Musical fans discovered McGregor could sing when he appeared along side Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge!. In 2004 he and friend Charley Boorman traveled around the world on motorbikes. Documentary footage of their journey was made into a TV series called Long Way Round, then a follow-up series called Long Way Down.

Check out movies with Ewan McGregor

If you’re looking for some good music, then I have got the group for you. (Even if you’re not looking, you should still hear these guys). Two years ago the relatively unknown group Lady Antebellum hit the country music scene, selling just 40,000 copies of their self-titled debut album in their first week out. Made up of two guys and a girl (but sadly no pizza place), it took a while for the sound of Charles Kelley (brother to pop star, Josh Kelley), Hilary Scott, and Dave Haywood to catch on at radio.

Last July, however, “I Run to You” became the band’s first number one hit.  Partially because of the successes of “Run to You” and the debut single from their second album, “Need you Now,” but also because of high profile performances, like at the Grammy Awards and on Oprah, Lady A’s sophomore release sold almost 500,000 copies its first week out in January.  It’s since done about 200,000 more, meaning the album is certified gold.  In this depressing age of decreasing sales, those numbers are huge.  What a difference a coupla years makes.

Need You Now is more mature, with a little more depth to their material than the first album. “For this record,” Charles said, “We wrote a lot…but we [also] went and found a couple of really strong songs that we didn’t write, and I’m just as proud of those as I am of the ones we wrote. And again, we’re storytellers and not everything has to be a personal experience, but something you can relate to.”

I bet most of you have heard “Need You Now” or “American Honey” the latest single. If you want to listen to a couple of Lady A’s musical offerings, you can check out March’s Popmatic Podcast.

Before I leave you, I want to give a shout out to Michael Rojas, keyboard player extraordinaire for both Lady A albums.  I met Michael when I first moved to town to intern at Sony, and he was always one of my favorite session players.  In listening to the songs, I was loving what I was hearing – enough that I pulled out the booklet to see who it was. I should have known.  So congrats to Michael for some awesome finger work. Rock on, my friend. And rock on, Lady A.

Check out books on Lost Treasure

- Ben

Check out Academy Awards Best Picture Nominees 1931 – 1940

- Crystal

Lance: the making of the world’s greatest champion

by John Wilcockson

This is a very solid biography from a writer who certainly knows cycling at its highest levels and who did an excellent job combining interviews and insights from friends, racers and others back to Lance’s earliest years into a compelling read.
The portrait is built of a brash, determined, competitive child of a single mother who continued to excel at an early age as a triathalete then as a successful cyclist – one who won the World Championship road race at age 21 in Norway in 1993.
We learn of the trials of being a world class cyclist; the mentors, the camaraderie, the team strategies and dynamics, the demands and realities of competing in Europe at the brutal one day classics and at other important stage races.
Around the middle of the book the seriousness of his cancer discovery hits like a ton of bricks and is yet another mountain for Lance to climb. His winning the first of seven Tour de France titles in 1999 is expertly recounted, as well are the subsequent title defenses, complete with descriptions of the key competitors like wily Italian climber Claudio Chiappucci and the ever tenacious German multi-time runner up Jan Ulrich.
Going right up through his split with Sheryl Crow and training for his comeback attempt in 2009, this may be as close to a complete, tell-all, interesting and relatively unbiased view we’ll ever get of a remarkable  athlete, cancer survivor and the all time winningest Tour de France champion.
As an avid cycling fan I still learned quite a bit about Armstrong, good and bad and this biography enhanced my appreciation for his remarkable achievements (in the face of some very dire odds).  The uncommon early photographs are really great too.  Lance at 4 with his two cats – Tommie and Tootsie – you’ve got to love it!

Man In the High Castle
By Philip K Dick

Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?)
By Philip K. Dick

With the success of his recent novel Chronic City Jonathan Lethem seems everywhere these days. A huge influence on Lethem was novelist Philip K. Dick. Lethem edited Library of America’s  Dick reissues which became the best selling titles in the popular imprint .  It is a good time to find out what the fuss is all about and check out where Lethem got a lot of his inspiration. I want to talk about audio versions of two of Philip K. Dick’s most well known novels Man in the High Castle and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. The latter being the basis for the film Blade Runner.

Man in the High Castle is set in a speculative future where the Axis powers have won World War II and the USA has been divvied up by her enemies. Japan occupies the West coast and Germany occupies the East. Set within the occupied Pacific states, the novel presents a cross section of the post war population: a high level Japanese bureaucrat with a taste for American antiques;  an antique dealer who tries hard to please his Japanese rulers; a working class counterfeiter of said antiques; and the counterfeiter’s ex-wife who lives off the grid in the small  rocky mountains towns. Through hints from a metafictional novel within the novel and use the Chinese I Ching oracle all the characters have slow revelations about not only the veracity of the antiques, but reality itself. By the end some characters can’t deny there must be another world where the Allies have won the war. It’s a complex book that will have you thinking until your brain sprouts new wrinkles.

It is also a short book and Dick packs far too much conceptual content inside such a meager page count (or disc count as the case may be). I’ve only listed about half the characters and ignored a number of subplots. None of the characters are really developed fully, and subtle philosophically ideas fly at you like tennis balls shot from a machine. It’s hard to keep up.

If ever there was a book that did not lend itself to audio version said book is Man in the High Castle. The reader Tom Weiner does his best, but really the material he has to work with is raw. Especially awkward is his rendition of Robert Childan, the conflicted antique dealer, who is constantly second guessing the social implications of his every action in the stilted phrasing of someone thinking to himself in a second language. Credit to Weiner to for capturing Childan’s false consciousness though.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a seemingly more straight forward affair. Weary, working class bounty hunter Rick Deckard must “retire” six Nexus One androids. He must do this because his electric sheep has ceased to function. He needs a load of cash to buy a real life animal to cure his wife’s depression and restore their place in the social hierarchy of their run down apartment complex. What we get is a hardboiled detective story that also causes us to question the role of television and religion in our lives, not to mention what we are willing to sacrifice or deny to remain happy, to ensure those we love remain happy.

What makes a good spouse? What makes a good lover? Deckard himself might be an android. God might be an android. If yourself and God and the lead character in the book you’re reading all androids what’s the difference between an android and a human?  What separates us from animals? What separates us from God? What separates us from… each other. This is a profound novel. It contains the best pitch for owning a pet goat I’ve ever heard.

Despite that characterization the plot is straight forward. Deckard goes after his androids one by one. Its a harrowing adventure that makes him question himself in very literal ways. The reader is forced to ask themselves the same questions. Having a single narrator lets us identify with Deckard more and it lets Dick flesh out the character far more than any of the cast of Man in High Castle. There is a moment in most Dick novels when reality falls apart. By making Deckard so real (forgive the pun), when this moment hits it is all the more effective. Similar moments in High Castle fall flat.

The book’s emotional resonance is helped by a tremendous reading by Scott Brick. Brick is kind  of the Matt Damon of American audiobook readers. He nails the haggard, arguably misguided, Deckard perfectly.  Brick’s Deckard is far more fragile than the Marlboro man portrayed by Harrison Ford in Ridley Scott’s film. Also spot on is Brick’s interpretation of the “special” J.R. Isidore, a man so lonely he’ll let himself he used by heartless robots just for a wee bit of friendship, or something like friendship. Brick  has narrated hundreds of novels and when asked what his favorite was he responded Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.

It is strange a book as disjointed and uneven as Man in the High Castle won the Hugo Award in 1963. Even then an alternative history novel in which Nazis win WWII was old hat. It was Dick’s epistemological acid hit that blew readers minds. Written four years later, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a far better read. I often wondered if Do Androids Dream was so popular because of its association with Blade Runner. Now I know it is one of Philip K. Dick’s best books. I highly recommend it in print form and CD read by Scott Brick. Man is High Castle is intellectually stimulating enough to check out, but I only recommend the CD version owned by the library to hardcore Dick fans.

- Bryan

[Editor's note: since the release of the film Blade Runner most editions of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? have been published using both titles printer on the cover, as does the version reviewed by Bryan. Searching the library catalog for either Blade Runner or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? will retrieve the audio book.]

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to tackle my ever-increasing to-be-read list.  You know, that mountainous pile of books you check out, but never seem to get to before they have to go back to the library? So far I’ve been making decent progress and one of the books on my lengthy list was Curtis Sittenfeld’s third novel, American Wife.  I’ve wanted to read this one since it came out, way back in September of 2008.

The book is supposedly inspired by the life of former First Lady, Laura Bush.  But if I hadn’t known that fact going in, I probably wouldn’t have picked up on it.  The plot follows the life of Alice Lindgren (aka Mrs. Bush) as she grows up and meets blueblooded party guy Charlie Blackwell. Instead of Texas, we’ve moved north to the great state of Wisconsin – where cheese is cheese.

 It really is true what they say – the third time’s a charm because this is the third novel from Sittenfeld, and it’s my favorite. I couldn’t really get into her first release, Prep, and while I loved the first half of her second novel, The Man of My Dreams, I hated the back half. American Wife was good all the way through. I did have a couple spots in the middle where I started getting nervous – but that should be true for any good novel.  Some of the events were a little shocking, but I’ll leave those as mysterious teasers.  It would be interesting to know how many of the events mentioned really occurred and how many Sittenfeld created.

 I always have moments with this author where I feel like she’s in my head, and I’m sitting there thinking “I just had that same thought.”  I guess that means that I readily identify with her characters.  Sittenfeld graduated from the famed Iowa Writer’s Workshop, and I would classify her work as chick lit with a brain.  It’s not so much Joanie loves Chachi, as Joan magnanimously adores Charles. (If you’d like to hear more about the Iowa Writer’s Workshop or Curtis Sitenfeld, tune into this Popmatic Podcast.)

 Okay, so that’s one less book I have to find time to read in 2010.  Only 1,763, no 64, to go.  That doable, right? Right?

- Amanda

Top Ten Reasons to Revisit The West Wing

In honor of President’s Day, I thought we should take a moment and honor one of the best fictional shows about our government. So here now, my Top Ten Reasons to Revisit The West Wing.

10. The library has seven seasons and many of these discs are ready and waiting for you to check them out today!
9. Lisa Cuddy was a call-girl extraodinaire who dated Sam before moving to Princeton Plainsboro to corral Dr. House.
8. Toby and Sam and Will, oh my!
7. Agent Gibbs (pre-NCIS) shows up in season 2 as a Secret Service agent for CJ.
6. White House tours are free!!!  Oh wait, that’s the real West Wing…  
5. Dear Danny Concannon – congrats on the Pulitzer.  Good to see you grew out of that nerdy phase.
4. For seven seasons, Martin Sheen really thought he was president and I was ok with that.
3. Allison Janney and her 4 Emmy’s.  We love you, CJ, oh yes we do.  We love you, CJ, and will be true…ummm, sorry.  Little Bye Bye Birdie for you.  Sometimes it happens, what can I say?
2. Josh and Donna – will they, won’t they, will they, won’t they…wouldn’t you? 
Annnnnd…a drum roll please……..
1. This is some of the best writing for television, bar none.  Thanks Aaron Sorkin!

Pushing Daisies
Series created by Bryan Fuller

The 2000 – 2010 decade in American Network Television was full of crime scene investigations, court dramas, and way too much reality TV.  There were a handful of shows who dared to eschew those tired formulas.  Pushing Daisies was one of those shows.  Alas, it was canceled after just two short seasons, but you can treasure every episode on DVD.

Created by Bryan Fuller (who first cut his writing teeth on Star Trek Voyager), Pushing Daisies is a charming fantastical mystery series with timeless appeal.  Watch this show with your kids or your grandparents and everyone will find entertainment value.   The cast is amazing, especially the lovely and talented Kristen Chenoweth, who often steals the show!  The writing is clever, and full of biting wit.  Perhaps best of all, the show is narrated by Jim Dale, voice of the Harry Potter audio books.  The story behind the show is this: owner of the Pie Hole dessert restaurant Ned possesses the unique talent of being able to bring the dead back to life merely by touching them. However, the person or other living thing may remain alive only for one minute, or someone else dies in their place. A second touch will render the person dead again, unable to be revived. Through his connections with private investigator Emerson Cod, Ned revives his childhood sweetheart Charlotte (nicknamed “Chuck”) who was strangled while on a vacation cruise.  Now that Chuck is alive again, Ned must never touch her, or she will be gone forever.  Emerson, Ned, and Chuck, aided by Pie-Hole waitress Olive Snook, solve a quirky and unique murder mystery during each episode, by briefly bringing back to life the murder victim to ask for clues.     As the series progresses, the characters own pasts are slowly revealed, adding more layers to the intrigue and drama.  So grab a slice of your favorite pie (Pecan or Derby pie for me!) and enter the world of Pushing Daisies.

