Unyielding Commissioning Jealous All Over Again

Hulosing Out - As you may know, I live in Argentina. That brings with it all kinds of benefits. The world's best ice cream. No real winter. Beautiful natural wonders and beautiful women. But there are limitations to living abroad. One of those is that we can't get on Hulu. This has been slightly bothersome as there have been moments when I wanted to remind myself of an old Saturday Night Live sketch or watch whatever random crap may be available. But now I am really upset.

The Criterion Collection has been made available on Hulu Plus. I have no idea how much Hulu Plus costs, but whatever it is, it's worth it. You may not like all the Criterion films, but there are so many hidden gems and landmark cinematic experiences that your life will surely be enriched for this feature. Mine, sadly, will not as Hulu has yet to figure out a way to make themselves available in foreign countries. Just another reason why everyone here pirates all their movies. Also, a letter from Hulu's Eugene Wei on the announcement.

Just givin' the people what they want, depending on the people - I love the Oscars, even though much of the program is utterly boring. The reason it's always given me a thrill is that when on its game, it is a great celebration of cinema. Apparently this year they are looking to celebrate other things. The Hollywood Reporter is, ahem, reporting that there will be fewer montages and more songs this year. Maybe the Academy assumes that fans of movies will tune in no matter what and they hope that all those Randy Newman die-hards will boost their ratings. Either way, it is a disappointing decision.

- Roger Ebert unveils his Best Art Films of 2011. Many of these films have gotten a ton of great buzz, and I want to see them all. Who knows when they'll arrive down here.

Maybe he should have listed BabeIn other Ebert news, my buddy PMaz (rightfully) sticks it to one of At the Movies cohost Ignatiy Vishnevetsky's selection of the five films that made him want to become a critic.

They obviously haven't been reading this blog (#nobody_is) - This is now old news, but Grammy fans across the globe were outraged that Arcade Fire won Best Album. And there's a hilarious tumbler of their twitterings.
My take on the Grammy. Uh, I guess it's good for the Arcade Fire. The Grammys are the least relevant major awards show around. I've never watched their broadcast. I can't now pretend to care simply because one of my favorites was honored by them. I'm fond of saying that the Oscars get it wrong about half the time. But the Grammys don't even care about whether things are wrong.

New Blog Alert!! - Check out Positive Spin. Do it now! They have just recently launched and have been busting out a dozen or so postings every day. As best I can tell, the overall premise is to be as codgery as possible while still celebrating the best rock music to have come down the pike. Many entries are Youtube clips, but they're all rare finds worth your time. I recommend this one to get you started.

Surprised at how many of these I have - Greg Kot lists 10 classic albums from Alligator Records in honor of their 40th anniversary. I'm especially happy to see Luther Allison's comeback on the list. That dude could really play - a great mix of soul and Chicago blues, and a fantastic live performer.

Watch it all - Yet another long video. Yet another that's well worth it! DJ Cheeba puts on a visual and musical mashup that will keep you moooovin'! (HT, my man Chili)

DJ Cheeba - Revenge of The Nerd from Solid Steel on Vimeo.

Unyielding Commissioning Predicted the Future (again?)

This is too much film for you - Time Out New York lists the 50 most controversial movies of all time. Usually I like to be a snarky jerk about these kinds of lists, but there is virtually nothing to argue with here.

Function and Form - Some of you may recall this blog's look at the Biggest Paycheck Hounds in Hollywood. Over at Scene Stealers, they've got a Top Ten that looks similar. Well, the concept is the same anyway. There are plenty of differences in practice. I happen to disagree with a number of technical points regarding the order its author chose to use. Though the goals may be the same, the criteria is obviously not. My main point about this difference is that bad movies were not necessarily done simply for the cash. Sometimes they just don't work out, and you can't always blame the star. But when an actor admits that his involvement in a film was solely because he could buy himself a "terrific house," well, that's a pretty strong data point right there.

Then, just a week later, Scene Stealer's next Top Ten List highlighting chick flicks for guys made a nice complement to FtY's look at the chickiest chick flicks that ever flickered.

I used to think the brain was the smartest part of my body, but then I thought, well look who's telling me that. - Tony Comstack, noted erotic documentarian takes a stab at the evolution of the X/NC-17 ratings.

But in Italian, it sounds even better - Criterion's quote of the day is pretty creative, and from someone who knows what the hell he's talking about.

Ready to press start? - One and a half hours of live Arcade Fire recorded at MSG last August. Enjoy!

