'kenny chesney: summer in 3D' review

2010 is shaping up to be a great year for concert documentaries. We've already had Neil Young Trunk Show and the White Stripes' Under Great White Northern Lights, and although it's not up to the level of those two films, Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D is pretty damn impressive, too. It's made by the same people who brought us U2 3D, which first demonstrated the possibilities for marrying big arena shows with 3-D technology. My review of Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D is here.

george michael - father figure

A year ago this weekend, I was up in Seattle at the Pop Music Conference presenting my paper on "How George Michael's 'Father Figure' Made Me a Man." It was a real highlight of 2009, and I got to meet several music critics whose writing I've long admired from afar. So, it seemed appropriate that this was today's video.

fringe - "white tulip" recap

Gotta be honest: When I learned that Peter Weller was going to be the guest star on last night's Fringe, I sorta rolled my eyes. ("Oh great, they're dragging out the washed-up sci-fi actors to impress the fan boys.") But I owe Weller an apology: He was damn good. My recap is up at Vulture.

'death at a funeral' review

The original 2007 Death at a Funeral was pretty mediocre. The new film, despite a bigger-name cast, isn't any better. In fact, it's a lot worse. My full review goes into all the horrid details.

'harry brown' review

Harry Brown, the forthcoming revenge drama/thriller starring a very good Michael Caine, will be compared to Taken and Gran Torino a bunch. It's better than both of them. My review is here.

Ambulance Ltd. - "Stay Where You Are"

As you might know, I love Ambulance Ltd. So I decided to see if they ever made any videos for their singles from LP. And I found this.

fringe - "olivia. in the lab. with a revolver." recap

Last night's Fringe was a little meh for my taste. My full recap is up at Vulture, but I'd like to add two things here. First, the guy who played James Heath, Omar Metwally, will soon be seen in James Ivory's The City of Your Final Destination. Second, there seems to be some disagreement over the name of this episode. Most places have it as "Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver." But Fox's official Fringe page has it as "Olivia. In the Lab. With a Revolver." More mysteries!

'date night' review

In my latest Consumables column, I have nice things to say about all three films I review: Greenberg, How to Train Your Dragon and (most improbably) Date Night. Check it out at The Simon.

'kick-ass' review

When Kick-Ass premiered at SXSW, the reviews were ecstatic. I've seen it now, and I have to say, "Yes, it's good, but..." My more in-depth thoughts are here.

girls - 'album' review

The San Francisco duo Girls released their much-hyped debut, Album, in September, and now they're touring behind it. To celebrate the occasion, I reconsider Album for Detroit's Metro Times. (Spoiler Alert: They're one of the few "precious" indie-pop bands I can actually tolerate.)

'the city of your final destination' review

The City of Your Final Destination is director James Ivory's latest film -- and his first produced since the death of his longtime partner Ismail Merchant. It's a slight but affecting light drama. You can read my full review here.

fringe - "peter" recap

Well, the consensus is that last night's Fringe was the show's best episode ever. I wouldn't go quite that far, but it was damn good. I dig through all the yummy morsels over at Vulture.

radiohead - meeting in the aisle

Best Radiohead B-side? I'm going to go with the instrumental "Meeting in the Aisle," which was recorded during the OK Computer era.

'the last song' review

Miley Cyrus built her fame on her Hannah Montana persona. But how long can that last? That explains her decision to star in The Last Song, a teen drama based on a book by Nicholas Sparks that gives her a more grownup role to play. It ends up being a bit of a disaster. My review is up at Screen International.

'twin peaks: fire walk with me' at the new beverly

From April 7-9, the New Beverly will be running a double-feature of David Lynch films: Mulholland Dr. and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Since everybody reveres the former film, there's no better time than the present for a defense of Fire Walk With Me. I do just that over at L.A. Weekly.

'clash of the titans' review

The original Clash of the Titans from 1981 isn't very good. So there was room for improvement in any potential remake. Sadly, the new Clash of the Titans -- in 3D! -- has almost the exact same problems as the first film. My review is up at Screen International.

COLCOA jury duty

The annual COLCOA (City of Lights, City of Angels) festival will be taking place in Los Angeles from April 19-25. As the festival says, it's "A Week of French Film Premieres in Hollywood." I'm proud to say I'll be serving on the jury with four fellow LAFCA members, and our screenings start next week. The slate of COLCOA films is here -- in previous years, they've spotlighted such great films as The Secret of the Grain, Seraphine, Roman de Gare and Manon on the Asphalt.