Lost City Of Z A Tale Of Deadly Obsession In The Amazon
By David Grann

I’m drawn to books like this – Shackleton’s Endurance, quests to find Hillary Scott’s remains on Mt. Everest, attempts to explain Amelia Earhart’s disappearance – which have a particular blend of mystery, time travel and research I find enjoyable and often compelling.
This one centers around acclaimed New Yorker writer David Grann doing his utmost best to find original sources that will let him retrace the route into the Amazon that British explorer Percy Harrison Fawcett took in his quest to find El Dorado or the city of “Z” as he called it.   Fawcett himself, along with his son Jack and Raleigh Rimell vanished in 1925 while searching for this lost city know for its signs of beauty, culture and advancement.
What is really very impressive is the extent of  effort made by Mr. Grann in creating this book.  He not only seemingly interviews every remaining relative or associate of PHF,  including getting original sources and diaries by visiting Fawcett’s granddaughter Joan in Wales, tracking down journals from his WWI Military unit, traveling to the offices of the Royal Geographic Society in London and to a map archive in Sao Paulo, Brazil – he ultimately goes into the Amazon region himself to check things out!

This immediately amps up the action after he starts out a little like Bill Bryson preparing for his Appalachian Trail attempt. Grann is totally immersed in finding the truth some 80 years later and his expedition experience is complete with deadly insects, piranhas (and other worse jungle menaces!),  still hostile Indian tribes and difficult terrain. His descriptions pull no punches as you feel him becoming more deeply obsessed with this research mission.

It should be noted that the author is an excellent storyteller and makes great use of many historical documents in presenting this fascinating biographical mystery adventure.
Deserving of its place on many best of the year lists – the bibliography alone is a treasure trove of historic resources related to all manner of archaeology and exploration, early British explorers, nomads, Indian tribes, early discoveries and more. He references sources from Fawcett’s prolific writer son Brian (Exploration Fawcett 1953) up through the very recent book 1491.
Well done!

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

The story starts out in the 1960’s in La Luna, LA where we meet the Ponder family.  Calla Lily’s mother, or M’Dear as she called her, runs a beauty salon on the side porch of their house, where she dispenses love, wisdom, and healing.  Calla decides at a very young age that she wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps. 

Calla is no stranger to heartache, but somehow she always manages to get through it, with the help of her family, friends, and the always present Moon Lady.  As she grows, she moves to New Orleans to go to beauty school (because who didn’t want to be a hairdresser in the Big Easy in the 70’s?), always planning to return home to her beloved La Luna.

I’m not really sure what I expected when I started this book.  I read The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood when it came out, and while I liked it, I didn’t think it was all that great.  I see reflections of the ya-yas in this one, but the story ends up being so much more complete. Without getting too spoilery on you, I thought the ending was going to take a more predictable path, and I was relieved when it veered away right at the end. 

Wells weaves a lush web full of relatable and lovable characters into an almost mythical setting, complete with fairy godmother in the Moon Lady who watches over Calla from above.  Life’s not always easy, but as Calla’s M’Dear used to say, “You can get through anything as long as you keep breathing.”  Just make sure you bring along some Kleenex.

- Amanda

The celebration was expanded to a month in 1976, the nation’s bicentennial.

We asked library staff members: “If you could choose only one title to read/listen to/watch during February to mark African American History Month, what would it be?”

The results are in, and we are happy to share. The list includes all genres, formats, and age groups–all are available to check out from the library. See all of our book and movie picks for African American History Month.

And don’t forget to take a look at our extensive list of events – there’s something for everyone.

Check out movies with Jeremy Irons

Check out videos about the Olympic Games.

Longest Series – local author, Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunters at 30 books/stories. Honorable mention to Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake books at 22 and Christine Feehan’s Dark series at 20.  For those REALLY long car trips, I’d suggest starting one of these.

Best Sidekick – Bob from Harry Dresden – he’s a talking skull who knows everything about everything.  Seriously, what else do you need and where can I get one?

Most Cliffhangery (This category is so frustrating that I had to invent a word for it) – Fever series from Karen Marie Moning.  You’ll scream. You’ll cry.  You’ll throw your book across the room (unless it’s a library book, then you’ll gently set it on the nearest table, lovingly brushing off any crumbs or lint, before you turn and punch the wall). Be warned – this one’s got at least one more book to go, and it’s not supposed to come out until December ’10.  Oh the humanity!

Wizard with the Biggest Hero Complex – Tie: Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden and John Pritkin from Cassie Palmer by Karen Chance. Harry’s never met a spell he wouldn’t try in the name of saving the world.  Pritkin would have had something quippy to say, but he’s already saved the world four times since we asked him for a quote.

Best Living Arrangements – The church in which Rachel and Ivy reside in Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series.  A witch and a vampire living in a decommissioned church – you’d think it would be more peaceful.  Honorable Mention to Jean-Claude’s underground lair in Anita Blake and the Black Dagger Brotherhood compound care of the Warden.

Craziest Relatives – Tie: “Grandpa” Eddie from Julie Kenner’s Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom series and Niall, Sookie’s fairy great-grandfather, from Charlaine Harris’s True Blood-inspiring series.  One’s not related, one’s not human, but there’s still so much to love.

The Dr. Evil Award for Excellence in Villainy (I haven’t talked to Dr. Evil about this personally, but I’m sure he’d agree that these bad guys are worthy of being compared to someone who went to evil medical school) – Lilith from LA Banks’s Vampire Huntress series.  I mean, come on, she’s married to the devil – that’s evil. Honorable mention to Lash and the creepy baby-powder scented Lessers from J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood.

And there you have it.  The PNRUFy Class of 2010.  I was really hoping to see some Weather Wardens or Werecats in the lineup, but I guess there’s always next year. Agree or disagree with the winners – but either way, these books are all pretty good reading.  Happy PNRUFy-ing!

- Amanda

Listed here are others, including the best, Marlon Brando, who have taken a turn at playing the brooding male lead. Unfortunately, the 1939 version of Wuthering Heights with Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff (the ultimate brooding character!) is out of print at this time.

Check out more movies with Dark, Brooding Characters.

- Crystal

There Will Be Blood

Wow! This 2007 movie lives up to its accolades as an American epic, with Daniel Day-Lewis earning an Academy Award for best actor for his mesmerizing portrayal of oil prospector/land speculator/entrepreneur Daniel Plainview. Set in the dust bowl areas of California between 1898 and 1927, Day-Lewis is riveting as a swindling, greedy boss out for land in his quest for his ever-expanding oil drilling operations.

I was sometimes reminded of a few other favorite films, including Paper Moon, No Country for Old Men (in the ironic, elliptical discussions between Plainview and devoutly religious Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), whose main concern is always The Church (he is also a healer and has some hilarious early scenes) and Dead Man (especially in the belching, clacking soundtrack, composed by Johhny Greenwood of Radiohead).

This movie is full of great acting, surrealistic scenes and dark humor. Plainview negotiating with the Standard Oil executives is one such scene. Some of his memorable lines include “I really don’t like people” and “I like all religions…” (the latter as he tries to assuage the townspeople early on that he is sincere in his plans).

The cinematography is often stunning (Academy Award winning, in fact. Comparisons to Citizen Kane are not out of place.)  as in the scenes involving building the oil drilling apparatus against the western skies. This is quite a long film and the tension and turmoil builds throughout as Daniel becomes embroiled in conflicts as the ultimate capitalist, obsessed beyond his wits against the determined preacher. Like in HBO’s late great Carnivale series, this central battle at times reaches crazy, epic, disturbing proportions.

A film based on Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel “Oil”, this one is not to be missed!

Who would have ever thought that a book about microeconomics would be so interesting?  Especially the second time around?  After really enjoying Freakonomics, the first book from this talented writing team of dueling Steves, I wanted to see what new and seemingly incomparable comparisons they made.  Here are some intriguing facts I learned:

1) The spread of television through rural India vastly improved the lives of women by decreasing the amount of domestic abuse they were forced to endure.  Whether this was because the women saw strong, positive role models and tried to emulate them, or their husbands were just too busy watching soccer to torture their wives, was indeterminable.

2) If a computer screen does not load in 1 sec., most people will lose their train of thought.  If it takes up to 10 secs., most people will have already started thinking about something else entirely.  Think about that the next time you are at a hospital as a patient waiting for a diagnosis and the network slows down…

3)  There is a group of scientists just outside of Seattle who have potentially figured out how to stop global warming.  If you want to know how, you have to read the book, but I’ve long held the opinion that if we put chemicals in the air that made it warmer, why couldn’t we put chemicals in the air that negated the original chemicals we had already dispersed? That’s basically their idea in a nut shell, and it’s actually a very interesting concept.

This book is full of thought-inducing ideas, and I think Round 2 was just as good, if not better than Round 1.  Thanks Steves!

- Amanda

Ok, I need a hand count.  How many of you love Laurell K. Hamilton?  Alrighty, now how many of you hate her? Yep, that’s what I thought.  You’re either one or the other.  I happen to fall on the love her side of things.  LKH doesn’t write Great American Novels, but that’s partially why I like both her Anita Blake and Merry Gentry series so much.  They are pure entertainment.

Divine Misdemeanors is the latest Merry release.  **Spoiler Alert** With all the pseudo-climatic events of the previous book, Swallowing Darkness, I was surprised (pleasantly so) to find out that this one was even coming out. I was afraid that the series was ending.  DM’s dedication indicated that LKH had a hard time with the book, and it kind of showed. I’m sure it was difficult to find a new story path after tying up some of the previous threads so neatly.

Merry and the guys exiled themselves back to LA.  The Princess, Rhys, and Galen have gone to work for Merry’s old detective agency.  Doyle, Frost, Kitto, and several others, including former guards of Prince Cel,  set up house in Maeve Reed’s estate while she is in Europe.  In working with the police, Merry learns that someone is killing demi-fey, and she has to figure out how to stop it.

If you are fans of Darkness and Frost, this is not going to be your favorite installment.  The guys are there, but they are all work and no play.  Rhys and Sholto stepped up, though, and **Seriously, if you want to be surprised, stop reading!** it was nice to see Rhys get his own sithen (although, it’s an old apartment building? Gee, thanks Faery. You shouldn’t have…no really…). That should give LKH some material to work with to build some new story lines. Overall, though, DM kind of felt like a filler book. I hope LKH can find her way forward from here, because I really want to see what happens when the babies are born. Keeping my fingers crossed…

- Amanda

Got Cabin Fever? Check out an Epic Movie.

- Crystal

Whole Lotta Zeppelin: The Illustrated History of the Heaviest Band of All Time

This book is truly great.  For anyone interested in a band that really made its own rules while creating some timeless and never equaled rock music, this large book will satisfy you on many levels.

This is a comprehensive, lavishly illustrated history with all the bases covered; tour diaries and dates, memorabilia shots, complete reviews of their recordings by various writers, interviews, timelines, recollections and fascinating stories. The band members certainly have their say through various excerpted interviews as well.

The picture of Jimmy Page ordering at a Howard Johnson’s restaurant circa ‘68 is priceless alone, but this book also filled in many gaps in my Zep knowledge, including manager Peter Grant’s involvement in many incidents, the source of their early bluesy material, and how their music continued to evolve up through 1980.  It also includes a close look at their film The Song Remains the Same and covers their 2007 London reunion performance with Jason Bonham on drums as well as an extensive discography.

I can remember when an older brother put headphones on me around 1973 and boggled my mind with the solo from “Heartbreaker” when I was about 10 years old.  While we can’t go back in time this book will take you through the years with many excellent guest writers and critics, sound engineers and fellow musicians who share personal recollections. Like the band and their career, an enthralling tour de force!

There’s still time to create your list of top ten movies released in 2009.  Did you catch all the best of 2008?

Check out the films that at the top of last year’s “best of” lists.

- Crystal

I am not originally from Nashville, so I didn’t grow up learning about the history of this place I’ve chosen to call home.  What I am, however, is a Civil War buff.  (I’m also a Yankee, but you won’t hold that against me, right?)