Unyielding Commissioning Believes in Comebacks

We haven't had an update from UC since may of 2009, and that one was titled "Unyielding Commissioning Apologizes for Being Away So Long." Living in Argentina, it is pretty hard to stay on top of some of the goings on like I used to. Bands rarely come here, and the movie releases keep getting pushed back later and later. Far more impactful has been a heavy amount of work from both my job and planning my upcoming wedding. Those and other factors have seriously cut down on my connections to life on the internet, which means I don't have links for you like I used to. That said, EdWord passed me along some info that requires comment, and is just the kind of thing this type of posting was designed for. And come to think of it, there's a lot more worth discovering, so UC has plenty of good stuff to share with you today.

Please, please, please, please - I once briefly debated my buddy Erik about whether reunion shows are worthwhile. The band in question was Archers of Loaf. Erik's take was that he'd already seen them and no thrown together reunion tour would be the same. Mine was that I'd never seen them, and I'd take a half-assed reunion tour over nothing. And I'm not saying it would even be half-assed, just that I'd be ecstatic with half an ass anyway. That conversation inspired pleading on this blog some three and a half years ago.

Well, perhaps the band did indeed read my comments. More likely they simply realized that it was high time to kiss and make up because Pitchfork is reporting that Archers of Loaf has reunited for at least one show. I have long claimed that I would travel back to the US just to see these guys perform. They sure as hell aren't coming to Buneos Aires. We can only hope that they had as good a time as the audience seemed to and will give us the pleasure of some more shows. And I bet that Erik goes, too, even if it may not live up to his fond memories of earlier performances. Fingers crossed for hope!



There's no secrets this year - after 2009 was a general disappointment in both film and music, 2010 came back with a lot of high-quality, innovative stuff for our listening and viewing pleasure. I had been planning to provide a comprehensive summary of all those year-end lists, but, well you've probably read the ones you want. Just in case, here are Roger Ebert's Top Feature Films, Top Foreign Films, Top Documentaries, and Top Animated Films.

Meanwhile, over at Via Chicago, Jon has been putting together his year-end lists and is doing a smashing job of it. Starting with an Intro and then continuing into his EPs and Reissues, he is merely getting warmed up. Part III has his Favorite Songs of the Year, and is highly recommended. He not only lists 100 tracks worth checking out, he links virtually all of them to youtube videos where you can quickly make your own estimation. We can assume the album list is on its way, but given how comprehensive his work has been thus far, let's cut Jon some slack and be patient. Besides, you have a lot of new music to listen to!

There's just one Hitch - Erik Lundegaard has been posting some comprehensive and insightful reviews of Alfred Hitchcock films. Probably not worth reading if you haven't seen the movies in question because of the spoilers. But surely you've seen some of these masterpieces, right? The list thus far:

• The 39 Steps
• Notorious
• Vertigo
• Psycho
• The Birds
  

No, not that AFI - Trey Hock of Scene Stealers has been counting down the AFI's top 100 movies of all time. He's about halfway done having recently delivered a top notch review of A Streetcar Named Desire. Trey has kept up a pretty amazing pace. I can't even seem to get through 50 albums yet he keeps churning through these movies (many of which he doesn't end up liking). From Streetcar you can access the previous 53 reviews and look for your favorites.

Unyielding Commissioning Apologizes for Being Away So Long

...though it may be a while for the next one, too.

I like your shirt, guy - Esquire magazine gives you the 75 movies a guy must see. Actually, it's a pretty strong list overall, despite some suspect inclusions (The Incredibles and The Big Kahuna?). But there are a lot of gems in here. I was of course happy to see The Terminator as well as The Warriors, All Quiet on the Western Front, and Paths of Glory. What's missing? You could name a lot, but to me the most obvious exclusions is Conan the Barbarian. Anyway, worth checking out to see if you're a real man. More on that concept very, horribly soon. Also, in case you're still looking for movies to watch, check out the Hidden Gems we dug up on the IMDb Top 250.

At least it's an ethos - The AV Club has been doing a regular "new cult films" feature, and it was only a matter of time before they got around to our favorite new cult film, The Big Lebowksi. The feature is definitely worth a read. It's a unique take and features some very worthwhile clips from the film. A really good point, and one that I hadn't thought of quite this way serves as my favorite line of the piece:

The Coens wrote The Big Lebowski with Jeff Bridges specifically in mind as The Dude, and it’s one of those roles so instantly iconic that it would be hard to imagine anyone else pulling it off. Bridges is, in my view, the greatest actor alive, and what’s striking about his work as The Dude is his utter lack of vanity and self-consciousness. Playing a long-in-the-tooth stoner burnout would seem to invite a cartoonish goofiness—and many of the supporting characters in the film exhibit just that—but Bridges slips Zen-like into his skin and doesn’t go mugging for effect.