I'm thrilled and honored to be part of COLCOA, and I'm looking forward to discovering a few gems -- as well as finding out what the super-secret "Blind Date" film that's screening during the festival will be.

the doors - the crystal ship

Maybe I've just been in a classic-rock mood lately. Or maybe it's because that Doors documentary will be coming out soon. Regardless, here's an underrated song from their first album...

'the harimaya bridge' review

Do movies actually do anything to help cure social ills? I was thinking about that while watching The Harimaya Bridge, an earnest drama about a father who has to confront his own bigotry when he travels from San Francisco to Japan to collect his dead son's paintings. My review is up at L.A. Weekly.

'joan rivers: a piece of work' review

Never been much of a fan of Joan Rivers, but the superb new documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work made me question some of my prejudices about her. At 76, she's an inspiring woman, even if she also seems like a handful. The film opens in June -- my review is here.

drive-by truckers - 'the big to-do' review

Anybody who knows me is aware of what a fan of the Drive-By Truckers I am. But, seriously, their new album, The Big To-Do, is pretty great. You can read my review here.

(P.S. If you need more convincing of this band's greatness, here are my reviews of Decoration Day, The Dirty South and Brighter Than Creation's Dark.)

television - venus

Every song off Marquee Moon is great -- you probably know that already. But right now I'm really loving "Venus."

'the red baron' review

The Red Baron, the famed World War I flying ace, is a great subject for a film. But The Red Baron is not that film. I explain why over at L.A. Weekly.

emmett malloy, director of 'under great white northern lights,' speaks

I interviewed Emmett Malloy, the director of the White Stripes documentary Under Great White Northern Lights, which I saw and loved at last year's Toronto Film Festival. Our chat is up at Vulture.

white stripes - 'under great white northern lights' album review

I've been raving about the White Stripes' tour documentary Under Great White Northern Lights since I saw it during last year's Toronto Film Festival. The accompanying live album of the same name is pretty damn great as well. I review the record here.

broken bells - the high road

I haven't had a chance to absorb the whole Broken Bells album, but this lead single is the sort of thing James Mercer does really well with his regular band, the Shins: It feels slight, but its melodic assurance helps give it a real heft.

'green zone' review

Director Paul Greengrass had a perfect track record heading into Green Zone, his new Iraq thriller starring Matt Damon. Oh well -- nobody's perfect. I write about the film at length at The Simon.

'the cry of the owl' review

Paddy Considine and Julia Stiles appear in the thriller The Cry of the Owl, which opens this weekend. It's a small, intimate film, and for a while it's genuinely odd. But then things go wrong. I go into all of it at L.A. Weekly.

neil young - crime in the city

The original "Crime in the City" is an acoustic/country/jazz sort of thing from Neil Young's fantastic 1989 album, Freedom. It's great, and if you haven't heard it, you should -- some of the best storytelling Young's ever done. But as much as I dig that track, the live electric version blows it out of the water. Here it is:

the Oscars and the Spirit Awards: who will win and who should win

The nice folks at indieWIRE asked me to send in a ballot for the Oscars and the Spirit Awards. So here it is: My picks for who will win and who should win. (Note: In a few categories, I abstained from picking a "should win" if I didn't see enough of the nominees to feel comfortable making a selection.) If you want to see the consensus picks, click here for the Oscars and click here for the Spirit Awards.

'dreamkiller' review

I have sympathy for DIY, no-budget filmmakers who stop at nothing to get their movies made and into theaters all on their own. But Dreamkiller just isn't that hot. It's playing at the Beverly Center here in Los Angeles -- my review is in the Weekly.

'alice in wonderland' review

When was the last time Tim Burton made a really great movie? Sadly, I can't remember, either. (And I'm one of those weirdos who really liked Mars Attacks!) His 3D Alice in Wonderland is more of the same from this very frustrating director. My review is here.

clipse - mr. me too

Most underrated hip-hop album of the last decade? Clipse's Hell Hath No Fury. (Or am I the only person who noticed/cared that it got little love on those "Best of the 2000s" lists? Aside from mine, of course.) So here's some "Mr. Me Too" for you.

"Who goin' stop us? Not a goddamn one of ya."

My Top 10 Albums of the Decade, and What They Say About Me

Between all the movie listmaking and LAFCA awards preparation I had to do at the end of last year, I skipped putting together a best-of-the-decade album list. But it wasn't because of any disinterest on my part: Even during all that busyness, which included heading out to Sundance, I would still jot down potential candidates for such a list and give them a listen to see how they held up.