I came across Durham’s book one day in the stacks and thought it would be interesting.  Most of the Civil War knowledge I’ve acquired has been about the Deep South, or places like Savannah or Richmond.  I don’t know much about the Western Theater.  Or should I say, I didn’t know much until I read Durham’s book. For instance, I did not realize that Nashville was considered the second most important Confederate city (after New Orleans) in terms of shipping and supplies, and yet the Confederates did nothing to protect it.  No breastworks, no new fortifications, no ditches, nothing.  It was also the closest capital city to the North, which made the lack of protection a little more puzzling.

I also found it interesting that the term “Old Glory” originated here. A retired sea captain gave the Union officers the old American flag that he’d flown from his ship so they’d have one to raise above the capital building. 

Make sure you read the author’s introduction, because there is a nice shout out to our very own Nashville Room and the great staff that works there.

Now I’m caught up to 1863, but even I knew that most of the fun happened after that.  It looks like I’ll have to read Durham’s sequel, Reluctant Partners, so I can see how things turn out…

- Amanda

 In 2003, Miranda Lambert came in a disappointing third place on the first season of the now defunct Nashville Star.  Seven years later, Lambert has released her third CD, Revolution, and her career is hotter than ever.  She is the most successful musician of any that were on Nashville Star.

On Revolution, Lambert shows her softer side with songs like my favorite, “Dead Flowers,” and “The House that Built Me.”  Miranda performed a one night show at The Ryman in September ‘09 to celebrate the release of this album, and when she played “The House that Built Me” with her parents in the audience, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place (including mine, and I’m not a crier.)

Ran doesn’t shy away from her rowdy side, though, rocking the house with songs like “Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go” or the big single “White Liar.”  You can hear a short clip of “Dead Flowers” by listening to our Popmatic Podcast. Revolution was definately one of my favorite albums of 2009.

- Amanda

No one in the world can break your heart as beautifully as Ricky Bragg. This slim volume by the author of All Over But the Shoutin’ and Ava’s Man tells the story of the men and women who worked in and lived their lives around the textile mill in Jacksonville, Alabama until its permanent closure in 2001. It is the story of hardscrabble lives. It is the story of the meanest of mill owners, of cotton lint and brownlung, of shocking industrial accidents. But it’s also the story of the proud, hardworking generations of folk who never shirked, and did what had to be done to feed their children.

Bragg is the master of powerful, understated description. The first page of chapter one is so perfectly written that I had to read it aloud to a friend. He is also the master of speaking in a southern voice so natural that it catches you by surprise when you realize you’re hearing it: he was bad to drink then, or: he got red in his face. Never gratuitous, perfectly timed.

The mill in Jacksonville ultimately went the way of much American manufacturing: the jobs moved out of the country to workers willing to do them for 33 cents an hour. And make no mistake about it: despite hardship and tragedy, the mill was a life and a history for generations of workers and their families, its loss devastating to them.

Rick Bragg asked a friend of his if he thought anyone would read the book, filled as it is with sadness. His friend replied, “Well, it ain’t a damn barn dance, is it? It’s an American tragedy.” — Pam

Home was only the third novel by Marilyn Robinson in thirty years. It was definitely worth the wait. Home chronicles the return of prodigal son Jack Boughton to the family farm in Gilead, Iowa. His aged father Robert, and Glory, Jack’s baby sister, now middle aged, anxiously await Jack’s return after twenty years of non-communication. Glory, a former school teacher, who by chance or unconscious design has slowly crashed back to Gilead to care for her fading father. That father, the Reverend Robert Boughton, spiritual lighthouse to the town of Gilead for much of his life, is now a wisp of his former self. He clings to life in the small hope he will once again meet  his estranged son. The Lord giveth; Jack returns.

Polite but unrepentant of his past transgressions, Jack torments his father by simply being himself, the black sheep of the family, also a drunk, and maybe a coward. Glory accepts Jack wholeheartedly, hardened liver and all, while the Reverend Boughton becomes tortured by his life’s one failure: his anti-social communist sympathizing son.

In case you are thinking you’ve heard this one before, you’ve never heard it by a writer as talented as Marilynne Robinson. In her hands the sleepy Boughton household becomes a boiler engine of psycho-spiritual pressure. The tension between father and son permeates the house like sunlight. Fate, sin, free will, and the capital “eff” Fall, are all weapons in the psychic warfare. Robinson illuminates both the positive and the negative nature of piety with clear effortless prose. If you are afraid this is just a book about a bunch of churchies in need of a little grease, all the characters have secrets and there is a surprise ending. The reader, and author, always know that rural Iowa in the late 50s is a serious bubble, outside of which are horrors that don’t permit the luxury of theological angst.

Literati may recognize the Boughtons and the town the Gilead as it gave the title to Robinson’s previous novel which earned her a Pulitzer Prize. Gilead and Home are companion pieces that take place in the same town at the same time but inside different households. I can’t recommend both novels strongly enough. On a personal note, Home is the last book I will get to read with the 2nd Wednesday Book Club, a reading group I’ve led here at the library for the past two years. To all my book club members, I thank you, and apologize for all the pretentious literary crap I’ve convinced  you to read. Though it is sad to have to move on, I am happy the last book we read together was one as powerful and meaningful to me as Home.

- Bryan

Sugar

This heartfelt film by the writers of Half Nelson realistically follows the life of a minor league baseball player from the Dominican Republic. With a stunning lead performance and an unexpected resolution, this is not your average sports movie.

Bright Star

The butterfly scene alone makes this lovely film about the doomed love of poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne worth your time.

Moon

A Science Fiction movie for people who don’t like Science Fiction movies, this is more art house than action film.

- Beth

Throw Down your Heart: tales from the acoustic planet Vol. 3 Africa sessions
by Bela Fleck

Anyone who saw the engrossing documentary on PBS some months ago or packed into the Belcourt Theatre one hot Sunday evening for a one time showing (with a special appearance by Bela) of Throw Down your Heart knows what this is all about.

This is the soundtrack that resulted from the ambitious trip made by Bela Fleck to several African countries in early 2005 to, essentially, “bring the banjo home” and jam with many outstanding musicians and groups in places like Uganda, Tanzania, Madagascar and Mali.

I’ve always enjoyed the purity and spirit of various African musical styles, and my Hi life compilations and King Sunny Ade juju recordings prepared me somewhat, but this is some really far-reaching, varied and impressive music! Eighteen tracks, many featuring serious polyrhythms, djembe drums, various stringed instruments along with possibly the thumb piano or even a giant wooden miramba comprise this soundtrack.  Vocalists can be anyone from Oumou Sangare to a group of villagers.

Some of my favorites are the funky, bass heavy D’Gary Jam and the sublime title track which features raga like drones, ngoni (the banjo of Mali) runs and Bela’s intricate  picking.  What a tour de force!  Zawose features some amazing gogo singing styles by an entire family that may sound jarring at first but is really unique. The song Mariam features phenomenally fast African guitarist Djrlimady Tounkara in a duet of sorts with Bela. Wow!

Overall, the first several tracks drew me in with really interesting and varied vocal stylings  then after the title track I was thoroughly mesmerized by tracks 10 through till the end.  In short, this is more about the fantastic musicians of Africa and their instruments; Bela Fleck often fades into the background and lets them shine.

A wonderful project; great documentary and superb soundtrack!

Phil

If you don’t enjoy the British or American version of  mockumentary sitcom The Office, read no further.  Stop reading! I’m not talking to you! If you are a fan of one or both versions of The Office, you should definitely check out the BBC sitcom The IT Crowd.

Computer nerds and social outcasts Roy and Moss work for Denholm Industries, as the IT department. They work from the basement (why are most IT departments located in the basement?), and their office consists of the stereotypical décor one might expect from computer nerds – collectibles, action figures, books, computer parts, and unhealthy snack foods. Roy’s stock answer when the phone rings is “Hello, IT, have you tried turning it off and on again?” Roy’s and Moss’s comfortable work life is turned upside down when an attractive woman is hired to run the department. Roy and Moss quickly find out new boss Jen knows absolutely nothing about computers!

The actors who make up the IT Crowd have great comedic chemistry, and company president Denholm is disturbingly hilarious. Why are workplace comedies like this so funny? If you’ve ever worked in a corporate setting, or office of any kind, you can identify with the characters and situations they find themselves in. Misery loves company, as the saying goes. Or at the very least misery loves a good satire now and again.

- Crystal

1491

Ancient histories rarely read like detective stories, but Charles Mann is travelling the globe investigating the origins of the Americas.  In 1491, Mann hunts down the latest discoveries about the cultures of the western continents before Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492.

Mann looks at several early civilizations in North, Central, and South America. He synthesizes many recent, but little-known studies from a range of scientific and historical experts.  He challenges that the Americas were home to cultures more advanced than had been previously been known. With this in mind, he also debates their possible beliefs and attitudes toward land, slavery, and governance.

1491 shows how much of what we know today of our continents’ history is highly debatable. There is a faction that holds the Amazon Basin supported vast, thriving civilizations up until the fifteenth century. Others still maintain that this would have been impossible given the unforgiving climate and jungle landscape.

While discussing the new findings, he also tracks how the most common myths were accepted. Though many of the anecdotes in this work are speculative, even the little-known facts of these civilizations are presented in a satisfying tale. His coverage of the Indians who occupied New England and the Mississippi River is fascinating. The work creates a very different, more provoking, study than the grammar school text books provide.

- Kyle

Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It

This collection is showing up on a lot of Best of 2009 lists, and with good reason: the stories are intense and stunning.

Going Away Shoes
By Jill McCorkle

The birds John Yow profiles are probably familiar to everyone: crows, bluejays, belted kingfishers, wrens, robins and the rest of the backyard bird clan. Neither identification nor feeding guide, the book is a wondrous rundown of each bird’s habits and behavior. More studious observers than I likely know these things, but I found myself reading aloud to anyone who would listen and reciting bird lore to friends at parties. Seriously, did you know that cedar waxwings will stuff themselves full of berries until they fall on the ground? They also play at passing a berry back and forth, or up and down a line of their little friends, and repeat the pass until someone gets bored and swallows the berry. I saw this game for myself recently when the waxwings made their fall pilgrimage to my privet and honeysuckle hedge. Here’s some other cool stuff from the book: belted kingfishers dig 6-foot tunnels in riverbanks and nest in their caves; crows can talk if they want to, and for sure they put walnuts in the street and wait for cars to run over them; hummingbirds steal spiderwebs and use them as a wrapping to reinforce their nests. I have a whole new respect for my winged pals now.

One last thing about waxwings: one fall I found one on the sidewalk outside the Belle Meade Starbucks, alive but wonky and unable to fly. I assumed it had hit the window and stunned itself. I couldn’t bear the thought of the little guy wandering strange in the parking lot, so I begged a box and took it home to my yard, where it spent the night in its cardboard motel room and then went its merry way the next morning. Now I’m thinking the little guy had been on a berry bender and was looking for his after-dinner coffee.
– Pam

I openly admit loving all of the Dan Brown books. There, I said it. Well, maybe Deception Point was a little weak; being saved after skidding at high speed across an iceberg is soooo much more unlikely than falling from an exploding helicopter and landing unscathed on a roof, right? But I digress. The Lost Symbol has the baddest baddie of all time. He is creepy; he is relentless; he is tattooed over every inch of his body except a little blank circle on the top of his head. The Lost Symbol has, of course, the Masons. They fare very well in this novel, and it’s a lot of fun learning about their symbols and how prominently they (the symbols) figure in the architecture of Washington, D.C. And The Lost Symbol has noetic science (using scientific methods to explore consciousness/soul and its effects on the physical world), adding just the right amount of spooky-dooky to the mix. Formulaic? You bet. (The folks at Slate have created a very amusing Dan Brown sequel plot generator. Check it out.) Page-turner? Yesiree. Worth reading? Absolutely. Go on and read it–you know you want to!
- Pam

Inspired by the fine movie starring Hillary Swank as Amelia, and my general lack of knowledge about America’s most famous missing person’s last flight, I decided to read a few books on the topic.  This one stood out as the best of the three I read.

Her last flight, with somewhat dubious navigator Fred Noonan (I always thought it was a solo flight) went wrong somewhere over the Central Pacific after they left  New Guinea on July 2nd, 1937 with the intention of landing on a recently built runway on tiny Howland Island.

