Baley

Marvin Gaye at the Oakland Coliseum.

Something called a kender; apparently, I talk too much and lie a lot - woe is me.

I've been catching up on my 2006 releases, this week, with A Prairie Home Companion, The Queen, Pan's Labyrinth - which are as good as everyone keeps blathering - and The Prestige - which is incredibly watchable - as well as OSS 117, which surprised me - as I didn't know anything about the film prior to seeing it (my friend and I were bored so what the hell we thought; it was fairly cheap) - and my expectations, looking at the poster, were low: Dujardin's pose was awkward and we weren't 100% sure it was a comedy - I know, I know: obvious! still, like, whatever; I'd recommend watching it (I read somewhere that Dujardin's going to be the next Lucky Luke; rather pumped about that, myself), it's very well executed, and you don't get that many decent satires, plus, there are some actually funny scenes: Lucien badgering Slimane to go faster, faster, on the scooter, under the blueish filter, etc. Caught The Librarian II today - formulaic drivel, of course, and Indiana did it better, still, Anwar used to look good, though that's been belittled - in recent times - by the "for her age" extension; um, Bob Newhart looks dead. My inner nerd made me watch The 4400, Heroes, and Eureka; Heroes is pretty good, and the other two do have their moments from time to time, but whatever - I watched Being There yesterday; Hal Ashby is my hero (well, no, not really, but still); I do believe the last scene is a musing on Messianic figures and their insight (or lack thereof), but I could be wrong; Sellars' nifty - I've recently seen The Mouse That Roared, and After the Fox; the first is definitely better, but you'd probably get cinema nerd points by picking a De Sica.

I Am Reborn... thank you? NOFX - The Decline.

NOFX - The Decline ... how do I change my gender settings? The first one to suggest surgery gets a stiletto up the cornhole.

Jessica Alba plays a scientist. Jessica Alba plays a scientist. Jessica Alba plays a scientist. And her entire rendition consists of wearing glasses.

Incredible.

Alison Krauss - Remind Me, Dear Lord.

Yeah - stop slurring Hungary, you horrible, horrible hate-monger.

He merely drapes extreme left-wing rhetoric in silky braggadocio... again... and again... and again. It's tiring. Plus, dude makes Jigga sound meek and gentle; he's ego spans galaxies and he's politics are so dense they go supernova*. *Yes, I know next to nothing about astronomy.

His music is basically Loose Change over really boring beats, and some elementary marxism thrown in with his "hey, I'm totally shocking Middle America" shtick.

I just use an MP3|CD player because I'm cheap. Everyone here - except Gabrielle and that asexual blubber - is laughing at you. I'm serious, it's like grade school all over again, and you've turned into little Johnny Malk-o-pee from Being John Malkovich.

Pharoahe Monch - Guns Draw; I like how there's a - retarded - 2 minute intro to a 3 minute song; at least his flow's still potent (nudge nudge, Dante Smith). Railroad Jerk - Natalie.

Jedi Mind Tricks and R.A. The Rugged Man - Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story Whenever a rapper spits political, the only acceptable reaction is a cringe, or, perhaps, a pursing of the lips; still, this works well as a narrative, and the setting helps; if anything it steers clear of all the "free Mumia", "Bush is evil", "911 was a massive consiparacy", "marxism, yee-haw!", "let's all worship Chomsky and Zinn" drivel. Screw Vinnie Paz; this is R.A.'s show, and the mother****er knows it.

Yes, and a bunch of Robins - shut up.

Hustle & Flow - I like how well Luda's career resonates with that of his character; the film's okay, mostly average, the acting's pretty good; the premise sort of - read: loosely - reminded me of that Mingus auto-bio, in fact, I'm pretty sure Terrence Howard should play him. Half Baked - I like Dave Chappelle, and I couldn't possibly dislike a film which struts both Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson. The Last Detail - Meadows: [looking at porn] Are they really doing that when they take that picture? Budduskey: [pause] Well, kid, there's more things in this life than you can possibly imagine. I knew a whore once in Wilmington. She had a glass eye. Used to take it out and wink people off for a dollar. ****in' A.

You love it - admit it.

Ralph Stanley - .

A little - but I prefer calling it "better than everyone else's". A tint of elitism and pretentiousness does a lot to a man's ego, knowwhatI'msaying.

I like Mos Def, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Nas, Solomon Burke, The Stanley Brothers, 16 Horsepower, Gun Club, the Minutemen, and the Wu.

All three of them?

Tupac.

The scene in They Live where Roddy Piper grapples Keith David - bestially! - in the hood so as to calm him down, and spout knowledge of self and the world around - easily. I know - almost 2 years; I just couldn't resist. (I haven't read the article, but I back Darque 100%.)

Children of Men - Who but a Mexican would write a movie about the perils of "illegals"? The direction is incredible, as is the cinematography, the script ain't bad, either. It's quite possibly one of the - hell, the - most atmospheric film I've ever seen. And Clive Owen is actually good. Perplexing. I still have to watch Black Book, United 93, The Wind that Shakes the Barley, A Prairie Home Companion, and The Queen, but I could probably come up with a top 5; hmm: Bubble (January 27, 2006 - according to Wikipedia; it counts) Children of Men The Host (Gwoemul) Tristram Shandy (January 20, 2006 - see above) Thank You For Smoking The Proposition would've made it, but I hear most people count it as 2005. So there.

I'm writing pretentious humbug - of course, I also try to do so playfully, and not seriously. Eeh. In reality - I'm really really bored. Obviously - and painfully so.