So now that I've caught my breath and had a moment to compile a formal "Top 10 of the 2000s" list, I'm struck by just how far removed I am from the consensus. It's not that I hate Radiohead's Kid A -- in retrospect, it really is the band's Dark Side of the Moon-esque head-trip that people initially thought OK Computer was -- but like a lot of the other consensus "best of the 2000s" records (The Blueprint, Funeral, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot), it's an album that feels more "significant" and "important" than clearly spectacular. (In other words, if you changed the name of the list from "Best Albums of the Decade" to "Most Important/Groundbreaking/Trendsetting Albums of the Decade," it would be exactly the same group of records.)

With all that in mind, here's my list of the decade's best albums. There are some consensus picks in here, granted, but there are also a few that I alone cherish. And since you've probably been inundated with another weighty pontification about why this or that album was a game-changing masterpiece, I thought I'd do something different: I'm going to explain what these albums' inclusion on my list says about me. I'm a big believer that when you make a Top 10 list, you're expressing preferences -- you're revealing what artistic merits you value over others. So, I'll try to figure out those preferences while going through the list, acknowledging the inescapable fact that while aesthetic criteria are crucial when determining what's the "best," sometimes personal factors creep in as well. From 10 to 1 ...

10. Fountains of Wayne, Welcome Interstate Managers (2003)
I don't think it's coincidence that three albums in this list are from 2003. That's the year my wife and I started dating. It was a crucial, emotional year in my life, and certain albums were part of the background, even if they didn't necessarily play into my courtship with her.

The parallels between Fountains of Wayne and my beloved Steely Dan are obvious -- they both make very pretty music about very miserable people -- but on Welcome Interstate Managers, Fountains of Wayne serve up their best collection of songs about bad jobs, bad relationships, and just flat-out bad lives. "Stacy's Mom" was the slick hit, but the lingering sadness of some many of these tracks stays with me. Beyond great tunes, I really came to care about the people in these songs and worry about them. This album represents for me all the folks I knew in college who went out into the world and just ... well, what happened to them, exactly? That unanswerable question is at the heart of Welcome Interstate Managers, as careers and the outward trappings of success start to eat away at personal happiness. Amazingly, these are pop songs.

9. Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism (2003)
Another 2003 record. There is a part of me that really hates Death Cab for Cutie -- well, more accurately, I hate what they represent. Pasty-faced whiners playing delicate indie-pop songs about girls who won't date them -- god, what a tiresome genre. But after loving this album when it came out and then experiencing a bit of a backlash against the band in subsequent years, I've come around to remembering what makes Transatlanticism so special: It's probably the only emo album that's self-aware and self-critical about its strategies. And that's probably why it's the only album of its genre I can still listen to without cringing. That pain of being single and lonely is all over it, but Ben Gibbard at least tries to understand his own flaws as a mate, which puts him above 99% of his mopey colleagues.

8. Kanye West, The College Dropout (2004)
For most of the decade after this album came out, I really missed the Kanye West I had come to love on The College Dropout. This dorky, insecure guy with a chip on a shoulder as large as his talent, West seemed like every aspiring artist I had met in film school and since, except he fashioned his doubts into compelling music that the world was embracing. When West became a superstar, his albums started becoming more ego-centric in a way I found off-putting, although I could clearly enjoy their skill. But still I prefer the debut, which is where a young man becomes a sensation in front of our eyes -- er, ears.

7. Ambulance LTD, LP (2004)
This spectacular collection of great guitar songs gets to the heart of what I was saying about my disinterest in gravitating toward consensus picks. If I was part of a team of editors at a music publication putting together such a list, the argument against including the debut from Ambulance LTD is that (1) nobody's heard of it; and therefore (2) it didn't have that big of an impact on the decade. But I don't think my job as a critic is to tell you what made an impact -- hell, you can figure that out just by listening to the radio. No, my job is to highlight stuff that I think is really special, and this album's lack of major visibility doesn't diminish its astounding musicianship. A million people could like this album, or four friends could dig it -- the album is as objectively "good" either way. I've tried over the last 10 years to really cultivate this part of my personality -- if I'm the only person who loves a certain album or movie, then it's my responsibility to be the representative for those who don't write about entertainment to explain why it's so fantastic. I think about these things a lot while listening to LP.

6. Band of Horses, Cease to Begin (2007)
At under 35 minutes, this album probably isn't "substantial" enough to qualify for a list such as this. (Warning: There's an even shorter album coming up later.) But the outsized emotions compensated. Ben Bridwell's sincerity is probably the thing I like about him most: Indie-rock is so filled with sarcasm, and even those songwriters who are emotional tend to be slightly icky with their why'd-you-break-up-with-me? complaints. But this lovely album is emotionally graceful, suggesting that he might be the most well-adjusted guy in his field. As someone who prefers gentlemen to overgrown boys and macho meat-heads, I recognize a fellow traveler. I can only hope he continues to thrive.