This book is a comprehensive, detail-packed account of the last few legs of the flight and is particularly strong in presenting information about the communication transmissions, the attempts at rescue by the Coast Guard and Naval ships and possibilities about what may have happened to lead to this disappearance, without much trace.

Mr. Gillespie, an internationally recognized expert on the Earhart disappearance, debunks some myths and speculations with numerous factual references in a very readable and compelling style. He definitely makes you feel the urgency of husband George Putnam’s many communications in trying to expand and extend the fruitless searches.

I was also really intrigued with the included DVD which contains numerous diagrams of search patterns, radio transmission logs, telegrams, Naval and Coast Guard documents and most fascinating, “Betty’s Notebook.”  This is a scan of what 16 year old Betty Klenck is to have jotted down while listening to a shortwave radio broadcast in early July 1937 in St. Petersburg, Florida (her father rigged a super strong antenna in their yard).  It presents fragments of what appears to be a distressed Earhart and Noonan communicating in their crashed plane, exact location unknown.

A very well done book on one of America’s most enduring mysteries.

- Phil

As our nation emerges from years of isolation from Iran and attempts to engage a nation whose actions are frightening, this autobiographical graphic novel serves as an excellent primer on the history of Iran’s theocracy. For readers not tuned into graphic novels, don’t be deceived by the comic book format. Satrapi, born in 1969, is a child of the revolution but also the child of progressive, well educated parents who are at first elated by the overthrow of the Shah. They are quickly disillusioned when the Islamic regime evolves into the same sort of totalitarianism and fear suffered under the Shah. Marjane’s story continues in Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return.

- Phyllis

Written by a New York Times reporter living in London and married to an Englishman, this is a delightful choice. With wit and humor Lyall explains the intricacies of British culture. She describes the elaborate game of cricket, so popular in Britain and its former colonies but a complete mystery to most Americans. Another chapter is devoted to the heckling that goes on in the House of Commons during prime minister’s questions as well as the blatant sexism in parliament that is shocking to Americans. Lyall also examines the differences between the generation of Brits who came of age during WW II, the queen’s generation, and the post war generation of Princess Diana. For anyone interested in our cousins across the pond this is a jolly good read.

- Phyllis

What a harrowing story. What a brave woman. Born into the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints, Carolyn became the fourth wife of Meril Jessop when she was 18. This was not one big happy family. Jessop was abusive and controlling. The wives were jealous and cruel to one another and each others children. Carolyn gave birth to 8 children with no prenatal care and received no financial, physical or emotional support through four life threatening pregnancies and the serious illness of her 7th baby. This book offers insight into this mysterious religious sect and is the story of a brave woman’s survival and fight for her children.

- Phyllis

Set in the final chaotic days of WW II, the Emmerich family flees their prosperous farm, hoping to avoid the approaching Soviets. With them is Callum, a Scottish POW who worked on their farm and never went back to prison after the growing season and secretly in love with the Emmerich daughter. They journey through bitter cold and witness death and brutality along the way. They are joined by a young Jewish man who has managed to escape capture for 2 years by disguising himself as a German soldier. Paralleling their journey is that of a group of concentration camp prisoners marched west to an aircraft plant where they are fed only enough to stay alive. At the beginning of the book Frau Emmerich and her family are proud Nazis, enamored of Hitler and comfortable on their elegant estate. As they suffer and see with their own eyes the evil inflicted by the Nazis they realize what fools they have been. While the plot of this book centers around the horror of war, its strength lies in its hope for the future and a message that life goes on and that life is good.

- Phyllis

Canadian author Bradley brings us the first installment of this mystery series featuring precocious 11-year-old Flavia de Luce, the youngest of the motherless de Luce girls. They live at Buckshaw, the family’s crumbling manor house, along with their widowed father, his shell shocked valet Dogger, and Mrs. Mullet, their cook. Flavia silently observes those around her and stealthily plays tricks on her sisters. When a stranger is found dead in their garden, Flavia sets to work identifying him. She utilizes the Victorian era chemistry lab on the top floor of Buckshaw, the domain of a long dead relative. On her trusty bicycle, Gladys, Flavia wanders far and wide to solve the mystery which also involves a valuable Penny Black stamp belonging to her father. She exasperates local Police Inspector Hewitt but he is patient and wise in dealing with her and they make a great detective team. Set in the bleak period just after WW II, the story also offers a history lesson on the dramatic social changes that resulted from the war. A second story in the series, The Weed That Strings The Hangman’s Bag, is due in March 2010.

- Phyllis

Set during the Salem witch trials of the late 17th century, Sarah Carrier is the eldest daughter of Martha Carrier, a victim of those trials. Smart, independent and strong willed like her mother, 10-year-old Sarah is forced to betray her family to save her own life when neighborhood resentment, jealousy and misunderstandings lead to careless accusations of witchcraft. Leading to misery and death, this ugly episode in American history is illuminated by this story of family love and hate, loyalty and truth. The author is a 10th generation descendant of Martha Carrier. The audio edition is read by actress Mare Winningham.

- Phyllis

Lovers of armchair travel will enjoy this memoir by Australian journalist Sarah MacDonald. For the sake of love, she finds herself living in a country she loathes. Alone much of the time while her journalist boyfriend is away on assignment, MacDonald nevertheless embraces her new life in India, visiting various shrines and holy places important to India’s vast number of religious faiths. At one point she suffers a bout with pneumonia so bad her hair falls out. This illness is further exacerbated by Delhi’s densely polluted air and a conglomeration of questionable cures offered by medical doctors, yogis and fortune tellers.

MacDonald tells of friendships with young Indian women straddling the traditional mores of their parents and the modern outlook they acquired along with western education. In the end, she embraces India as a fascinating country crowded with the colors, smells, sights and sounds of humanity.  Fans of the bestseller Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, will enjoy this one. This title is also available in an audio edition.

- Phyllis

Dwight Sings Buck

This is quite a straight-forward, enjoyable and lively set of tunes by one acknowledged master of the Bakersfield sound doing traditional country songs mainly penned by his idol, Buck Owens. Three others not written by Buck but part of his repertoire are (thankfully) included: “Act Naturally,” “Love’s Gonna Live Here” and “Close up the Honky Tonks.”

Yoakam’s voice is stellar here, with just the right joyfully sly yet reverential tone seeping through the lines. The band is confident, impressive and never too slick, just like you’d expect.

Usually Dwight just slipped in a tune or two from Buck on his many great releases; this one is All Buck! If you like that snappy, twangy sound done right you’ll love this release.

Don’t be surprised if you find yourself tapping a foot while listening to someone clearly at the top of “his game” here.

- Phil

This slight little book by one of Nashville’s favorite authors caught my eye and I read it in a day or two. It’s based on a recent commencement address given by Ann at her alma mater, Sara Lawrence College, in New York.

Ann uses her typically economic and well crafted style to illuminate how this came about and includes a very touching post script. She emphasizes the importance of listening and seeking counsel and while time leaps by quickly and technology engulfs us, some things, like the Greek chorus in her head asking (us) “What now?” don’t change.

A very personal and at times witty book – I particularly liked the few pages where she likened being a fiction writer to being a duck hunter (you have to read it) and a welcome read in these “uncertain times.”

- Phil

Ever since I can remember reading “rock journalism” three albums (as they were called) reigned on most respected journalists’ all time best type polls: Derek and the Dominoes’ Layla and other Assorted Love Songs, The Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street and Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks. I have come to completely agree with their collective wisdom in deeming these all time classics (I never understood their strange fascination with Captain Beefheart’s Trout Mask Replica though; I disagree on that one.) In any case, it is over forty years since the seminal, jazzy, reflective, literate, brooding, celebratory song cycle masterpiece known as Astral Weeks was released by Van Morrison. Can he still do these songs justice in a live format? The short answer is a resounding “Yes!”

Van’s rich Belfast voice inhabits these songs with passion as he stretches them out, drops in some scatting and new inflections and generally brings them alive for the lucky audience at the Hollywood Bowl. The recording is excellent with no crowd histrionics (I could have done without the voice from the stage calling out his name between the encore break but it’s a minor quibble.) and a rich balance of acoustic guitar, brushes, string bass that compliments Van’s inimitable voice. Hearing songs like Cyprus Avenue, Ballerina and Madame George played with such soulful, focused intensity and joy is wonderful to behold.

I’ve listened to this recording numerous times in a variety of settings and conditions and it always gives me satisfaction, which can’t be said for a lot of live recordings. Like the original recording – I just don’t get tired of it. Very well done indeed.

- Phil

Moore explores thirtysomething angst while cleverly playing with language and conventions of plot, narrative, and character. This book will make you both laugh out loud and think deeply about the various paths a life can take.

- Jessica

Homer and Langley

By E.L. Doctorow

So shoot me, I’ve never read E.L. Doctorow before now. Guess I was in my feminist science fiction phase when Ragtime came out. No matter. Homer and Langley is a lovely novel. Considering the fact that the main characters are reclusive, hoarding brothers who live in shocking squalor, achieving lovely is no mean feat for the author. The novel is based on the true story of Homer and Langley Collyer, who repelled and fascinated New Yorkers until their deaths in 1947. This is the story of how the brothers, children of privilege, came to be thus. Told from Homer’s viewpoint, the story of Langley’s increasing eccentricity and Homer’s dependent complicity is told with kindness, humor, heartbreak, and love. Doctorow’s departure from actual history (he extends their lifespans by a good 30 years, and invents characters who float in and out of their lives) serves the story so well that you don’t mind at all once you’ve squared your confusion. And the author’s ability to humanize what must have been quite a freak show forces you to look a little differently at what you see on the nightly news.

–Pam

Lots of bands with animal names lately, huh? Here’s one to remember:  The White Rabbits. Their sophomore album is called It’s Frightening. I say it’s amazing! The first track comes out of the gate like a thoroughbred at the Kentucky Derby, and the next 9 songs keep the racehorse pace. It was produced by Spoon frontman Britt Daniel, who helped the Rabbits add a musical gloss to their sound. Radiohead fans should definitely check this one out.

- Crystal

Little Bee

“And then the men came…” This is the recurrent opening to the story told by every traumatized refugee that Little Bee talks to while waiting in an immigration detention facility outside of London. The charming narrator of this original novel is sixteen-year-old Little Bee, who barely escaped from her Nigerian village with her life, after losing her family and home in a vicious attack. When released from detention after two years, she finds the one person in London she knows of — Sarah, a new widow who once met Little Bee during an ill-fated Nigerian vacation with her husband, two years earlier. The relationship forged by these two women (and one delightful little boy), the way they change each other, and their precariously intertwined fates, form a touching and compelling personal story set against a backdrop of an ocean of refugees moving around the globe in search of safe homes. Check this one out.

- Julie

The brothers, played by Ewan McGregor and Colin Ferrell, were my favorite part of this movie. It’s not Woody Allen’s greatest film, but if you enjoy old-fashioned thrillers in the style of Hitchcock, this one is worth your time.

- Jessica

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

3 1/2  Stars

Woody Allen has been making films outside of New York for the past few years, and Spain proves to be a perfect inspiration and setting for his latest film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Rebecca Hall plays Vicky, an attractive and smart woman engaged to a successful and sensible man. Scarlett Johansson plays Cristina, the beautiful and impulsive best friend of Vicky who knows what she DOESN’T want in life, but can’t figure out which “path” to pursue. The girls are invited to spend two summer months in Barcelona with distant relatives of Vicky’s. This gives Vicky a perfect opportunity to finish work on her thesis topic, Catalan culture. After attending an art gallery opening, the two friends end up at a restaurant where they are approached by the handsome Spanish artist Juan Antonio (played by Javier Bardem.) He proceeds to invite both women away for a weekend of art, food and drink, and lovemaking. Vicky is appalled. Cristina is intrigued. And soon they are on an adventure sure to change the course of their lives. There are several angles to talk up this movie to potential viewers. If you’re a fan of romantic comedies, VCB is replete with witty Woody Allen dialogue and plenty of sensuality. For the armchair traveler, there’s good food and wine, breathtaking sights, and the passionate sounds of Spanish guitar. And I haven’t even mentioned Penelope Cruz’s Oscar-winning performance as Maria Elena, the crazy and gorgeous ex-wife of Juan Antonio’s. Last but not least, see this movie if only to realize that Javier Bardem can play a lover as well or better than a villain.

