Yeah, I revisited the books as an adult after reading Philip Pullman's criticisms of the Narnia books, and while I think he overstates some points, there are definitely some unfortunate characterizations of the Calormens. On the other hand, I remember Aravis as being my favorite of Lewis' female characters, so I guess…

The Horse and His Boy is great, but this actually makes me somewhat excited despite the fact that the Narnia movies have been middling to below average (Prince Caspian was pretty good, I guess).

I'm making a choice to be optimistic until proven wrong. I've been hankering for a Bible-based TV series that didn't play things absolutely 100% safe to avoid controversy, and the saga of David is good choice with a pretty compelling tragic character at the center. Theoretically, this could be quite bloody and earthy…

It appears Chris still knows how to bring down a room. 
Dana: Holding down the fort? 
Chris: Absolutely. Fort's still intact. 
*Everyone shuffles awkwardly. Grandma restrains loathing. Dana hastily changes the subject.*

@avclub-0ae7484a9f3bbd2a21df420050c032ae:disqus Let me join the others in encouraging you to pick Spartacus back up. To be fair, between the violence, sex, nudity and its very specific goal to be an action show first and foremost, it's not for everyone. But my friends and I started watching it to mock it and ended up…

That TCM airing of The Story of Film sounds fascinating. I really enjoyed the documentary series on Netflix, but it'd be to take in a movie or two of the covered content afterward. Since I don't have TCM, I suppose I'll have to content myself with rewatching the series one of these days.

Yeah, I get annoyed whenever a publication's community mobilizes en masse against one particular staff member, but that's pretty indefensible. Princess Mononoke is still my favorite animated film, and Spirited Away is my go-to feel-good movie. I cry like a goddamn baby every time Chihiro discovers Haku's true name.

Totally with you. This album improves tremendously once you've run through it a few times and have had time to absorb the lyrics and nuances of the melodies.

I Am Very Far is probably my least favorite Okkervil River album, but I think it would be a huge stretch to call it a bad album. It's actually a really solid piece of work with a few weak points for me, and I'm accustomed to uniformly loving an Okkervil record. I can't think of very many other bands that maintain that…

That's a good point — it doesn't necessarily strike an immediate tone. Also, kind of unrelated, but when I first started listening to the band not too long after Black Sheep Boy came out, I kept mispronouncing the name. "Hey, have you heard this band, Oh-kervil River? They're really good." Thankfully "Okkervil River…

Another Radio Song justifies the cliche "breathtaking." The first time I heard it, I didn't breath for about the final 30 seconds. Actually, I'd say Black Sheep Boy Definitive Edition is close to my favorite album ever.

Absolutely. Sheff is easily one of my top five favorite working songwriters.

Damn, that would be an incredible show. I recall A.C. Newman played with Okkervil River during some of the talk show performances like Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, so they must have a pretty good working relationship.

I didn't much care for I Am Very Far compared to all the other Okkervil River albums, so I'm really enthusiastic about this album. Can't wait to see the band live in October (it'll be my first Okkervil River show!).

In the sense that it's weird they're not instantly recognizable to anyone who follows independent music, I'm totally with you. Okkervil River has always been a critical darling when it comes to reviews, but they've never achieved a huge level of public hype for whatever reason.

Thanks, guys! For whatever reason, I completely missed that interview.

Kudos to A.A. rightly identifying Scott Pilgrim as a masterpiece. And my eternal love for Hot Fuzz is more than enough to sell me on this movie based on its talent alone.

Probably one of the coolest promotional tactics I've seen for an album, and it doesn't hurt that Sheff apparently played the same games I did back in the day. This band — it's a cool goddamn band.

My sister and I used to watch Jett Jackson when we were kids. I don't remember a whole lot of it, but it had to have been better than the stuff they're churning out now (I'm pretty sure it didn't have a godawful canned laugh track, for one thing). This news is really tragic, and I echo your sentiments.

Hooray, Murder By Death! I love this band, and as a backer of the Kickstarter, getting access to the cover collection was a cool bonus. The cover of Hold On is a little bit magical