5. Clipse, Hell Hath No Fury (2006)
Almost without exception, I don't care too much about hip-hop's drug/crime contigent. (Remember when we used to just call it gangsta?) But the thoroughly unredeeming Hell Hath No Fury is that exception, an album knee-deep in the crack game that makes a life of lawless hedonism sound absolutely addictive. Really, not since I was an impressionable kid who got his morals warped by Appetite for Destruction have I been so seduced by an album's stone-cold misanthropy. But it's not the milieu -- it's the way Pusha T and Malice make their arrogance a twisted kind of underdog tale. I note that the two hip-hop albums that made the list are opposite sides of the same coin: Kanye tells a heartwarming story about not letting hard times pull him down, while Clipse tell a cautionary tale about how to get rich off crime. When I needed a shot of inspiration, Hell Hath No Fury was my go-to record this decade. Make your judgments as you see fit.

4. Yo La Tengo, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (2000)
A band that's celebrated (rightfully so) for their elastic, eclectic sound, and I love them most for their quietest record. And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out came out the same year as Kid A, and they share certain similarities: Both sound fantastic late at night, both are deeply worried records full of nagging self-doubts. But the Yo La Tengo record hit me deeper -- and still does. This decade was filled with adult relationships, and this record was the one that felt the most truthful in regards to that subject. Georgia Hubley and Ira Kaplan are the band's long-term married couple, and here is where they really fleshed out the intricacies of married life. Just like some movies evolve over time as you go back and re-watch them, so too does And Then Nothing feel like a new record every time I go back to it. It's an album that's as fluid as marriage is -- as they sing on the nervous, deeply romantic, eternally hopeful "The Crying of Lot G," "Stop and remember/It isn't always this way."

3. Bob Dylan, Love and Theft (2001)
The album you perhaps refer to as "The 9/11 album" is, for me, "The Album That Got Me Through the Worst Breakup Ever." For quite some time, Love and Theft became not just a collection of songs but, rather, a road map for how to rebuild myself after essentially falling apart. And this is where it gets tricky: How much do emotional states play a part in determining what music we respond to? Do I love this album because of Dylan's brilliant adoption of so many different musical guises, or do I love it because of the personal memories forever attached to songs like "Lonesome Day Blues" and "Sugar Baby"? I think any good critic consistently asks himself these questions: We should strive to combine our ability to recognize great work with our capacity to feel the emotions that work sparks. With that being said, Dylan got me through a very rough time, but so did other albums from that period. But now that I'm way past that time, I can see even more clearly how flat-out fantastic the record is. And that's the point: Even in highly-charged emotional times -- 9/11 or otherwise -- we gravitate to the music we absolutely love. In other words, we don't love the music because it got us through hard times -- we got through the hard times because we relied on the albums we love.

2. Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2006)
It's dangerous to give favorite albums as gifts to the unsuspecting, but my wife must have purchased about five copies of Neko Case's breakthrough record for friends and family over the '06 holiday. Put simply, the first two tracks of Fox Confessor Brings the Flood are perfect expressions of mystery and uncertainty. Who can listen to "Margaret Vs. Pauline" and not think he or she is the luckless Margaret, always looking at spotless Pauline across the room with unfathomable envy? And then there's the feverish sadness going on in "Star Witness," a song that I have never been able to suss out completely: A lover drowns, a couple babysits the narrator's sister's kid ... what's the connection? All I know is I spent a good chunk of 2006 and 2007 trying to figure it all out. At a time when every modestly-talented female singer wants to be an ingenue, Case seemed like a mature (if messed-up, but not in an overblown drama-queen kind of way) grownup. Give me an album full of beautiful melodies that feel like half-remembered fragments, and my adoration will be just about eternal -- it's like a dream that you can't quite forget but can't quite recollect. And add on top of all that a voice that is utterly extraordinary, full of longing and pain and empathy -- how can you say no?

1. The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow (2003)
10 songs. All perfect. About nothing more than their exceptionally articulate and simple sentiments: I'm leaving you ("Gone for Good"); you left me ("Pink Bullets"); civilization is nuts ("So Says I"); your world is ending (or is it just beginning?) ("Still to Come"). So what does it say about me that I put Chutes Too Narrow at No. 1? That I like three-minute songs that sound flawless and hold up over repeated exposure. That I like concise albums without an ounce of fat that contain a beginning, middle and end of emotional continuity. That perhaps an album's vaunted artistic legacy is less important to me than a record's immediate accessibility, melodic complexity and pure pleasure? That's just a guess on the last one. I still don't know all of this myself. That's why I write about this stuff.