- Crystal

4 stars

Senior Sports Illustrated writer L. Jon Wertheim weaves an intricately detailed recounting of what all agree was an epic, thoroughly well played tennis match into a compelling multi faceted book.

This is a very descriptive portrait of each man’s differences, backgrounds, tendencies, technical strengths and styles, coaching entourages and personalities which leads up to the titanic Wimbledon final that was played over five sets and seven hours in July of 2008.

Many interesting behind the scenes moments, humorous asides and detours including how Federer met Mirka, his disdain for Djokavic’s “boorish” parents, Nadal’s family dynamics and upbringing, racquet comparisons and endorsements all add background color to the event.  Even chair umpire Pascal Maria gets his time in the sun (or rain as it were) here.

One of the best tennis books I’ve read; an often witty and full account of the quirks and glories of Wimbledon, “The Championships” and of what makes both Roger Federer and the eventual ’08 Champion Rafael Nadal so outstanding by anyone’s standards.

My only complaint: no photos included.

- Phil K.

Junebug

See Amy Adams in the best role of her career in this underrated Southern indie film.

-Beth

See list of Odd-Numbered Movies.

- Crystal

The Long Fall Back to Earth

5 stars…but it takes a while to get there

When I first heard the latest album from Jars of Clay, I kinda didn’t know what to think about it. It was a complete departure from their normal sound with all the electronic music and whatnot. I’ve been a Jars fan since high school and this album was disappointing in that it didn’t sound like them…at first. However, I kept the CD in my car and as it spun through I began to really listen to the songs. Eventually I found the Jars of Clay I love. If you only listen to two tracks, make sure you hear #9 (Boys) and #10 (Hero). The title track’s pretty good as well. The soul of the music was always in this album…it just took me a little longer to find it.

- Amanda

The Song is You

by Arthur Phillips

In the past, I’ve read quite a few books by musicians, about musicians, or about music in general and none of them have ever quite done what I wanted them to. I can’t really describe what I’m looking for, being a musician myself, but this one has come the closest of any of them. Here’s a brief sample of what I mean:

A piece of music’s conquest of you is not likely to occur the first time you hear it, though it is possible that the aptly named “hook” might barb your ear on it’s first pass. More commonly, the assailant is slightly familiar and has leveraged that familiarity to gain access to the crisscrossed wiring of your interior life. And then there is a possession, a mutual possession, for just as you take the song as part of you and your history, it is claiming dominion for itself, planting fluttering eighth notes in your heart.

So anyway, our main character, Julian, is a music aficionado who always seems to be listening to his iPod. He has 8,146 songs at his disposal – ready for any occasion. One night, he’s out walking in New York and happens upon a new band with an inspiring young Irish singer. The girl is magnetic and Julian is immediately drawn to her and her music. Most of the book tells the story of how their lives intersect – or you know – don’t.

- Amanda

Some folks enjoy light reading in summer, but I save those extra daylight hours for the heavies. I’d been dying to read William T. Vollmann’s massive cold war epic Europe Central since it won the National Book Award in 2005. Well worth my wait, Europe Central is a work of art as brutal and heavy as the 88mm shells which litter its chapters. Which is not to say the story lacks moral delicacy. Tough times require tough… well you know. Vollmann utilizes prosopography to present a cyclical narrative that spans the German invasion of Russia to height of the Cold War in the 1970s. Equivalent German and Russian historical figures are paired and their psychological responses to fanatical ideology are contrasted in a mesh of recurrent tropes. The cast of characters includes German printmaker Kathe Kollwitz, communist documentarian Roman Karmen, Nazi general Friedrich Paulus, and Soviet general Andrei Vaslov (both of whom defect to enemy’s side when captured). Last but not least is Dimitri Shostakovitch, whose life and work epitomizes the moral ambiguities and ideological confusions at which Vollmann aims his bright spotlight. Even today musicologists debate the thematic intention of Shostakovitch’s body of work. The ambiguity exists only within the personal sphere, within the public sphere the result of hard line ideology is, of course, mass murder. Admist all this death, denial and despair transmuted there is also a love story. Vollmann casts Elena Konstantinovskaya as the love of Shostakovitch’s life. She is Shostakovitch’s mistress, not his wife and their relationship is idealized in is mind, crystallizing into a perfection which may or may not conform to reality to the reality of their relationship. His love for Elena, or the memories thereof, are like the political fantasies of Hitler or Stalin, i.e., unattainable.

The horror of the novel is nearly spoiled by the story of SS officer Kurt Gerstein who clandestinely tried to expose the Holocaust. This is the only section of the book that comes dangerously close to an elementary school morality lesson. Fortunately, at least on an aesthetic level, Gerstein’s end is as tragic as the rest.

You might be thinking, “Bryan, this book sounds terrible!” I recommend this book to anyone interested in the Nazi and Soviet culture, anyone interested in the history of the Eastern Front during World War II, and anyone interested in the life and music of Dmitri Shostakovitch. Though cast of characters is based on historical persons, Europe Central is a work of fiction and the primary reason to experience the book is the artistry of William Vollmann. His prose are precise and evoke a modernist tone. Recurring themes, repeated vocabulary, and chronological interlacing weave a snowy bloodstained tapestry across fifty years of heartbreak and political violence. Think of Europe Central as a photo negative to Tom Brokaw’s The Greatest Generation, or a constructivist War and Peace.

- Bryan

Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field
by Melissa Nathan

A retelling inside a retelling. This book stays very close to the original storyline. It is a charming, fast read. Fans of Persuasion will also want to check out Persuading Annie, also by Nathan.

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict
by Laurie Viera Rigler

This time-travel retelling, lands a modern-day Courtney in Jane Austen’s time. Sure, there’s a first edition of Pride and Prejudice on the bookshelf, but waking up in Regency England is quite a shock to our heroine.

Austenland
by Shannon Hale

Time-travel is problematic enough, much less time-traveling into a work of fiction. But what if you could visit a vacation spot that comes pretty close to the real thing?

Lost in Austen : create your own Jane Austen adventure
by Emma Campbell Webster

Pride and Prejudice meets the Choose Your Own Adventure novels of childhood. Try your hand at being Elizabeth. Will you end up married to the most eligible bachelor in England? Or will you get carried off by gypsies?

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
by Seth Grahame-Smith

What happens to a classic when you introduce Zombies? Maybe you’ve never wished for such a combo, but this book is not to be missed. Look out for Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters next!

The Angel’s Game

3 stars

A stylish, suspenseful read. Ruiz Zafon’s cinematic writing style evokes a gothic, Modernist Barcelona that both intrigues and frightens.

- Jessica

It All Started with a Dog
by Leigh Somerville McMillan

4 stars

- Cheryl

The Little Stranger
by Sarah Waters

This phenomenal haunted house story called to mind the best work of Daphne DuMaurier, Shirley Jackson, and Patrick McGrath.

Undress Me in the Temple of Heavenn
by Susan Jane Gilman

Ignore the ridiculous book cover and title and check out this gripping description of a trip to China gone horribly, horribly wrong.

- Beth

Pafuera telerañas

By Bebe, 2005

3 stars

Fun, smart, sexy pop along the lines of Ingrid Michaelson, Yael Naim, or Feist, but en español.

Jessica  at Bordeaux

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

I need a t-shirt that says, “Joss is my King.” Why, you ask? Because I love Joss Whedon. That’s right, I heart him very much. I especially heart him when he does wonderfully witty things like Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.

For those of you uninitiated with the Whedonverse, Joss produced the cult TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and then Angel, of course, as well as a little known gem entitled Firefly which made it to the big screen as Serenity. Last year when the television writers went on strike, Joss got together with his equally zany brothers and created Dr. Horrible. Part satire, part musical, but all genius, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog tres enjoyable.

Striking out in the new world of free online video, Joss and crew released Dr. Horrible in the summer of 2008 in three different installments spread over a week’s time. When the first act was posted, Whedonites flocked to view the show en masse and the site crashed almost immediately – even though they’d taken special precautions to use a very large server to prevent this from happening. Once they got all the bugs worked out, everyone got to view Dr. Horrible to their heart’s content. I, myself, came into work on my day off just so I could see how it ended on the third day. Amazing, right?

Not so much, when you consider that the featurette stars Neil Patrick Harris in his second outing playing a doctor as Dr. Horrible, Nathan Fillion also in his second role as a captain, playing NPH’s nemesis Captain Hammer, and Felicia Day as the third member of their love triangle, playing do-gooder Penny (most likely for the first time). Our story begins with Dr. Horrible trying to get into the Evil League of Evil and from there wackiness ensues. Together with his sidekick, Moist (played by Howard from The Big Bang Theory), you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you may even sing along. Whatever you do, don’t skip the extras on the DVD, including Commentary: the Musical, featuring Nathan singing, “I’m Better than Neil.” If you miss this, it’ll be curtains for you. Gently wafting curtains. Uh…sorry, you’ll just have to watch to catch that last one. Ok, I’m off to go watch it myself for the gazillionth time. AaaaAAAAAaaa (evil laugh and exit stage left)…

View the first episode on Hulu.

- Amanda

Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip

Harry Truman left office in 1953, before ex-Presidents had Secret Service protection or pensions. With only his Army pension for income, Harry returned to his Independence, Missouri home to resume life as an ordinary citizen. Harry loved to drive, and was determined (despite his wife’s misgivings) to make a 2500-mile vacation road trip to New York and back. He and Bess set out in their new Chrysler on a journey over America’s back roads (no interstates then), with stops at small-town diners and Mom and Pop motels, during a hell-busting heat spell (no air conditioning in cars then, either).

This book is utterly charming. This is not a 1000-page deep history. What it offers is an intriguing and humorous look at Harry Truman, the 1950s, and road trips in general. It offers fascinating side stories (like Harry’s feud with Dwight D. Eisenhower), details of meals taken (Bess really eats quite a lot of fruit), and a view of what has happened since 1953 to some of the places they visited (one of the motels is now a halfway house for felons). A very satisfying read, and an incitement to read much more about Harry Truman.

- Pam

Shut Up and Sing

The Dixie Chicks are a polarizing force in music.  Ever since the ‘fifteen words heard ‘round the world,’ everyone has an opinion and there aren’t many people in middle. While all of this controversy is a reality, none of it affects the Chicks’ musical talent.  Love them or hate them, they can still play.

Ticket sales were slow for the Chicks’ latest tour supporting their first post-comment album, Taking the Long Way. The band was also hoping to capitalize on the release of their video documentary, Shut Up and Sing, directed by Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck.  I was pleasantly surprised. Shut Up and Sing is an entertaining look at the album making process. All the struggles and doubts showcased in the movie paid off as the Dixie Chicks swept the 2007 Grammy Awards. This movie is a must-see for any fan of the Chicks.

- Amanda

Asylum

I have a slight obsession with insane asylums. I gobble up books set in asylums, and I absolutely love movies where the action takes place in an asylum. So, when Asylum came out on DVD in 2006, I knew I had to check it out!

Here’s a run-down of the plot: Dr. Martin arrives at the Dunsmoor Asylum for the incurably insane to apply for an open position. He expects to be interviewed by asylum director Dr. Starr. Instead he is met by Dr. Rutherford, who explains that Dr. Starr suffered a mental breakdown and is now one of the patients. If Martin can deduce which patient is really Dr. Starr, the job is his.
Who is Dr. Starr? Is it the woman whose affair with a married man turns murderous? Is it the tailor who made a one-of-a-kind suit for a very mysterious customer, with evil results? Is it the beautiful young lady accused of murdering her brother while her nurse insists “Lucy” did it? Or is it the “doctor” whose specialty is making voodoo dolls? You’ll use your own skills of deduction as you join Dr. Martin on his quest to find the real Dr. Starr…

For fans of the Hammer horror films, good old fashioned scary stories, or if you’re like me and enjoy anything set in asylum, Asylum is the film for you!

- Crystal

The Machinist

“It’s as if a screenplay by Franz Kafka had been filmed by Alfred Hitchcock.” This is how one review summed up The Machinist and I wholeheartedly agree. Christian Bale stars as an emaciated industrial worker who is becoming totally detached from reality. We slowly see the many elements of his nightmare existence exposed with devastating results. The film features an appropriately eerie music score by Roque Banos that perfectly evokes the spirit of Bernard Herman, Hitchcock’s favorite composer. This film is highly recommended for fans of the unusual and for me is one of the best of recent years.

