backing vocals fatally sandbag a set of so-so post-divorce material.

Dylan & the Dead (1988) A marriage made in a surprisingly unheavenly place, with each party bringing out the other's sloppy somnambulism. Almost any concert bootleg you could pick up handily beats this (and 1979's At Budokan and 1984's Real Live are almost as lame).

Down in the Groove (1988) Fans debate whether this or 1988's equally undercooked Knocked Out Loaded represents Dylan's studio nadir. Notice we didn't say passionatel debate.

Under the Red Sky (1990) Produced by Don and David Was with a musical cast including George Harrison, Slash, Elton, and Stevie Ray Vaughn. What could go wrong? Everything, actually, with Dylan phoning in his weakest batch of material ever, defended by a few stalwarts as "nursery-rhyme-inspired." Mother Goose nearly sued.

The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (1993) The most memorable moment of this all-star tribute concert--Sinead O'Conner getting booed off the stage--isn't included, though we do get a lot of the respectful classic-rock homage usually reserved for the recently deceased.

City of God

(I started typing this as I was watching the movie last night. I'd pause, switch over to the blog and type some comments. This explains the disjointed nature of the post . . . mostly random thoughts. NOTE: if you haven't seen the movie and don't want any hints, suggestions, inklings of the story, stop reading now.)

What strikes me about "City of God" as I am watching it is the darkness of the jungle scenes and the settlement at night. I realize that there is no electricity in this place and that helps me realize that this place is so far away from my life and what I know.

As I watched the story of "The Tender Trio" I kept seeing myself draw parallels to "The Godfather" and how that movie uses flashbacks with Robert DeNiro to tell the story of the rise of Don Corleone. Now, I don't think that there is anyone "rising" in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, but seeing the three young street thugs try to scam their way out of the City of God just brought that to mind.

The whole parallel with "The Godfather" just got stronger as I watched L'il Ze begin to rise in the underworld of drugs, killing other dealers as he goes. (Please note that I am not faulting "City of God" for these parallels. These crime themes are somewhat universal, I guess. It's not surprising that I would try to make a connection between a foreign film and one that I have seen before. The mind loves to make patterns and connections between things.

The final parallel between the two movies was surely L'il Ze's fate in the alley at the end of the movie. Strong connections to Sonny Corleone's death.

All in all, a very good, arresting movie. It's visual style is very strong and the story is good as well. It is worth all the hype.

The mysterious alchemy of musical acceptance

I was just kind of struck by something and though I would put up a brief post on it (since work is going along fairly well today and I am not in a flop sweat of anxiety).

I hadn't used the iPod much since our trip to SF and started picking it up a bit more over the weekend. More than once I gravitated back to Coldplay's "X & Y" CD to listen to.

It started a bit on Saturday, kind of solidified on Sunday, but really just nailed me a few minutes ago . . . I finally like this album.

Now, leave aside your own feelings about Coldplay, "X & Y", Chris, Gwyneth, Apple, etc. and just think about this. Do you like albums instantly or do they grow on you? I am sure the answer is both, depending on the album. This one just kept steadily working at me and though I don't precisely know why it happened, it has won me over. I was underwhelmed when I got it in June but kept at it.

Some albums had me on first go through, some only a few songs truly win me over, and some never quite make it.

But what albums did you love from day 1 and which albums have you had to fight to accept?

50 Greatest Independent Films

This website will surely generate some debate, don't you think?

Outside of politics, interpretation of said politics, and some kinds of music, nothing stirs up you guys more than cinema.

So, check out this site and then report back.

What's my opinion? Well . . .
I've always wanted to see Run Lola Run. I am surprised to see The Passion of the Christ listed. I've never thought of Grosse Pointe Blank as an independent film. I ABSOLUTELY disagree with the inclusion of THX-1138 (I bet I'm the only one of us that has seen it, and it's not good). Blair Witch makes it because it helped usher in Internet/cinema marketing in more sophisticated/clever ways; nothing good can be said about the movie itself. I really should watch The Evil Dead . . . and watch Slackers again. While Jack will surely agree with the description of City of God, he might disagree with its ranking. I've always wanted to see Eraserhead, but just haven't gotten around to it. I have never liked Life of Brian quite as much as I seemingly should have--and don't get me wrong, I do like it.

Most stunning of all? I have seen 8 of the top 10 films. That fact alone should make you question the authenticity of the films selected.

So, now . . . your turn.

Another set of reviews

Kaiser Chiefs “Employment”
Half of this album is nice Brit Pop electronic exploration, half is pure crap. The former songs are entertaining; the latter are just hovering above annoying. For example: while the first track (Everyday I love you less and less) is quirky and fun, track 4 (Na Na Na Na Naa) is just plain bad. And the bad far outweighs the good on this one. I’m giving it a 1.5.

Death in Vegas “Scorpio Rising”
With a vocalless fervor, Death in Vegas comes streaming into your ears with ease. The musical experimentation is a little forced, but the tunes prove themselves to be worthwhile. A peppier version of Explosions in the Sky, a more subdued version of Karen O, it’s definitely worth a listen. While slightly self-indulgent, it’s still entertaining. I give it a 3.5.

Baby Bird “Ugly Beautiful”
When the members of Hanson are in their 30s and have been through a few stints in drug rehab centers and mental institutions I think that this is what they’ll sound like. That, surprisingly, isn’t a death sentence. The songs are a mix of pop-y, cute, bright melodies with a slightly trippy Dave Matthews Band feel and an overall oozing sarcasm and bitterness. Even with such an odd mix of emotions, the album remains wholly likeable, even endearing. I think I like it more than I should. One thing separating Baby Bird from the Hansons and DMBs of the world are their somewhat crude lyrics and sexual overtones. So, to quote one song, “why don’t you lick my candy, girl?” Or, if that’s not enough: “Jesus ain’t a man, she’s my girlfriend.” For those lyrics alone I can forgive some of the sillier beats. I’ll give it a 3.5.