I'm happy Reply All is done with this "On The Inside" series. The story was interesting enough (although I have issues with it that aren't germane to this comment's point), but it wasn't Reply All! They could've pitched it to Criminal or This American Life or whatever—why did they burn a solid month of Reply All…

Hah, the braid pulling! One chapter in that third book I was saying to myself "If he mentions how she pulls on her braids one more f-ing time, I'm going to lose it."

Well, I also think the writing in WoT's 3rd book is noticeably stronger than the first and second, so he does get better. Not sure if I'm going to continue onto the 4th, but maybe it picks up even more.

Kinda off topic, but reading the first 3 WoT books, I (as more of a reader of "serious literature" rather than fantasy) was really unimpressed with Robert Jordan's writing. The story is fine, and the world is interesting enough, but his actual prose and storytelling strikes me as competent-but-uninspired. Then I sat…

Agreed, Downward is Heavenward basically takes the perfection of Astronaut and makes it perfecter.

Funny timing. I was eating at a bar last night and suddenly "Songs of Farewell and Departure" was playing on the speakers, and I nearly spit my food out from sheer surprise and joy. Incredible band, incredible album (although I think Downward Is Heavenward is their true masterpiece).

When I bought my house 6 years ago, one of the first nights there we were stuck with terror upon hearing a bagpipe group practicing outside in a church parking lot a half block away. The next week, same time, they were back. "Oh crap. Are we seriously going to have to listen to bagpipes once a week for the rest of our…

Funny thing is, every time Nada Surf puts out a new record, reviewers have to immediately point out how they're not just the "Popular" band, and how they've distanced themselves from novelty song, etc. etc., and yet—it's a great song! Have you listened to it lately? It's a little silly, sure, but it works!

I love Mastodon, and honestly think they're the best metal band of the 2000-10s so far, but I've always been confused by articles like this, which point to Leviathan as their Big Grand Statement Masterpiece. To me, it's an interesting and exciting transition album between the pure intensity of Remission and the…

I tried to keep that in mind! But it wasn't even aesthetically-pleasing scratches, just some cruddy lines up and down the sides. Don't know how many reels the film was, but they were gone for last 2/3rds or so of the film at least.

No, I got the program at least! And I should mention 1.) It wasn't rendered unwatchable or anything, but just way sub-par in terms of projection quality. I'd bet a bunch of people didn't even notice or care. And 2.) Well, honestly, it was more like $16.50.

It's not Tarantino's fault, and it's not film's fault, but I saw the 70mm projection at the AMC in Edina MN (Southdale, for local reference!), and it looked awful. It was already scratched on the sides of a couple reels, the picture was too high on the screen, and the horizontal top/bottom masking curtains (whatever…

Interesting to note also that Minnesota was one of the only states that didn't vote for Reagan. So that whole trip was a real waste of his time.

I propose a new addition to Podmass where you place a 'Wet Mouth Sounds Warning' on episodes that contain more than the average amount of close-range microphone spittle. I just can't handle it sometimes. This Detective podcast, holy cow… I wanna hear that guy's stories, but I don't want to hear what it's like to have…

This song was the one highlight of the Adz album. In my opinion, he should've simply released it along with the 11+ minute "All Delighted People" (from the same-named EP), along with a short opener and closer (a la Pink Floyd's "Pigs on the Wing"), and it would've been a totally solid mini album.

I guess 2015 is the year that Hollywood executives finally passed 9th grade psychology.

Look, I know grading is subjective, and maybe even a verboten topic on these hallowed comment threads, but giving any True Detective episode a B- while a Wayward Pines episode gets a B+ means something is out of whack on the grading curve. As much mileage as critics are getting by ripping on this new season, it's…

I dare you to watch Under The Dome.

Answering questions, revealing mysteries is one thing, but let's be real—this show is written and edited for about a 3rd grade comprehension level. The quarter reveal was neat. The ruins of Boise reveal was neat. But the show never let the audience connect any dots. They literally had an elementary school teacher…

That's ridiculous. Everyone knows Forrest Gump invented New Coke.