- Lew

Something New

As a rule, I don’t do romantic comedies. I never have anything in common with the characters. The romances seem forced, the breakups ridiculous, and the make-ups even more contrived. Yes, I may be a tad cynical when it comes to romance; but when I saw the trailer for Something New, something told me I should watch this movie.

Kenya McQueen is a young, professional African-American woman. She’s worked very hard to advance in a field not only saturated with men, but white men – colleagues and clients alike. She and her friends get together and talk about what it means to be single and successful black women.
Kenya decides to take a chance on being set up for a blind date. After arriving at the coffee shop, she checks out the black men, looking for the person she’s meeting. Then her date arrives… Kenya is horrified when she realizes she’s been set up with a white guy. She basically blows him off at this point, but runs into him again at a party.

Brian Kelly is a landscaper. Kenya hires him to work for her. As he transforms her disastrous backyard, Kenya is transformed too. You want these two to get together as you experience their chemistry. Brian brings out a new uninhibited side to Kenya.

Of course there is conflict, then a breakup, and eventually a make-up that occurs in this romantic comedy. But Something New addresses other very contemporary and relevant issues during this process. It features a great cast, including Blair Underwood as a wood-be suitor, and Alfre Woodard as Kenya’s mother. The soundtrack is awesome. I won’t say anything else about this movie except watch it!

- Crystal

Dot the I

What a cool movie! It starts with what appears to be a typical love triangle. Imagine a young woman about to be married. She’s out on the town for her hen night (bachelorette party to most Americans). As part of the tradition, she chooses one man to share her last kiss as a free woman. This kiss plants the seed of doubt about whether she’s ready for marriage.

Just when you think the film is going to be a romantic drama, it turns into a thriller. The young lady has a tragic past. Her fiance’ is rich, but dull and controlling. And the guy with whom she shared her last free kiss doesn’t want to let her go. Dot the I is writer/director Matthew Parkhill’s feature film debut. I’ll say no more, lest I give away key points of the plot. This was one of the most refreshing movies I’ve recently watched. It stars Natalia Verbeke, James D’Arcy, and Gael Garcia Bernal, whom you may remember from The Motorcycle Diaries or Y Tu Mama Tambien.

- Crystal

11:14

If you’re in the mood for a black comedy containing a 1/3 cup of suspense, and a teaspoon of thriller, try 11:14. The movie consists of several different stories. It starts with a young man driving down the highway drunk. It continues with a van full of kids up to mischief. Enter a cop with two prisoners in his vehicle. Switch to a teenage girl who is pregnant. But wait, I forgot to mention the man who discovers a dead body in a cemetery. Yikes! Yes, you do need to pay attention to the details, including the time when you watch this film. But I guarantee you’ll gain satisfaction when you see how everything fits into 11:14. Director Greg Marcks’ first full-length feature film is pure entertainment!

- Crystal

The Killing

Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing was his first major Hollywood film. His first two films, Fear and Desire and Killer’s Kiss, were small, independent movies. This was the first time he had a major budget ($330,000), major actors (Sterling Hayden, Jay C. Flippen, and Elisha Cook) and a major studio (United Artists). It was based on Lionel White’s novel Clean Break, and the screenplay was co-written by Jim Thompson who wrote crime novels The Grifters and The Killer Inside Me.

The story deals with a heist of a race track. Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden) is the ring leader and has come up with a plan that requires spilt second timing. What makes The Killing different from other heist films are the many perspectives the story is told from. You see each story of the gang as they perform their part of the robbery. For example, you see Nikki Arane (Timothy Carey) the sharp shooter of the gang hired to assassinate a race horse to cause a distraction. In this particular episode there is an interesting exchange between Arane and a black car park attendant (James Edwards). Not only is it part of the plot but it makes an interesting comment on racism.
Another interesting aspect of The Killing is how each gang member comes undone. It comes in the form of a horseshoe, a little dog, and of course the femme fatale played to perfection by Marie Windsor.

Tragically, after Dr. Strangelove, Stanley Kubrick never made a film in black and white again. Kubrick was one of the last directors who fully exploited the process to its full advantage. Interesting note: Lucien Ballard, the director of photography, was mainly known for working in color and mainly in westerns. The Killing has a documentary-feel to it.

In conclusion, The Killing introduced to the world a great filmmaking talent. The film is still complex and compelling today.

- Bill

The Thin Blue Line

“If there was ever hell on earth, it’s Dallas County.”—Randall Adams Hands down, my favorite documentary. It tells the story of Randall Adams, who has been convicted and put on death row for killing a police officer in Dallas County, Texas. This documentary unfolds like a great detective novel. Philip Glass’s haunting score adds to the atmosphere. It is totally engrossing.

Of Unknown Origin
By Cosmatos, George Pan

Bart Hughes played by Peter Weller is a man who has everything going for him. He has a job that has put him of the fast track for success, a beautiful trophy wife, and an upscale townhouse. He is a master of the rat race, then a real rat moves in and a war ensues. This clever cat and mouse (or man and rat) story is an off beat thriller that really works. It also has the scariest scene in the history of motion pictures.

Ace in the Hole
By Billy Wilder

Ace in the Hole is Billy Wilder’s deeply cynical movie about the vicious world of journalism. The movie was released in 1951 and it’s still relevant today. Kirk Douglas portrays Chuck Tatum, a ruthless reporter who manipulates the events surrounding a man trapped in a mine after a cave in. This movie has some of the best dialogue ever written. It’s also one of the most uncompromising films ever made.

- Bill

Once

This Irish film which was a hit at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival plays out like an extended music video, but that’s OK. Writer/director Jim Carney conceptualized Once as a “video album.” The two stars, Glen Hansard of the Irish Band The Frames, and Czech singer/songwriter Markéta Irglová, are true musicians. Their songs transcend the film.

The Monster Squad
By Dekker, Fred

3 stars

All your favorite horror film characters in one movie, complete with the 1980’s style film treatment. This one is a lot of fun, especially if you’re a fan of the genre.

Broken English
By Cassavetes, Zoe R.

3 1/2 stars

This romantic comedy is a bit more serious than most, perhaps due to the influence of Zoe Cassavette’s father John Cassavettes’ films. Parker Posey stars as a neurotic thirty-something New Yorker who uses poor judgment when dealing with matters of the heart. Enter a carefree (and cute!) Frenchman to teach her to love herself, and the rest will fall into place. With a supporting cast that includes Zoe’s mom Gena Rowlands, Broken English is a wonderfully quirky story about modern love.

Severance

4 stars

Imagine an episode of The Office where they meet up with Leatherface during a weekend teambuilding retreat. If you can picture that, you’ve got the idea behind Severance- Horror at its most brilliant!

Conversations with Other Women

3 1/2 stars

Are you a fan of romance movies? Do you have an admiration for great acting? Have you ever been to a wedding reception and felt lonely? Do you enjoy stylized cinematography? Have you ever fantasized about catching up with an old flame? Do you sometimes take chances on movies you’ve never heard of? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, this film is for you…. It stars Helena Bonham Carter as woman, Aaron Eckhart as man, and is directed by Hans Canosa.

- Crystal

The Larry Sanders Show – Season One

5 of 5 Stars

I never appreciated Garry Shandling until I caught up with this show on DVD. Shandling stars as Larry Sanders a popular late night talk show host whose love life and work life are in a constant state of maintanence due to his addiction to objective gratification through laughter. Much to detriment of those around him, the only thing that matters to Larry is the his show. Ancipipating many shows to come, ultra realism equates stinging satire as the in-and-outs of the late night talk show circuit are exposed. The DVDs are worth it just to see the celebrity guest stars knowingly(?) making fun of themselves. Rip Torn steals most scenes as Arty, the show’s old school Hollywood producer. Largely based on real life Tonight Show producer Fred de Cordova, Arty is one of my all time favorite TV characters. “Larry Sanders” is obviously based on the real life Shandling and his obsessiveness over this show paid off in hardcore laughs and a wallop of pathos. For fans of the British The Office and Curb Your Enthusiam.

- Bryan

Dexter: The First Season

‘Tis the season to be macabre. Out of all the gory crime dramas on TV, along with films like Sweeney Todd in theaters, this Showtime series is by far and away the most bloody (yes it’s bloodier than Johnny Depp’s portrayal of the demon barber of Fleet Street). Adapted from Jeff Lindsay’s novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter, this show follows Dexter Morgan through his day to day life as a criminologist, whose specialty is analyzing blood spatters at crime scenes in order to determine how someone was murdered. The twist is that Dexter himself is an admitted monster – a psychotic killer who chooses to hunt down other serial killers (he never targets “innocent” victims), then murders them in his own calm, methodical fashion.

There is something about this show that intrigues me, but I can’t put my finger on what exactly. I’m not a huge fan of homicidal maniacs – maybe it’s just me – and I don’t really enjoy seeing mutilated, dead bodies in such graphic detail. But it’s morbidly fascinating, I must admit. I guess it also might be the layers of complexity that Dexter, portrayed by Six Feet Under’s Michael C. Hall, displays. His parents are dead (no, he didn’t kill them), but he has a sister and a family of sorts with his girlfriend (Julie Benz of Angel fame) and her two children. It is interesting to me how a man who professes to have no feelings can function so normally in society.

I do take comfort in the fact that, since I, myself, am not a serial killer, I don’t have to worry about Dexter coming after me. Plus, he is a fictional character, so that helps me sleep at night. If you have a morbid and warped sense of humor, then this show’s for you.

- Amanda

Big Love: Complete Seasons 1 & 2

5 Stars

I never thought I would enjoy a show about polygamists, but Big Love has captured my attention. The acting is great, the characters are complex and the storyline could not be more complicated. This show has made me really appreciate Chloe Sevigny as an actress, but it’s Grace Zabriskie, who plays the crazy grandmother, that steals every scene she’s in.

- Kyle

Jekyll

Jekyll is a recent BBC television drama that takes the novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson and reinvents the tale in modern day England. This cutting edge horror show has a complicated structure that takes you on a wickedly funny thrill ride. The show is filled with fresh original characters. But it’s Jekyll and Hyde, both played by the brilliant James Nesbitt, that hold the show together. Nesbitt’s portrayal of Hyde is astonishing because he creates the character using no prosthetics. So grab yourself a bag of popcorn, sit back with your favorite beverage, and enjoy!

- Bill

Six Feet Under: The Complete Series

5 stars

I think this show is even better than The Sopranos. Not for the squeamish or prudish, this show explores love and death of all types. Excellent writing, characters, and acting.

- Jessica

SCTV: Disc 1

SCTV is a television series that aired in the early 1980’s. Its cast was formed with comedians out of the original Second City comedy troupe of Chicago, as well as Toronto Second City troupe members. Many comedy greats of the 70’s and 80’s came through the Second City organization, some going to the SCTV series and others graduating on to Saturday Night Live. SCTV cast members included Dave Thomas, Catherine O’Hara, John Candy, and Andrea Martin, John Belushi and Dan Akroyd. The many sketches in this collection hold up rather well despite their early 80’s time frame. Many politicians, TV stars, TV shows, and various celebrities were spoofed, which is what sketch comedy is all about. Some skits were truly inspired, such as a takeoff on Chariots of Fire which they renamed “Chariots of Eggs” and starred the pop duo Hall and Oates.

- Ric

Overnight

4 stars

There have been great actors who have played memorable movie monsters.

Boris Karloff played the Frankenstein monster. Bela Lugosi became Bram Stoker’s Dracula. And now Troy Duffy is Troy Duffy in Overnight. Never heard of the monster Troy Duffy? Well, let me explain. Mr. Duffy was a bartender and struggling screenwriter who suddenly hit the big time when he sold his script The Boondock Saints to Harvey Weinstein of Miramax Films (when Miramax was still considered the hottest production company in Hollywood.) Documentary filmmakers Mark Brian Smith and Tony Montana decide to film the rise of this new young filmmaker. Not so fast… What Smith and Montana document is the fall of Troy Duffy, who turns out to be an arrogant bully who but all destroys the gift handed to him on a silver platter. Granted his head doesn’t spin around and he doesn’t spit pea soup, but he does just about everything else in the repertoire of a movie monster. Check Overnight out and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

- Bill

What Would Jesus Buy?