'defendor' review

Woody Harrelson's great performance in last year's The Messenger reminded me how much I like him. So I was cautiously optimistic about Defendor, which features him as a mildly eccentric, emotionally wounded, probably imbalanced man who thinks he's a crime-fighting superhero. But, alas, this action-comedy isn't so hot. My review is up at L.A. Weekly.

eels - end times

One of the best things about Eels' recent End Times record is how it equates heartbreak with death and the end of the world. For people who complain that that's a touch melodramatic, that's the point -- the album is less about perspective and more about staring at the wounds while they're still fresh. The title track nails it perfectly.

"the ghost writer" review

For my latest Consumables column, I go long on Roman Polanski's very fine thriller, The Ghost Writer. Plus, I talk about The Yellow Handkerchief, Fish Tank and Bronson.

the oscar-nominated shorts

It's become a fun annual tradition: The Oscar-nominated live-action and animated shorts are released in theaters for the general public's enjoyment for a few weeks in February. I surveyed this year's crop for The Village Voice. What can I say? I love me some Wallace and Gromit.

'the three burials of melquiades estrada' at the billy wilder

The moving, wonderful Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is coming to the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum on Wednesday, February 24. If you haven't seen it on the big screen, you should -- my article in L.A. Weekly explains why.

'shutter island' review

I enjoyed the hell out of Shutter Island. I know some people will carp that Martin Scorsese doesn't make "personal" movies anymore, but if this is what he's making instead, I can live with it. My review is up at Screen International.

sparklehorse - it's a wonderful life

Today's video was a happy accident. I woke up this morning and decided that whatever artist came up first on my iTunes when I hit "shuffle" would be my Friday Video. The winner was Sparklehorse. So, searching around online I found this clip that Canadian director Guy Maddin put together for "It's a Wonderful Life." Sparklehorse's music just seems to fit with certain directors. Previously, I had always gotten a David Lynch vibe from his work. But Maddin's old-timey style nicely complements his music as well.

my weighted ballot for the Best Picture Oscar

As you probably know, there are 10 nominees for Best Picture this year. But as you may not know, Academy voters are being asked to rank their picks on their final ballot -- it's a weighted system. So, for posterity's sake -- and because I have a few moments this morning -- here is how I would rank my Best Picture ballot ....

1. A Serious Man
2. The Hurt Locker
3. Avatar
4. Up in the Air
5. Precious
6. Up
7. Inglourious Basterds
8. An Education
9. District 9
10. The Blind Side

.... for my own Top 10 movies of 2009, go here.

'order of chaos' review

Order of Chaos is a middling revenge thriller that tries to blow the lid off the super-sexy world of ... tax attorneys. Really. My review is up at L.A. Weekly.

'the wolfman' review

I normally like Benicio Del Toro. I don't like him in The Wolfman. I explain why in my review over at Screen International.

'valentine's day' review

Complaining about Valentine's Day is a bit silly: Forget critic-proof, this movie is made for people who specifically don't want to think too deeply about their filmed entertainment. I try to give the movie the benefit of the doubt in my review.

rufus wainwright - the art teacher

Rufus Wainwright's recent work hasn't engaged me that much, but "The Art Teacher" still totally rips my heart out.

fringe: jacksonville

Big episode last night of Fringe. So why did I end up feeling so bored by it? I blame Dunham, and I explain why at Vulture.

best movies of 2009, best movies of the decade

It's way after the fact, but if you're still clamoring for my Top Ten movie lists for 2009 or the decade, you can find them both on my very own indieWIRE page. It also has a running tally of grades I've given to recent films. Geek out!

ranking the best and worst of the sundance film festival

From the opening-night film through today's award-winner screenings, I was here at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. (Or, as they called it, SundanceTwentyTen.) From worst to best, here are the films I saw (including ones I screened prior to the festival) with links to my reviews where applicable:

Sympathy for Delicious
happythankyoumoreplease
Twelve
Frozen
Jack Goes Boating
Holy Rollers
The Company Men
Waste Land
The Romantics
Contracorriente (Undertow)
The Taqwacores
Howl
Buried
Winter's Bone
Obselidia
Hesher
The Freebie
The Extra Man
Cyrus
Waiting for Superman
The Kids Are All Right
Mother and Child
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Restrepo
GasLand
Please Give
Animal Kingdom
The Tillman Story
Catfish
A Prophet
I Am Love
Blue Valentine
Southern District (Zona Sur)
12th & Delaware
Lourdes

As you can probably gather, I'm not as high on Winter's Bone as my colleagues (and the jury) were. That movie may deserve a second look. But later ... right now I need some sleep.

bon iver - re: stacks

I'm iffy on Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago album, but its final track, "Re: Stacks," is a constant comfort to me. (I'm assuming it's about, y'know, heartbreak and stuff, but it's just so soothing.) The song is used in The Romantics, which I saw here at Sundance, and I've been humming it ever since. Now maybe you will, too.

fringe - the bishop revival

Nowadays when a bad guy in a movie or TV show is a Nazi, I always find it slightly adorable -- they're the one group it's still totally OK to portray in a stereotypically cliched way. Last night's Fringe illustrated my point a little too well .... my recap is up at Vulture.