Of course, if you want something a bit more in-depth that is also historical, check out how we applied The Big Lewboski to the 2008 primaries. Ah, the memories. that seems so long ago now...

If it bleeds we can kill it - Sorry, that's the best intro I can give because I haven't seen the film in years and years. But someone over at Scene Stealers has given us the Top Ten Reasons Predator 2 is the Best Predator Movie in the "Franchise". Again, it's been years, and after going over the first one in our initial Schwarzenegger Sunday, I find it hard to believe that the sequel tops it. But read for yourself.

Just like it sounds - Check out these 30 Awesomely Bad Unicorn Tattoos. Seriously, be a man and click the link. Here's just a taste of what awaits you:

Unyielding Commissioning has little to say

Bow Down - Go here for the best Onion Article regarding the movies in recent memory. It's freaking hilarious. Just go.

Mothership Connection - The AV Club turns their flashlight onto P-Funk. Check it out.

A Huge Pile Of Unyielding Commissioning

So it's been a while since we linked to anything. You're getting a boatload today, people. Dig in!

Even the losers get lucky sometimes - Scene Stealers drops another great list: Top Ten Oscar Nominated Movies With Zero Wins.

Take the test - In the lead-up to the Oscars, the gang over at Mental Floss did a series of movie quizzes. Try Gone With the Wind (I got 7/16), The Good the Bad and the Ugly (10/15), Quiz Show (9/16), or The Big Lebowski (do you have to ask? - wait a sec - 10/12 - whaaaa?)


OK, there's some TV we actually like around here - More quizzes! From Arrested Development, name all the Bluths in four minutes. I forgot about one and forgot the name for another. It hasn't even been that long! Simpsons Guest Star quiz (13/15 - rats!). A Mr. Burns Quiz (8/15 - hard!). I hope that leaves you quizzed out.

Still waiting for the real version - The Onioin's AV Club does an in-depth review of Eyes Wide Shut. I haven't seen this film since the theaters, but I still believe it's underrated. Great job by Scott Tobias in this trip down memory lane.

Two Thumbs Up - Roger Ebert looks back on his memories of his old friend Gene Siskel. That one's a great read. Another strong one is his recent declaration that he's done with snark. Good luck with that, Rog. Wait a sec, that was kinda snarky. I apologize.

A Small Victory - Holy Crap! Faith No More is back together and playing a show in Europe. It appears that this reunion will be without guitarist Jim Martin, but that's hardly a surprise. The other bands at this festival generally suck ass, and I have to think that they are only there for the paycheck. Sharing a stage with Korn and Slipknot? It just seems so beneath them. I should note that FNM was always much bigger in Europe than in the US. Their performance headlining the 1995 Phoenix Festival in Stratford on Avon, England remains one of the greatest shows I've ever seen, thanks in no small part to a gigantic field full of insane fans. Also, one of the first things I ever wrote in this here blog was a defense of the band against claims that they spawned all the horrendous bands that, uhhhh, appear to be playing this same festival.

He solves problems - Want some new tunes? Having a party and in need of some jams? Head over to Mister Wolf's Mixtape Mania for a frequent update of the latest rock and roll for your soul. Seriously, check these mixes out. Here's hoping Mr. Wolf keeps turning it up!

Unyielding Commissioning Has a Case of the Fridays

Kreepy Kissing - Scene Stealers delivers the Top Ten weirdo/unlikely couples in the movies. Speaking of creepy, the dudes from Spinal Tap are looking ooooold. And looking for sponsorship. I recommend Isotoner Gloves.

I'd like to thank Police Academy - Did these notable actors ever win an Oscar? A quiz from Mental Floss. I notched 13/15, but only becuase I got stupid halfway through.

I can see the music! - Roger Ebert pushes the bounds of existential blogging. Uhhh, I don't even really get this one. Can anyone help?

Don't bring me down, Bruce - Also from Scene Stealers, in case you are in need of a last-minute gift, buy yourself some extra time by sending a Saint Balentines e-card to your sweetie right away. If you don't get it, then it isn't funny. But it's funny. See?

Unyielding Commisioning Digs Deep During a Slow News Week

Blooooood! - Stumbled across an old posting of the Top 70 Vampire Movies of all time. As you might imagine, it's rather comprehensive. No, Once Bitten is not among them, thus adding to the validity of the list. I wonder where Twilight would end up if they revamped it. Uh, did I just say "revamped"? My apologies.

We'll do it live! - In case you haven't heard Christian Bale's meltdown on the set of the new Terminator film, it's worth a listen. I already had major doubts about the McG-helmed picture, but this.... does not bode well.