What Would Jesus Buy? is a pseudo documentary, or “docu-comedy,” as the liner notes say, about Reverend Billy and his Church of Stop Shopping, which also has a gospel choir.  This film illustrates their efforts to humorously get Americans to stop or at least decrease their overspending each Christmas season.  The Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me) production follows the Church’s bus tour around the country and is both serious and funny at the same time. It mixes in Reverend Billy’s Jimmy Swaggart like speeches in corporate strongholds like Disneyland, Walmart, Starbucks, and Mall of America, with interviews with experts that attempt to explain our overwhelming desire to buy, buy, buy and to have the latest and greatest of everything.  There is even a segment where a couple buy an entire wardrobe for their Chihuahua. The gospel choir is uniquely suited to amplify Billy’s remarks wherever they go; they both sing and dance and add a religious flavor to his performances.

Likely the most memorable segment in the film proper is called the Shopacolyspe, which refers to the mountain of debt Americans owe, and what could happen if people don’t wise up and stop their overspending ways.  However, the most touching segment was in the added features, one of which interviewed a Chinese woman now living in the U. S. who had been imprisoned for six years for being a Christian.  During that time she was ironically forced to make Christmas lights for sale in America.  That point tied into one of the film’s observations about sweatshops providing cheap goods for us while people in foreign countries-many of them children- work for paltry wages.

All in all, this film is a quite humorous look at our excessive spending problem.

- Ric

Careful

5 stars

When people ask me who my favorite director is these days I don’t hesitate to answer Guy Maddin. If you are already a Maddin fan and were underwhelmed overly-conventional My Winnipeg you might want to revisit his early work I remember why he got you so excited in the first place. If you’re not a Maddin fan, shame on you, but a great place to start is 1992’s Careful. The first of his films seen by a wide audience it is a campy snow filled wonderfest.

The story takes place in the fictional alpine town of Tolzbad. Everyone there has be careful, very careful, not so speak too loudly or they might cause an avalanche. Or perhaps worse, your private whispers will echo through mountain sides letting everyone know your secrets. Everyone is stiflingly suppressed in more ways than one. The plot focuses on brothers Grigors & Johann and sisters Klara & Sigleinde. Grigors & Johann are star pupils at the rigorous Tolzbad butler’s academy while Klara & Sigleinde are ripening into an age suitable for courting. Johann & Klara are engaged to be married until Johann becomes inappropriately obsessed with his overly sensuous mother. Realizing his irreparable moral error he mutilates himself and commits suicide by jumping off a cliff. A shattered Grigors throws himself into his studies and becomes valedictorian of the butler academy. In time he attempts to court Klara. Only problem being that since Johann’s death Klara has developed her own inappropriate fascination with her father. Her father in turn is too enamored with Klara’s younger sister Sigleinde to notice that Klara’s emotional facade is about to crumble down the same mountain face as her ill-fated fiance. What follows is a melodramatic tragicomedy with convoluted acts of suicide, incest, and homicidal sibling rivalry climaxing with mythic knife duel upon snowy mountaintop. The film succeeds on many different levels. When Grigors tells Klara she’ll be his golden fleece, it makes you want to laugh, cry and squirm all the same time.

As if this fecund plot isn’t enough, the visual look of Careful, is even more distinctive. Maddin’s trademark is to make films look like they were created in the 1920s. Most are black-n-white and blurred around the edges of the frame. Frames are intentionally scratched or made to look littered with dust. Careful has all these features plus enough orange and brown tinting to make Abel Gance proud. The mountain sets are pure German expressionism: two dimensional matte abstractions that give the whole movie an allegorical storybook feel.

Maddin isn’t just mimicking the cinematic techniques of the 1920s. He’s showing us visually the critical dialogues he himself has had with the films of that decade. What we are left with, besides Maddin’s idiosyncratic body of work, is a new set of tools to dissect formal elements and unearth latent thematic content of the cinema of the past. He teaches us things we didn’t know we knew.

Besides Careful, the library has some Maddin’s newer work too, like The Saddest Music in the World and Dracula: Tales from the Virgin’s Diary. And if you still can’t get enough Guy, come to the library and read his column in Film Comment, “Guy Maddin’s Jolly Corner” in which he deconstructions forgotten gems from the 20s, 30s & 40s with his animal trap wit.

- Bryan

Most know Brian Eno as a high demand music producer and as the artist most responsible for popularizing what we now call ambient music, but Eno is multimedia artist that has always had his fingers in a lot of different pies. Through the years he’s created, or provided music for, a number of film and video installations. Featured here are his “video paintings” Mistaken Memories of Medieval Manhattan and Thursday Afternoon. Both are formal explorations of the video medium itself, calling our attention to its intrinsic characteristics; e.g., its dreamlike visual distortions and ghost halo afterglow. Melt into your couch for a slow motion eye-brain solo meditation, or just sling this DVD in to serve as living painting during your next party. Find out what that high definition TV is good for besides seeing the sweat drip off athletes.

- Bryan

Aguirre, the Wrath of God

5 stars

For Halloween, I wanted to review a horrific movie featuring a vile monster-villain. One face kept emerging through the darkness of my mind: Klaus Kinski. A personal favorite of Mr. Kinski’s oeuvre is Aguirre: The Wrath of God. The South American equivalent of Apocalypse Now, the film is a slow burn fever-induced nightmare. Set in the 15th century Brasil, Kinski plays the title role, a sociopath conquistador who leads a group of underlings on a quest for gold and glory. As Aguirre’s psyche begins to crumble, so does his crew and their makeshift raft. The Amazon becomes their green hell. Making for an even more surreal experience is the German dialogue adding one more disconcerting layer of cultural alienation. Pay close attention to the great score by krautrock mystics Popul Vuh.

- Bryan

Shades of Darkness

4 stars

Looking to watch something a little spooky, and Masterpiece Theatre is your bag? The Granada Television series Shades of Darkness is just the thing for you! This collection contains six mysterious tales based on the writing of Edith Wharton, CHB Kitchin, May Sinclair, and Elizabeth Bowen. Originally produced in the 1980’s, the creepiness still holds up. The acting is superb, and the locales totally add to the mystique. My favorite of this collection is “Bewitched.” Based on an Edith Wharton story, the tale takes place in part on the seaside, where a ghostly girl calls her former lover to come to her.

- Crystal

Flight of the Conchords: Season 1

3 stars

I just finished watching the first season of HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, and I think that I liked it. It’s kind of hard to tell because this pseudo-reality show is definitely an acquired taste – falling somewhere between Tenacious D and Napoleon Dynamite. Since I really like Jack Black, but am fairly annoyed by Pedro’s buddy, you can see my dilemma.

The show follows two guys from New Zealand named Bret and Jemaine (played by two guys from New Zealand named Bret and Jemaine), as they try to find success in the world of digi-folk music. Even if there were some weird “is this supposed to be funny?” moments, there were still some laugh out loud funny parts. For instance, in one of the episodes the duo gets mugged, but instead of giving up their bike, they morph into the Rhymnoceros and the Hippopotamus and start rapping in the bad guy’s face. That probably wouldn’t be my first response, but hey, they didn’t loose their bike. And not since Kevin Bacon have I so enjoyed the pointless angry dance break. I’m not saying which episode it’s in, you’re just going to have to watch and see for yourself.

If you like novelty musical acts like Tenacious D or are fond of awkwardly funny TV shows a la The Office then this series is for you. Bret and Jemaine are currently out on tour now as The Flight of the Conchords, but it looks like the show was picked up for a second season. Can I handle more zany New Zealand fun? Only time will tell, but I have a feeling that I’ll probably at least try.

- Amanda

The Gladiators

5 stars

Just in time for the Olympics, the library has acquired Gladiatorerna, a film by the highly influential director Peter Watkins. Set in the near future, conglomerate teams from Eastern and Western countries compete in televised war games in place of actual wars. Manipulating both sides is a (near) perfect machine engineered by the Swedish government to push to both teams to the psychological limit. True to form, Watkins uses mostly non-actors and shoots in what we now would call a “reality-TV” style. Watkins largely invented said style and, much like reality television, his narrative films blend the boundaries between life and artifice. The difference being that Watkins uses cinema as social critique while reality television does… ah… whatever it is it does. The library has recently purchased a handful of Watkins’ previously unavailable films. Don’t miss a chance to experience his seminal vision.

- Bryan

What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?

Have you been as disappointed as I have by the rash of mediocre comedies coming out of Hollywood? If so, allow me to recommend this sadly neglected gem from 1966. What Did You Do In The War, Daddy? is a superb piece of World War II anarchy directed by Blake Edwards of Pink Panther fame. The movie is extremely well written by William Peter Blatty (better known for The Exorcist) and the casting is perfect pitch. Harry Morgan steals the show as Major Pott, who gets trapped in catacombs and slowly goes crazy. Trust me, its funny. What Did You Do In The War, Daddy? is one of the funniest war comedies ever made. Enjoy and that’s an order!

- Bill

Persepolis

5 stars

If you love to watch movies for the visuals, this is a must-see. This movie animates Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel about life in revolution-era Iran. But the movie isn’t all looks–it has plenty of substance with its touching familial relationships and edgy humor.

Word Wars: Tiles and Tribulations on the Scrabble Game Circuit
By Anchor Bay Ent.

5 stars

I didn’t think a movie about a board game could make me cry, but this one did. The filmmakers expose the humanity of the Scrabble champions without being sentimental. This is a must see for documentary lovers and anyone who enjoys seeing otherwise ordinary human beings in their element.

Into the Wild
By Penn, Sean

3 stars

I read the book by Jon Krakauer before checking out the movie. Not quite as fantastic as the book, but I enjoyed seeing the places described in the book and comparing the movie’s depictions to those I had imagined while reading.

HUD
By Newman, Paul; Ritt, Martin

5 stars

I was stunned by the phenomenal acting in this movie. The visuals and the themes of the movie are also breathtaking. A must see!

The Graduate

Funny and stylish. 4 stars.

- Jessica

Man on Wire

5 stars

It is amazing to me that Petit saw a picture of the World Trade Center, even before it was finished, decided he had to walk it, and then accomplished his task.

Who does that? Most people, myself included, tend to hem and haw about things instead of just jumping into them, like Petit. Don’t get me wrong, Petit spent several years of his life (and several thousands of dollars) setting up this stunt. He took multiple trips to New York to scope out the towers, before and after their completion. Petit watched how the buildings operated, and studied how people functioned within the two towers so he could figure out how to sneak in his team. Finally, in August 1974, he did it. This documentary just won an Academy Award, and after seeing it, I understand why. It is such an inspirational story. If you need a pick-me-up, watch this movie. You can also read about Petit’s adventure in his book, To Reach the Clouds.

- Amanda

Head-On

3 stars

Do you like your romantic dramas Sid and Nancy style? Look no further than Head-On, the 2004 film scripted and directed by Fatih Akin, a first generation German born of Turkish parents (like the characters in his film). Cahit is a fortyish alcoholic Turk living in Germany. He works at a Hamburg club gathering empty beer bottles. After a night of debauchery, Cahit decides to end his life by driving straight into a brick wall. (This crash scene brilliantly plays out with a slamming Depeche Mode tune!) After being committed to a mental hospital, Cahit is offered a marriage proposal by another patient, the young and depressed Sibel. She tried to end her life because of the extreme pressure from her conservative Turkish family. Sibel thinks Cahit will be her ticket to true freedom, while satisfying her family by marrying a fellow Turk. Cahit and Sibel join in a marriage of convenience, and eventually they fall in love. Being the self-destructive twosome that they are, there can never be a completely “happy” ending. Have I just ruined the film for you? Of course not! With a title like Head-On, one can’t expect the film to tie up nicely. But Head-On isn’t just a twisted love story. It is also a very interesting look into Turkish immigrant culture in Germany.

- Crystal

The Apartment

5 stars

Can’t wait for the return of TV’s Mad Men? Then check out this Billy Wilder romantic comedy, first released in 1960.

C.C. Baxter, played by Jack Lemmon, has two aspirations: to climb the corporate ladder at a Manhattan insurance firm, and to land a date with Miss Kubelik, the lovely elevator operator in his office building, played by Shirley MacLaine. To ingratiate himself with his superiors, Baxter loans them his apartment for their extramarital trysts with secretaries and telephone operators. But when he realizes that his Don Draper-esque boss, played by Fred MacMurray, is carrying on with the girl of his dreams, he must choose between the job and the girl.

