He didn't entirely hang up the flying V fireworks. "Wishing Well" is hands down my favorite guitar solo ever. First time I ever heard that screeching feedback, summer of 1990, I didn't know who Bob or Husker was. It was a wakeup call to educate myself, musically.

Muhammad Ali. There will never be another like him. He effortlessly transcended his chosen discipline, changed society, shed light on third world issues, the list goes on. The most written-about person in history, the most important athlete of the last 50 years. There's no way anyone would not consider him a…

Modell is one of the biggest mainstream critics who champions Low. I can always count on him to have a Low album in his year-end best-of list. Back in the 90's, when I lived in Madison, it was the Onion's review of Long Division and Modell's writing for Milk magazine (correct?) that really got me into Low. I became a…

The initial pacing is quite slow by current standards, but this film is saved by the enigmatic Napolean and sultry Leigh and their unspoken attraction for each other. This is a film to watch on an oppressively hot day, maybe as a double feature with Body Heat. I wish I could find Laurie Zimmer in more films.

This was a really creepy movie. I would group it with Memories of Murder, another film with a profoundly sad ending about evil remaining out there, with no hope resolution possible.

The whole roll-out to the Disaster Area concert is spot-on hilarious , but my favorite line is 
"Many worlds have now banned their act all together, sometimes
for artistic reasons, but most commonly because the band’s public address
system contravenes local strategic arms limitation treaties."

Noonan pretty much owns Dollarhyde in Manhunter, as does Brian Cox as Lector— creepier than Anthony Hopkins. Everyone in Manhunter owns their roles.

Top 5 Side 1 Track 1 Cusack performances:
1. Say Anything
2. The Grifters
3. The Sure Thing
4. Being John Malkovitch
5. Grosse Point Blank

I always admired the consumate professionalism of both characters, who are each great at only one job. Either one could have survived at the end and I'd be equally satisfied. The only way you know DeNiro will go down is from the arc of Dennis Haysbert's driver: he tries to go straight, finally turns to the dark side,…

Big thanks to Josh for posting this. All the new stuff sounds fantastic! I'm so excited to see them in Denver in 2 weeks. My last Low shows were back-to-back nights in LA '04. At Spaceland they jammed a wicked extended Lordy.  Bummer about living in Albuquerque now is that so few bands come here—I have to drive big…

Anatolia was like no other film I've seen in a long time. You had to accept its pace, which gave you plenty of time to contemplate its sparse dialogue and stunning cinematography. Reminded me of Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder— two police procedurals with unconventional twists and overriding sadness. I'd love to see…

Anatolia was like no other film I've seen in a long time. You had to accept its pace, which gave you plenty of time to contemplate its sparse dialogue and stunning cinematography. Reminded me of Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder— two police procedurals with unconventional twists and overriding sadness. I'd love to see…

Diamonds are Forever.  I'll try to defend this one. It's got creepy villains, hot women, neat variations on the car chase, and a look at classic Las Vegas. OK, the camp factor is ratcheted up a bit— maybe they were lightening the tone after all the In Like Flint/Matt Helm parodies saturating the market. Surely…

Diamonds are Forever.  I'll try to defend this one. It's got creepy villains, hot women, neat variations on the car chase, and a look at classic Las Vegas. OK, the camp factor is ratcheted up a bit— maybe they were lightening the tone after all the In Like Flint/Matt Helm parodies saturating the market. Surely…

ET was the movie that I used to convince college friends of the importance of widescreen. It was one of the first VHS to be issued in widescreen format. The scene in the middle when all three child faces fill the frame is an image of pure innocent wonder. The pan + scan tv version chopped faces in half or only showed…

ET was the movie that I used to convince college friends of the importance of widescreen. It was one of the first VHS to be issued in widescreen format. The scene in the middle when all three child faces fill the frame is an image of pure innocent wonder. The pan + scan tv version chopped faces in half or only showed…

I'll agree with Out of Sight's position, but Get Shorty is nearly as good of a Leonard adaption as well. Travolta oozes confidence and charisma, everyone has superb comic timing, and the main theme is hilariously spot-on— that hollywood producers are essentially the same as mafia heavies.

I'll agree with Out of Sight's position, but Get Shorty is nearly as good of a Leonard adaption as well. Travolta oozes confidence and charisma, everyone has superb comic timing, and the main theme is hilariously spot-on— that hollywood producers are essentially the same as mafia heavies.

It's been many years since I saw Fireworks. Sonatine has some truly fantastic scenes. They both mine similar territory.

It's been many years since I saw Fireworks. Sonatine has some truly fantastic scenes. They both mine similar territory.