Awwwwww - Eric drops his Top Ten RoCos!

Yeah, but what about how dirty your fingers get? - Roger Ebert compares reading the paper to reading the web. Worth a read. Ugh. Let's just stop there, OK?

Unyielding Commissioning Has a Bucket at the Ready

Oscar approaches - The Trib's Michael Phillips gives his Oscar rundown. You probably remember Phillips as the most frequent guest who filled in on At the Movies when Roger Ebert lost his voice due to illness. He's a very opinionated critic and made a good foil to Roeper's fluffy approach. Anyway, I dug his approach on this one.

Roll the credits already - Neatorama gives us the backstory on the six most famous Hollywood logos. Looking at them all lined up together, you have to admit that Warner Brothers is the coolest.

He bent his wookie - Mental Floss offers a Ralph Wiggum Test. I scored a 9/15. Really poor showing by me, and on five of those six misses, a little more thought would have gotten me to the right answer.

The new Village Voice? - The New York Times seems to keep getting more interested in non-mainstream music lately. First they had their infatuation with Andrew Bird's latest release, and now they have a pretty fluffy feature on the new album by Franz Ferdinand. The words are nothing earth-shattering, but embedded in the story, you can spin two songs from the album which are both friggin' fantastic, indicating that the album is a must-buy. (First Blush coming if I can get my hands on a copy here in Argentina).

Grodyyyy - Scene Stealers grosses us out with the Top 10 Unnerving Movie Scenes. I've only seen two of the movies listed and I'm pretty much OK with stopping there.

Unyielding Commissioning Hates Hitting the Wrong Button

...which it already did So let's get those links out quickly.

The return of a favorite - Buffalo Beast has their annual list of the 50 most loathsome people of the year. As always, it's informative and hilarious.

You can't do that on television - Mental Floss gives us 10 great notable moments in Music Censorship

Blast from the past - Some old guy lays out his 10 Best American Movies. Not your typical list! His only post-1980 choice: Groundhog Day.

Please just calmly not from now on - Some scientist dudes say that headbanging is hazardous to your health. Thank God Kevin DuBrow isn't around to hear this news! Incidentally, I once injured myself headbanging. I had just picked up Helmet's landmark album, Meantime, and being a junior in high school, my hair was kinda long. I accidentally whipped myself in the eye, which led to a cut and then after that, an infection.

Orbison approved - Roger Ebert talks about crying at the movies, and how it makes us feel good. Another superb blog posting from Roger.

There goes your morning - Have some fun with the David Lee Roth Running With the Devil soundboard. The only reason the internet exists. All other websites are worthless by comparison. (ht: Dan)

Just some great news! - This is more pro-freedom than anything George Bush has ever done. Obama's choice to head the FCC is pro-net neutrality.

Unyielding Comissioning Is Watching Football via Illegal Methods

...so don't expect much commentary today

Julia Roberts can ruin your life - Before you say "duh", be sure you read about this recent study which proves that people who watch romantic comedies aren't as good at the whole "real life dating" thing. Before you ask, no there was not a separate sample for Dane Cook/Ashton Kutcher fans.

Well it's about damn time - The Terminator has been chosen by the Library of Congress for the National Film Registry. An American classic, it deserves the recognition. Now if we could just get T2 in there.

Jan 20 can't get here fast enough - Andrew Bird has been getting a ton of press in the New York Times, writing Op-Ed pieces for them during the recording of his album. Now comes a profile piece about his upcoming release. It's nothing groundbreaking for anyone who's a fan, but leaves me excited for "inauguration day" nonetheless.

Gaaaaaahhhh - You don't want to read this. VH1 has a "100 greatest hard rock songs." Might be the dumbest list to date. I'll cite only one example: #66 Europe - "The Final Countdown"

Not a dumb list - The Playlist has been one of the most interesting, lively, and insightful movie blogs on the internet for two years running. Here is their list of the 20 best movies of 2008. Highly recommended. Also worth checking out, Kozy's top films (all viewed in Amsterdam!).

And while we're at it - We link them all the time because their lists are fun and interesting. This week, go check out Eric's Top Ten Movies of the Year.

It's T-shirt weather here in South America, anyway - Jaws 5, the T-shirt (Jaws in Space). No, it's not a real movie. Yet.