'the romantics' review

Can a twentysomething comedy-drama be exceptionally glib and yet resonant? It can if it's The Romantics, a film that bugged me on many levels but also got to me, too. My review is at Screen International.

'the extra man' review

Love Kevin Kline? Then you'll want to keep an eye out for The Extra Man, which stars him as an eccentric, would-be aristocrat living in New York. The movie's pretty great, too, which I review at Screen International.

'twelve' review

Director Joel Schumacher's Twelve is in the proud tradition of movies like Kids and Thirteen, in which we learn about all the terrible things young people are doing while we're not watching. I admit to a soft spot for these sorts of sleazy/lurid films, but this one doesn't work. I explain why over at Screen International.

'frozen' review

Frozen opens February 5, but it played as part of the midnight section at Sundance. My review is here.

"say you miss me"

I don't know if anyone else experiences this, but sometimes when I wake up I have a random song inexplicably stuck in my head. So, I've decided to start an infrequent column about this phenomenon called The Song in My Head, in which I'll write about that song. Maybe it'll be a critique. Maybe it'll be an association I have with the song. We'll see how it goes.

Wilco's "Say You Miss Me" is off their Being There album, which came out during the time period when I was rooting against them and pulling for Son Volt. In retrospect, the reasons are pretty stupid, so it's not worth dwelling on them.

I have a memory of hearing this song at some point in my 20s late at night when I was single and very lonely and very unhappy. The song has a drunken-phone-call quality to it, which is why I'm sure I responded to it at the time.

Checking my iTunes, I see that it popped up on Monday, so that's partly to explain why it was stuck in my head this morning. But it was also in a dream I had last night in which my wife and I were living in the same house as friends of ours. In the dream, I remember thinking, "This is a pretty good Wilco song."

Of course, I also think it's in my head because I haven't seen my wife in about a week and miss her terribly. I mean, just look at these lyrics:

I've been sleepin' alone, out on my own...

Do you miss me too?
Baby say I'll miss you
Just say you'll miss me too
Do you miss me too?
Baby say I'll miss you
Just say you'll miss me too

Granted, "Say You Miss Me" is a post-breakup/please-take-me-back song, but the sentiment hits home regardless.

'southern district' review

People I've talked to at Sundance don't just dislike Southern District, they flat out hate it. Oh well: I still think it's the best thing I've seen here. I explain why at Screen International.

'buried' review

Buried got scooped up pretty quickly by Lionsgate, and it's easy to see why: The damn thing just seems like a Lionsgate movie. My review of the Ryan Reynolds thriller is here.

'the kids are all right' review

Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right is a real treat. Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo are all great in it. I go into more detail about the film here.

'holy rollers' review

The crime drama Holy Rollers stars Jesse Eisenberg as an Hasidic Jew who turns to a life of crime. My review is up at Screen International.

'waste land' review

If my screening was any indication, Waste Land is a documentary that will work well with audiences. I just wished I liked the movie better.

'blue valentine' review

One of the best things I've seen at this year's Sundance film festival has been the romantic drama Blue Valentine, which stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. My review is up at Screen International.

'sympathy for delicious' review

There's no getting around it: Mark Ruffalo's directorial debut, Sympathy for Delicious, is a complete train wreck. I survey the damage at Screen International.

'cyrus' review

The Puffy Chair remains the Duplass brothers' best film, but Cyrus is a fun (and funny) mixture of mumblecore and mainstream sensibilities. Plus, it boasts a great performance from Marisa Tomei.

'jack goes boating' review

Philip Seymour Hoffman goes behind the camera for the first time with Jack Goes Boating, a melancholy romantic drama that's too muted for its own good. I explain why over at Screen International.

'hesher' review

Hesher is a very odd beast -- part black comedy, part coming-of-age story, part grieving-family drama. Some people here at Sundance have dismissed it as a mess, which I think is part of its appeal. My review is here.

'happythankyoumoreplease' review

How do you know you're no longer in your 20s? When a zeitgeist-y romantic comedy like happythankyoumoreplease comes along and you think, "Good god are these people annoying." My review of Josh Radnor's feature directorial debut is up at Screen International.