MacLaine is delightful, Lemmon is hilarious, and MacMurray is a cold-hearted snake you’ll love to hate. So until Mad Men returns, check out The Apartment to get your fix of impromptu office parties, mid-century fashion and design, and vintage cocktails. Tom Collins, anyone?

- Jessica

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

This movie has flawless acting by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke, and brings a Shakespearean sense of tragedy to a thoroughly modern setting.

Be Kind Rewind
By Gondry, Michael

This movie has a charming silliness that is disarming and affecting.

Transsiberian
By Anderson, Brad
Don’t miss this overlooked mystery-on-a-train movie starring Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer, and Woody Harrelson.

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The Orphanage
By Bayona, Juan Antonio
This immensely creepy ghost story was directed by a protégée of Guillermo del Toro and has some of the same visual appeal as Pan’s Labyrinth.

The Order of Myths

Don’t miss this excellent but disturbing documentary with an unexpected twist at the end.

- Beth

This is England

5 stars

This is a powerful independent film based on the director’s own experiences growing up in Northern England.

- Carrie

Things We Lost in the Fire
By Bier, Susanne

4 stars

Excellent movie with terrific acting by Halle Berry, David Duchovny and Benicio Del Toro.  Very engrossing tale of a marriage tragically broken with Del Toro’s character – Jerry Sunborne, becoming involved in the aftermath.  His portrayal of a recovering heroin addict is quite convincing.  First rate screenplay and camera work make this a quietly affecting winner.

- Phil

Grey Gardens
By Hovde, Ellen

5 stars

- Kyle

The Hudsucker Proxy

4.5 Stars

Don’t forget this early Coen Brothers film, featuring Tim Robbins and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Air Guitar Nation

4 Stars

A documentary about the first U.S. Air Guitar Championships.  Get ready to rock.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

5 Stars

This totally absorbing documentary follows two men as they battle for the Donkey Kong world record.  Yes, it sounds ridiculous, but I promise—you will be on the edge of your seat.  This was my favorite movie of 2007.

Zodiac
By Fincher, David

In the 1960s and ’70s, a cryptic killer clad in an executioner’s hood stalked the streets of San Francisco and left clues about his crimes in the newspaper.

The Dinner Game
By Veber, Francis

4 Stars

- Beth

A Room With A View

4 stars

Comedian Eddie Izzard has a really funny bit he does about British films versus American films. He theorizes you just can’t eat popcorn during a British movie, but if an American filmmaker remakes the same flick, it has you ramming popcorn and candy into your mouth. He uses A Room With a View as the example. The American version would be “A Room With a View of Hell!”

A Room With a View is a wonderful British movie, but in line with Eddie Izzard’s theory, it’s definitely not a popcorn flick. It wraps you up in beautiful scenery, funny melodrama, great acting, and romance, so much so you won’t want to do anything but watch the story unfold.

- Crystal

Inland Empire

Inland Empire is a surreal trip into a rabbit hole of egos, suppressed desires, and Hollywood nightmares. Working in digital video for the first time, iconic director David Lynch synthesizes many of the themes of his previous works: small town American, the underbelly of Los Angeles, and the nature of evil.

Reel and real reality blur as aging actress Nikki Grace (Laura Dern) gets the role she thinks will revive her career. Instead, she slowly slides into a spacetime warp and she must confront the nature of herself (as being) and her relationships with those around her (as woman). Antagonizing her is a Satan-like figure simply known as the Phantom (Krzysztof Majchrzak). He easily stands shoulder to shoulder with fellow Lynch mondo creep villains Frank Booth (Blue Velvet) and Bobby Peru (Wild at Heart). What most viewers will probably be asking themselves is, “is legal for someone to put my dreams on TV?”

Somewhere, Maya Deren is smiling.

- Bryan

Z Channel: a Magnificent Obsession

The “Z Channel: a Magnificent Obsession” is a fascinating documentary that explores the rise and tragic fall of Jerry Harvey, the maverick chief programmer of the Z Channel.

What was the Z Channel you ask? Before Blockbuster or HBO there was Z Channel. If you lived in the Los Angeles area in the 1980’s, you literally had a film festival on your TV every night. You could watch domestic films, foreign films and obscure movies you would have otherwise not been exposed to. Z Channel creator Jerry Harvey also introduced innovative programming ideas such as screening letterboxed versions and director’s cuts, as well as the “Night Owl Show.” (You’ll have to watch the movie to find out what this is…)

This documentary features several interviews with people that knew Harvey, including ex-wives, filmmakers (Robert Altman, Penelope Spheeris, Paul Verhoeven, and Quentin Tarantino), movie critics, and associates. Also interviewed is UCLA’s English Professor C. L. Batten. Mr. Batten was Jerry Harvey’s teacher while he was at UCLA. I was able to contact him for a brief interview.

What classes did Jerry Harvey take with you?
(Batten) He took two classes with me. Literary criticism and Eighteenth Century English.

In the movie you stated,” I think this student is probably smarter than I am.” Could you elaborate on this statement?
(Batten) I’ve only seen the movie once. I don’t like to watch myself or to hear my own voice. I don’t even like to hear my voice on the answering machine. What I wanted to say about Jerry was that he was a very bright man with a great mental agility. I hope I taught him to be more intellectual. He was extraordinary.

Did you ever talk about film?
(Batten) Every conversation I had with him was about film. Film was his way of connecting with the world.

Did he ever introduce a film to you that you had never heard of before?
(Batten) While he was programming films at the Beverly Canon (an art theatre in California) he called me up and insisted I come and see Marcel Carne’s “Les Enfants Du Paradis” or “The Children of Paradise”. I took my wife to the film and he was right I really enjoyed it.

The Z Channel a Magnificent Obsession is not just for cinephiles. It’s a fascinating look at one man who tried to introduce something new and daring to his audience. For the most part, Harvey succeeded. I think it important to note the Nashville Public Library has several of the films mentioned in “Z CHANNEL A MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION” either on video or DVD. Instead of checking out your usual movies, try one of Harvey’s favorite films. You may discover your new favorite film!

-Bill

• Bad Timing
• Black Orpheus
• Dr. Strangelove Or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb
• Heaven’s Gate
• Fingers
• Images
• La Notte
• Le Magnifique
• The Passenger
• Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
• The Red Desert
• Ride the High Country
• Turkish Delight
• The Wild Bunch
• The Leopard

Onibaba

5 of 5 Stars

Kaneto Shindo’s horrifying masterpiece roils with sexual tension, desperation and emotional violence. Wife and mother-in-law of a warring samurai stay alive by whatever means necessary. It’s like Survivor but with real blood and no Jeff Probst. Is it the evil that they do to themselves and those around them that lures a demonic samurai to their hide away in a sea of wavering grass. Essential viewing regardless, it is worth watching to see where Ang Lee stole the tree fight scene in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

Spring Forward
By Gilroy, Tom

4.5 out of 5 Stars

This lovely film tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two parks workers. Murph (Ned Beatty) is near retirement and Paul (Liev Schreiber) is a young ex-con searching for his place in the world. Quiet and subtle, Spring Forward is a compassionate film with beautiful scenery and a great score.

The Ground Truth

In the spirit of StoryCorps Project at Nashville Public Library, hear veterans’ stories from this recent conflict.

- Liz

Days of Heaven

5 of 5 Stars

No other film better epitomizes “poetry in motion” than Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven. Changing of the seasons, machine labor, and human violence weave a tapestry as breathtaking as the Canadian wheatfields where the film was shot. Industrial laborers Bill and Abby (Richard Gere and Brooke Adams) flee the dirt of the city into the backbreaking life of seasonal grain harvesting. The owner of the wheat farm (Sam Shepard) where they end up landing falls in the love with Abby and the rest is Biblical. With sparse dialogue, the landscape and turn of the century farm machines are full fledged characters as much as any of the people portrayed by the actors. A profound mediation on human nature, love, and fate, this is one of my all time favorite films.

- Bryan

Elegy

4 stars

Don’t get me wrong, Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a great film, but Penelope Cruz should have won her 2008 Oscar for her performance in Elegy. And I can’t believe Sir Ben Kingsley wasn’t at least nominated for his role in this film.

This movie is a true actor’s showpiece, and Spanish director Isabel Coixet expertly guides her cast, which also includes Dennis Hopper, Debbie Harry, Patricia Clarkson, and Peter Sarsgaard. Though I haven’t read the book myself (oops!), fans of his writing have said this is the best cinematic adaptation yet of a Philip Roth novel. One final note: please do pay attention to the beautiful music throughout this film, especially the Erik Satie compositions. They are heart-achingly gorgeous and really enhance the emotional turmoil of the story…

- Crystal

The year 1960 was not a transitional time for jazz. Be-bop and its successor hard-bop were still the order of the stylistic day and the free approach of Ornette Coleman had yet to take hold. The Newport Rhode Island Festival was an annual gathering of the jazz clan. And it was in July 1960 that a group of Nashville’s finest players made the journey to Newport for a much-anticipated performance.

Chet Atkins, Boots Randolph, Hank Garland were the best of Nashville session musicians, playing on many country and pop recordings day in and day out. They were all jazz music fans and very proficient jazz players too, jamming at every opportunity in local Nashville clubs. They would often be joined by 17 year old vibes prodigy, Gary Burton.
So this all-star band headed to Newport, Rhode Island for what I’m sure would have been a tremendous show. Unfortunately, festival organizers had trouble managing an unruly crowd and most of the schedule was scrapped, including the appearance of the Nashville All-stars.

But the guys were determined to document their music anyway and recorded what is today a milestone album yet widely overlooked jazz classic – After the Riot at Newport. Germany’s Bear Family label reissued the long out of print LP a few years back and Nashville Public Library was fortunate enough to obtain a copy for the jazz collection. Especially noteworthy is the fabulous playing of Gary Burton and Hank Garland. To me these two have never played better. In fact, the whole project stands as proof that there is so much more to the Nashville music scene than meets the eye. It is highly recommended.

-Lew

Eye to the Telescope

Does John Mayer have a sister? For some reason I can’t quite put my finger on yet. K T Tunstall reminds me of him. Eye to the Telescope is great if you’re looking for non-abrasive pop music, peppered with a little funk and soul to keep things interesting. There’s no great poetry in her lyrics, but all the songs are catchy, especially “Suddenly I See.” One listen and you’ll be singing along; it’s unavoidable! My favorite track is not one of her hits, rather a tune halfway through the CD called “Miniature Disasters.” I like to give any newly discovered CD a “Will it get me through my household chores?” rating. On a scale of 1 to 10, K T gets an 8. You’ll have your dishes washed and your laundry done in no time at all.

- Crystal

Gypsum Strings

As much as you may be scared that this is some lame banjo and fiddle, it’s pure hipbilly sunshine. Listen to the rolling beats of songs like “If I Was In El Dorado” and the waddling banjo in “Spanish Fandango”.

- Raffi

Radiance
By Keith Jarrett, 2005

5 of 5 Stars

Double live solo improvisations on grand piano – Keith building, working, exploring and mesmerizing here in this series of related pieces. Philip Glass meets Thelonious Monk – love it!

- Phil

Vampire Weekend
By Vampire Weekend, 2008

4 stars

I have got to say, I had only heard one track on this cd and loved it. I listened to the rest of the cd and was pretty impressed. The best quick description I can give is a modern Techno-Calypso feel. “A-punk” is the track I first heard, and then went back and listened all the way through.

- Chris

Orphans brawlers, bawlers & bastards
By Tom Waits, 2006

4.5 stars

Tom Waits Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards CD triple set Diverse collection of great stuff, covers and out takes from the gruff and beguiling tunesmith. Gotta love the Ramones cover “Danny says” – beautifully done.

- Phil

Distorted Lullabies

This band, hailing from New Jersey, includes the best rock voice out there today; singer and songwriter Jimmy Gnecco’s vocals are reminiscent of the late Jeff Buckley and U2’s Bono during his younger days. Both music and lyrics paint a dark and bleak landscape:

“The beast flies tonight
and the world he describes
Suffer, suffer..”

If you like Distorted Lullabies, try Precious (2002), Ours’ sophomore effort. It includes a cover of Velvet Underground song “Femme Fatale,” penned of course by Lou Reed.

- Crystal