Unyielding Commissioning Full Of Itself Sometimes Too

Good one - As an aspiring writer, I find it sometimes helps to go back to things I've written that I thought were good or clever. It's useful for two reasons. 1) I often realize that I wasn't so good or clever, and it is a nice reminder that progress can be made (and hopefully has been made). 2) It turns out that the line was indeed quite a good one and it's fun to feel like you put something good together. It's nice to see that one of the best writers working today, Roger Ebert, engages in the same type of self-aggrandizement. Today in his blog, he looks back on some of his favorite lines from the thousands of reviews he's penned. Maybe of them are derogatory zingers, a way of dealing with the pain of enduring horrendous films. As you might imagine, it's a very long list (and continues to get longer as fans leave reminders of their favorites in the comments section). Here's one that made me chuckle:

It was W. C. Fields who hated to appear in the same scene with a child, a dog, or a plunging neckline--because nobody in the audience would be looking at you. Jennifer Aniston has the same problem in this movie even when she's in scenes all by herself. -- "Picture Perfect"

And this one:

Two things that cannot be convincingly faked are laughter and orgasm. If a movie made you laugh, as a critic you have to be honest and report that. Not so much with orgasms.

Still that time of year - Now Greg Kot has declared his top ten concerts of the year. His list is vastly superior that of his colleague, Jim DeRogatis, and Greg and I actually have the same #1s - Stevie Wonder at Taste of Chicago. Jim's still going with his year-end lists, giving us his worst/most overrated albums.

ITTOYA - Over at Baby, You've Got A Stew Goin', Steve is laying out all kinds of end-of-the-year lists. His favorite albums, songs, books, even TV shows. (There are good TV shows? I had no idea.) Rather than link each of those individually, I simply direct you his way so you can peruse on your own.

ITTOYA, Part IX - The Onion's AV Club has a great rundown of the year's best films. Reading their list, one can't help but note what a weak year it was. Decades from now, we'll be looking back at 2007 as one of the great years in cinema history. 2008, not so much, but in case you're wondering what to rent or watch, they provide an excellent year-end roundup.

Everything's coming up Milhouse - Mental Floss presents a Milhouse Van Houten quiz. And just in time for Christmas! I scored 11/12. How'd you do?

Tohhhh-gah tohhh-gah! - Yes, I find myself linking to Scene Stealers Top Ten list every week. But that's only because they keep putting out great lists. This one leaves something to be desired, but only because there are so many examples of Great Movie Party Scenes that just can't fit into the list. However, it seems that every time they make a list I end up leaving a comment about a John Landis movie that they forgot. I don't know why this keeps happening, especially because he only has five movies that I really dig. Mayeb they each have a slice of life that can be found in a top ten list... But this time, he tops the list. Go take a look in case you haven't figured out which one I'm talking about yet.

HOOOooooo! - Someone put a lot of effort into this. No, as far as I know there isn't a real Thundercats movie in the works, but who needs real when someone can throw this together for us? (HT: TMB)

Unyielding Commissioning Explosively Excited

For all you Big Jim Slade fans - To be released in 2009, Black Dynamite is apparently a real movie. And while it is clearly a send up of 1970s Blacksploitation theater, it has also done us the favor of taking itself very, very seriously. Even the soundtrack seems promising. Please. I'm begging you. Go watch the trailer. Note that it is definitely not safe for work, unless you work in a brothel. Odds that this film gets an airing in Buenos Aires: 2.3%. Odds that I fly back just so I can watch it: 8%. Odds I find a way to see it eventually: 100%. There is no official release date yet, but everything about this seems badassss....

It's still that time of year - Hear Ya Indie Music Blog is running down their top 50 albums of the year. Unlike most of these, year-end lists, this one is actually interesting. #s 50-41 went up on Monday, and 40-31 arrived yesterday. Each album listed has an mp3 so you can check out the band yourself. The list is highly recommended for your musical edification. Watch their site for updates throughout this week.

Abiding their time - Requisite report from Lebowskifest brought to you this time by the New York Times. Honestly, everyone I know who's attended the festival came away perturbed by the level of pretension and how all the attendees tried to out-Dude one another. But any mainstream media coverage of this phenomenon is a welcome thing. They did go and actually speak with original Dude, Jeff Dowd, and ask him about the white russian thing. His summation: they're tasty.

Looking a lot like that time of year - Greg Kot of the Tribune runs down the year's best boxed sets. Then he gives you his favorite albums of the year. His choice for #1 comes as no surprise based on his previous ovations - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

Everywhere you go - Jim DeRogatis also weighs in on the albums of the year. His choice - also Nick Cave. Maybe these dudes are hanging out together too much. Personally, I found the Nick Cave album to be fine, but nothing remotely as earth-shattering as they are trying to convince us. Jim also lists his top ten concerts of the year.