'the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford'

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford will be screening at the Billy Wilder Theater on January 31. I say a few words in honor of the film, particularly Brad Pitt's performance, at L.A. Weekly.

(Update: This piece is now archived here.) 

'please give' review

Writer-director Nicole Holofcener's Please Give is a real treat. Catherine Keener and the whole cast are just great. You can read my review from Sundance here.

'the company men' review

The feature debut of TV producer John Wells, The Company Men, tackles the current economic crisis from the perspective of three white-collar employees in danger of getting downsized. It's not nearly as penetrating as it should be. My review is up at Screen International.

jay-z - "on to the next one"

Jay-Z's "99 Problems" might have been my favorite song of the '00s. Welcome to the '10s.

fringe: what lies below

Killer viruses were the big story of last night's Fringe. Blegh, I say: I'm more interested in talking about the evolving friendship between Walter and Astrid. My recap is up at Vulture.

'howl' review

Sundance 2010 kicked off last night with HOWL, an unconventional, I'm Not There-style biopic of Allen Ginsberg and his controversial, acclaimed poem "Howl." My review is up at Screen International.

'tooth fairy' review

I really think Dwayne Johnson could be a movie star. But if he keeps starring in crap like Tooth Fairy, well .... oh, just read my review.

mariah carey - 'memoirs of an imperfect angel'

I find Mariah Carey fascinating, and I don't mean that in a snarky way. Anybody who's been as successful for as long as she has must be doing something right -- you'd have to be to constantly stay in the good graces of the general public. So I gave a listen to her most recent album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, and wrote up my thoughts for the Metro Times.

2009 pazz & jop

I didn't say it out loud, so you'll just have to take my word for it, but I correctly predicted that Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion would win this year's Pazz & Jop music poll. I don't love the record as much as my colleagues do, clearly, but looking back on my review of the album from almost a year ago, I see that even I could tell that it was a step up for a band I think is generally overrated but admirable in its ambitions.

As for the singles chart, I never bothered making a prediction. But I still say that "Empire State of Mind" is a great Alicia Keys chorus weighed down by a so-so Jay-Z rap. (His "On to the Next One" off the same album is a far superior single.)

And what about my ballot? You can see it here. It follows my usual pattern of being more closely aligned with the consensus on the albums side. My favorite songs tend not to be a lot of other people's favorite songs -- I suspect that may be somewhat intentional. I love songs that feel personal rather than shared. In fact, three of my singles picks didn't show up on a single other critic's ballot: an Eels tune, a dance remix of Christian Bale's Terminator Salvation on-set freak out, and (to my mind) the standout track on Neko Case's acclaimed album. I think anybody with an open mind would enjoy the hell out of all three. But it don't worry me if you disagree.

raphael saadiq - 100 yard dash

Among all the other things old-school R&B did so well, it could make you positively happy, even if the song was about despairing subject matter. Raphael Saadiq's "100 Yard Dash" is a good recent example of the old Motown template.

fringe: johari window

Yes, last night's Fringe wasn't a mythology episode -- even worse, it was yet another standalone, freak-of-the-week installment. Still, I liked it quite a lot. My recap is up at Vulture.

los angeles film critics pick films of the decade

In preparation for our annual awards banquet, which is being held this Saturday, LAFCA members voted for their films of the decade. You can see the full results, including individual ballots, here. It's been more than eight years since I saw our winner -- it may be time for a fresh viewing.

fringe: unearthed

Last night, Fringe without warning pulled out an old, never-before-aired episode and tried to pawn it off as a new one. Boo, says me, but that wasn't the only reason it was a terrible episode. My Vulture recap is here.

'amadeus: the director's cut' at the new beverly

Amadeus won a ton of Oscars in its time, and 25 years later the film still holds up quite well, thank you very much. I sing its praises in L.A. Weekly on the occasion of the New Beverly's screening of the film's director's cut.

megadeth's 'endgame' and revolver's top 20 albums of 2009

Revolver polled its writers for their picks for the best hard rock/metal albums of 2009. My No. 1 also was the consensus pick: Alice in Chains' Black Gives Way to Blue. (My review is here.) In the issue, which is on newsstands now and looks like this, I say a few words about another album that made the Top 20, Megadeth's Endgame.

mountain goats - this year

My favorite Mountain Goats album remains Tallahassee, but I know everyone else would pick The Sunset Tree. We can agree to disagree about that, but does anyone question that this is their most beloved song? Kinda appropriate for a new year, too, don't you think?

"hey, that's no way to say goodbye"

I don't know if anyone else experiences this, but sometimes when I wake up I have a random song inexplicably stuck in my head. So, I've decided to start an infrequent column about this phenomenon called The Song in My Head, in which I'll write about that song. Maybe it'll be a critique. Maybe it'll be an association I have with the song. We'll see how it goes.