Naughty and nice - Scene Stealers is in the giving mood and drops two Top Ten lists on us. First, Top Ten non-Christmas Christmas movies. Second, Top Ten Christmas Scenes. Note that no movies end up on both lists. I had no idea Eric was such a yen for Yule... As per usual, both lists are highly entertaining. Check 'em out...

Unyielding Commissioning Has Had About Enough

Smashed - Greg Kot interviews Billy Corgan and more amazing blather comes out of his mouth. There is some interesting material, but with Corgan, you never know when he's going to reverse himself, so it must all be taken with a big grain of salt. Most notable is that he seems to admit that Zeitgeist isn't very good and that they've gotten better through touring. That was my exact premise for why the album was so weak. Still, Billy's always entertaining. My favorite quote:

"We didn’t come back for the cash, we came back to be great again. It made me mad that people thought we’re done, that we don’t have a future. Get out. We don’t want you. We’ve never been that band. That happy band. We picked up where we left off. We’re not the retirement band playing our old hits. ... I don’t give a [expletive] that most of my heroes got lame when they turned 40. I spent most of the last decade thinking about that. Why do they go from this insanely high level of work to diminished echoes of the past? And I think it’s a coziness thing. You do something amazing and you don’t want to lose the crowd that tells you that’s amazing. You’re out in the cold. Well we like to be out in the cold. We’re done with the record business, so we’re free to do whatever I want."

At this point, I feel like you can just throw out any topic to Corgan and he'll go off on an insane rant. For instance, if you were to walk up to him and say, I dunno, "Toaster!" His response would probably be something like:

"D'arcy wanted to take a toaster on tour because she was obsessed with having chunky peanut butter slightly melted on her PB&Js. This was back when we were driving around in a rented van and didn't have anyone's help with anything. James was still dating her and was totally conflicted because he knew it was a dumb [expletive] idea, but it was his girlfriend. So we battled over this [expletive] toaster for three weeks before we left town and it was one of the things the band never came back from. But [expletive] that. I don't want to talk about the past and all of those things. We're a new [expletive] band."

It's that time of year - The Onion's AV Club goes through their picks for the top 30 albums of 2008. Aside from Death Cab for Cutie being too high, it's a pretty solid effort.

It's that time of year, part II - Roger Ebert declares his top 20 movies of 2008. Alas, the move to Buenos Aires means that I've only seen, like, three of these. And I call myself a movie blogger. Anyway, as with just about anything written by Ebert, this one is worth reading.

Strike up the band, turn off the random - Eric over at Scene Stealers lays out his top ten fictional movie bands. Also, in the comment section, I scuffle with someone over the most insignificant of problems. Yay internets!

Denied - Mental Floss has a quiz about actors who were nearly cast in famous roles. It's a tougher quiz because you have to identify the lie instead of the ture statement. I don't know why. 8/10 for me. How'd you do?

Unyielding Commissioning Woefully Short On Content

Hanging On - Phil Rosenthal reports that so far, the removal of Richard Roeper and "friends" from the cast of "At the Movies" has led to a downturn in the show's ratings. Very much like Rosenthal, my first inclination was "serves the bastards right!" But also very much like Rosenthal, I then realized that they're actually doing pretty well. Time will tell if this dumbed-down version of the show takes hold. I'm guessing that they're in serious trouble in the long run. I've always liked Ben Mankiewicz's work on The Young Turks, if not his delivery. Ben Lyons, on the other hand, is by all accounts a dummy. We'll see if the public likes their reviews dumbed down and corporatized.

Speaking of Bens - Roger Ebert really lets Ben Stein have it over his pro-Intelligent Design "documentary." This is a long piece, but freaking hilarious.

They're Not Gonna Take It - The Trib runs down the worst holiday albums of all time. What's the best of all time? Of course, it's Fishbone's It's a Wonderful Life EP!

Big Girls Don't Cry - Scene Stealers' Latest top ten - Gigantic Women! No, Amazon Women on the Moon is not included. I think they have a no Guttenberg clause over there.

Unyielding Commissioning Wanes Nostalgically

Your City To Burn - Jim DeRogatis is in full-on nostalgia mode with the Smashing Pumpkins' (kinda) reunion tour blowing through Chicago. First, he looks back on the four biggest Chicago acts of the early 90s and laments that they're not bringing the good rawk nowadays. Jim talked about this on Sound Opinions back in August, but is bringing it up in more detail this time. Money quote:

Whatever mistakes they might make... from the perspective of the mid-'90s, it was hard to imagine the bands of the alternative moment ever becoming the artistically stilted, cash-hungry or pathetically reactionary dinosaurs that preceded them.

Sadly, the argument can be made that that's exactly what's happened.