Leonard Cohen's "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" was in my head this morning when I woke up. My only explanation was last night I went to my friends' comedy show called The Drinking Game, and during the event it came out that one of the game's contestants actually received a popsicle from Mr. Cohen. The guy worked in computers, and one of his clients turned out to be the singer-songwriter, and apparently Cohen was very appreciative and offered him a popsicle.

Checking my iTunes, I see I have two versions of the song -- the original studio recording and the live version from last year's Live in London. I know a lot of people adore the live album, and while I definitely enjoy it, the original version was in my head when I woke up. I've always liked the song's acknowledgment that love usually doesn't end with a bang but rather a whimper. It falls apart piece by piece, little by little, until one day you realize that something that once was so strong and so present is just ... gone. Part of what makes the song so sad is that Cohen doesn't oversell the sadness -- as always, he plays the dignified gentleman, which makes the tune all the more heartbreaking.

'leap year' review

I like Amy Adams. I like Matthew Goode. And I like director Anand Tucker's Shopgirl. So why isn't Leap Year any better than it is? I try to explain in my review here.

youth group - two sides

Their name is Youth Group. They're from Australia. They've barely made a dent on U.S. radio. But I really dig this song. As for the video, low-budget awesomeness.



Happy 2010, people.

'the lovely bones' review, plus a catch-up on other December films

December got away from me a bit, so I'm behind on publishing Consumables. My latest column rounds up my reviews of The Lovely Bones, Invictus, The Blind Side, A Single Man and The Headless Woman. And in case you missed my Avatar review, that's right here. (And my thoughts on Sherlock Holmes are here.)

my top 10 albums of 2009

Over at the Metro Times, the music staff has made their picks for the best albums of the year. You can find my list there (scroll down).

saturday night live - christmas for the jews

Incredible to believe that the same episode of Saturday Night Live that gave us "Lazy Sunday" also birthed this excellent Darlene Love-sung tune. Merry Christmas, everybody.

'iron cross' review

Actor Roy Scheider died in early 2008, but his final film, Iron Cross, is just now making its way to select theaters. I wish it was a more fitting farewell for the man. My review is up at L.A. Weekly.

the police - darkness

Fan-made video for the Police's grossly underrated "Darkness"? Hell yeah.

'sherlock holmes' review

As was done already with the Batman and James Bond franchises, the famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes has been remade on the big screen as a dark, mega-action superhero. I like Robert Downey Jr. as much as the next guy, but this Sherlock Holmes didn't work for me. My review explains why.

'the hurt locker' wins best picture from LAFCA

The member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association met today to pick the best films and performances of 2009. Here's what we came up with. And here's my review of The Hurt Locker from over the summer.

weezer - we are all on drugs

In case you hadn't heard, Rivers Cuomo hasn't had the best of weeks. But he seems to be on the mend, which is good news. To be honest, I got turned off of Weezer quite some time ago -- their music is so "ironic" sincere that it annoys me on contact. But they're good for at least one dynamite track per album. "We Are All on Drugs" springs to mind as one recent case.

avatar review

Saw Avatar last night. What did I think? My full review is here.

fringe: grey matters

Pretty darn good episode of Fringe last night. I go into the nitty-gritty details over at Vulture.

jay-z - girls, girls, girls

Happy 40th birthday, Jay-Z. I'll never forget hearing "Girls, Girls, Girls" at the House of Blues in Anaheim the night the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees to win the 2001 World Series. I was there to interview De La Soul prior to a gig they were doing there, and "Girls, Girls, Girls" came over the speakers before their set. Crowd went nuts. Great memory.

'brothers' and 'the last station' reviews

My latest Consumables column rolls up its sleeves and reviews Brothers, The Last Station, The Road, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Me and Orson Welles.

You may be wondering, "Hey, Tim, how come you didn't review Up in the Air and Everybody's Fine?" Ah, but I did! Check out my Up in the Air review from Toronto, and my Everybody's Fine write-up from AFI Fest.

fringe: snakehead

Last night's episode of Fringe was a battle between two separate emotions: awwww (Walter Bishop's struggle for independence) and ewwww (all those slithering parasitic worms). My recap of "Snakehead" is up at Vulture.

'breaking point' review

Breaking Point is a crime-thriller that stars Tom Berenger as a disgraced former assistant district attorney looking for a shot at redemption. It also has Armand Assante in it. Oh yeah, it's one of those types of movies -- it's also got Busta Rhymes as a low-life thug. My review is up at The Village Voice.