Hey, it happens. Most bands don't age too well after four years. How many musical acts truly have legs? It's a rare thing. Going beyond Chicago and looking at the entire early-90s alternative scene, I can only name the following bands that put out anything remotely interesting post 2000:
Dinosaur Jr.
Fishbone (playing the Double Door on 11/22!)
The Flaming Lips
Nine Inch Nails
Tool
Radiohead

But Jim then goes one step further and pulls up four previous columns he wrote on the Smashing Pumpkins. There was a time when I would have pored over every word, but now I feel like I'm too busy. Or I don't care that much (perhaps because I live in South America and can't exactly see these shows). And today, he reviews last night's show. Sounds like it had its moments, but was far from mind-blowing. Greg Kot review is here.

Great Scott! - Christopher Lloyd's house burned down. Bummer.

Still Good Dudes - Your every-so-often update on the two main characters from Hoop Dreams. Seems like they're both doing pretty well and are, like, even older than I am. Weird.

Cleared for arrival - Stereogum checks in on Andrew Bird's progress. The new album doesn't come out until mid-January.

Somewhat Frightening - Another quiz from Mental Floss. This time it's name actresses in bad horror movies early in their careers. I think I got around 85% or so, but I can't even remember anymore.

Shaken, not good - Scene Stealers presents the Top Ten Worst Bond Movies. There have only been 23 Bond movies and the fact that they can make a top ten worst (and still receive complaints about what was omitted) tells you why Mike Myers had such a successful experience spoofing them.

Hear his train a comin' - Mitch Mitchell passed away last week at the age of 61. He and Noel Redding were often blasted as not being talented enough to share the stage with Jimi Hendrix, but one could then ask for a list of people that would meet such a standard (the list in its entirety: Stevie Wonder, James Brown). Mitchell didn't pound as hard as Keith Moon or some of his other contemporaries, but his wild, aggressive style perfectly set the table for Jimi's frenetic riffing. Yet, on the tunes that weren't trying to run you over, such as "Wait Until Tomorrow", his agile rhythms and deft approach served each song perfectly. I've been spinning nothing but Hendrix for the last week and appreciating Mitchell as much as ever. Here's Dan's unique take. But now, watch Mitch go to work:

Unyielding Commissioning Picks On Dumb Nerds

Check that marquee again, son - From YPR, a list of ill-conceived musical double bills. They did leave out Bush / ...and you will know us by the trail of dead, but it's a pretty hilarious list. The R. Kelly one is easily my favorite. But I won't ruin it for you. Go see for yourself.

Flunking science class - This had to be hastily done. Newarama has their Top 5 Plausible Science Fiction Films. #1 is 2001: A Space Odyssey. That's an easy call and absolutely accurate. From there, the list decends in to an utter joke. #2: The Truman Show - they view it as plausible because Survivor and Big Brother exist. Um, those people signed up to be on television. You know how much the set alone would cost for The Truman Show? Let alone all the actors and everything else? Please. There's no way such a program stays on the air for 30 years. #3 Gattaca - OK, we'll give you that one. #4 Iron Man. Iron Man?!? Come on. #5 Jurassic Park. I'm willing to accept that the premise is inherently feasible, and maybe the book makes a more compelling argument, but the film is an overt exercise in fantasy. There is nothing about it even pretending to be realistic. So instead of just complaining and acting like a smartass here's my rebuttal:

A much better top 5:
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2. Blade Runner
3. Children of Men
4. Gattaca
5. The Abyss

Just like the phrase itself - Over at Scene Stealers, Eric provides us with his Top Ten Movie Series that have jumped the shark. Aside from picking the wrong film of the series for his #1, it's pretty spot-on.

And since we seem kinda light today, here's something that someone reminded me you should see because reading is fundamental!

Unyielding Commissioning Gets Enlightened a Bit

Missed Him and Will Miss Him More - Ever heard of Nathaniel Mayer? I hadn't, but over at HearYa, they tell the news of his passing this week. With a rasp that would make Tom Waits blush, and fuzzy blues riffs that would do the same to the Black Keys, he's right up my alley. Check out "Lonely Man" over here, and judge for yourself.

Someone's Been Eating My Porridge - And it's the Country Bears! You may remember a few months ago, we examined the actors most devoted to their paycheck, or at least with the most egregious examples. Well, now Mental Floss gives you the chance to guess which awful movies actually featured Christopher Walken (our #2 biggest Paycheck Hound), and which did not. He's got that many duds. I scored 15/18, see if you can beat it.

Mo' Music! - Check out the newest, latest, greatest music and entertainment website, Shockhound.com. They've got loads of music for sale, reviews, t-shirts, and your own customizable community features. Definitely an interesting new endeavor.

I can't pronounce it either - Sigur Ros has a new video. It's all very film school senior project, but the song's great! Check it out at Stereogum. They also have a new Smashing Pumpkins video I couldn't manage to get to play. But you can give it a shot if you're inclined.

Speaking of Grant Park - Lollapalooza also rallied and has signed a 10-year contract. Let's hope they can get their act together in coming years and not rest on their laurels. This past summer's was easily the worst (in terms of music anyway) of the four so far.

Proudly Standing Up - Roger Ebert laces into George Bush for appointing Lee Greenwood to a six year term on the National Council of the Arts. Then he backs things off a bit and gives Mr. Greenwood some marginal credit for living a long ass time. I've said this before, but Ebert's really hitting his stride as a blogger, even if he goes too light on the snark sometimes.

This List Is Overrated - Scene Stealers list this week is the Top Ten Overrated Films of all time. As you might imagine, it's generating a lot of discussion. Gladiator, the most overrated entity on the planet, only made the honorable mention list. Just a reminder, I recently posted a Top Ten of my own over in those parts. Considerably less commentary on that one. Go leave a note if you're bored or somethin'.

Unyielding Commissioning Fights The Law

Baby You Can Drive My Car - Mental Floss has a quiz based on cars named in song lyrics. Kinda neat. I think I aced it, but it's been a week and I can't remember. How's you do? Also, while we're at it, here's a Beatles quiz. Not only did I not ace it, I flunked. Bad.

Wistful Thinking - I'm starting to get a little worried about Roger Ebert. Not because there is any kind of decline in his work - on the contrary, his blog has been truly amazing as of late. But because he seems to be so focused on summing up his life. Like he's writing his electronic memoirs or something. First he very thoughtfully contemplates his life without a voice and the nature of communication itself. Then he lays out his ethical ground rules for movie critics. My favorite bullet point:

Beware of verbal parallelism. Never make a statement such as, "I like women in real life, but I didn't like 'The Women'." Readers may write you sharing that they loved "JFK," but they fly out of O'Hare.

The whole thing is definitely worth a read whether you ever want to review a movie or not. Whoops, just broke Rule #1!

Down the Youtubes - Well, it took a really long time, but they've finally done it. MTV has put together a relatively decent video site. Go here to check out thousands upon thousands of your favorite videos. I highly recommend this classic. Or if you're up for something more blatant, this'n. Seriously, though, say goodbye to the rest of your day.

Classical but not classic - But I'm not sure. Yo Yo Ma and Andrew Bird diddle around on their instruments a bit. I guess it's something.

Watch for the Wrath of Wesley - For some strange reason, the Chicago Tribune has named their 25 worst TV shows of all time. First of all, just 25? I could give you 100 in a few minutes. Secondly, Mr. Belvedere? I'm not going to try to tell you that it was the greatest show in history, but it was fifteen times the show that, say, Just the Ten of Us was. Also unfairly maligned, The Ropers. The show had no business existing, but Normal Fell is always a good time. Plus, to condemn shows that were only on for five episodes is kinda dumb, especially when Melrose Place is sitting there, unnamed. Seriously, when you go to name the worst musicians of all time, you don't talk about the guy in your cul de sac who plays in his garage on Saturday mornings.

What in the Heck's a Barack Obama (from The Onion)

Unyielding Commissioning Braids Its Hair

The Bloom is Off - The new GNR album, Chinese Democracy arrives exclusively at Best Buy on November 23rd. However, you can listen to the first single, also titled "Chinese Democracy" right now! Just click here. Didja listen? What did you think? It's better than anything by The Darkness. Is that a compliment? Honestly, I thought it was way better than I expected. That's right. It was mediocre. Greg Kot agrees, but isn't as nice about it. At least it reminds me of Klosterman's hilarious review (note the date, please). That's gotta count for something, right?

Top o the Topps - Levi Stubbs, the lead voice behind legendary Motown group The For Topps passed away the other day. They were probably never in my personal, principal tier for Motown work, but they definitely led the second. I could go on, but Dan said it way better than I could hope to, so check out his writeup while I go listen to "Bernadette" for the 17th time today.

Ridin' Around Town like Mike Gravel - Jens Lekman sings his song "Black Cab" in the back of an actual black cab. And the only instrumental backing is one of those thumb pianos.

Walkin' Around the Park like Mike Gravel - The Verve's latest video from their album Forth is kind of boring. At least it matches the song. Yet, I link anyway! Check it out.

Leaving The Lights On Tonight - Also, here's Eric from Scene Stealers' Top Ten Scariest Movie Themes.