Movie Log 2007: #58-61

24 Hour Party People - This could have jumped from very-good to great had there been less Happy Mondays, and a lot less "tell, don't show" that they were some sort of geniuses. But I liked the way the movie intercut archival footage, and the Howard Devoto cameo was priceless.

Punk's Not Dead - This documentary was well-meaning, but in the end I'm not sure it proved its titular thesis. It's nice that bands like the Adicts and Buzzcocks are still touring. But then they spend most of the film talking to organizers of the Warped Tour, and some rep from Hot Topic, and the likes of Good Charlotte and My Chemical Romance; and give just a little attention to the organic DIY scenes still popping up around the world (the Russian kids look like fun).

Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea - Another feel-bad documentary, this one about the troubled saline lake and the people who still live near its ghost resorts. For a couple of condo payments, we could by a big swath of land in the desert....cool! But after seeing this I'll never eat tilapia again.

Maxed Out! - How the credit industry preys on underinformed consumers (and especially people who have previously filed for bankruptcy), who then get get into debt cycles that ultimately lead to suicide in some cases. Meh...I felt bad for maybe three people in the film. The elderly woman who was talked into having her 40-ish retarded son transfer their mortgage (signing in block letters he had to copy) to one they couldn't afford was particularly heartbreaking. But most of the people they talked to just blithely "got some credit and lost they damn minds" to paraphrase Chris Rock, and then cried victim. The only real nod to any sort of personal-responsibility plan is in a DVD extra. This could have been something more than Super Size Me for banks.

CHICAGO CATCHER BECOMES PARIAH, TRADED OUT OF TOWN

That headline seemed destined to come true over the past couple of years. Of course everyone would have guessed the other guy.

And there's my one Chicago sports observation for 2007. Was it good for you too?

I recently finished The Money and the Power, a look into the corrupt history of Las Vegas. It wasn't the best book to read in 35-minute spurts while working out, but it'd still be of interest to Craig, given its place in American history from Kefauver through the Kennedys; and Rostron, as Mormon money funding organized crime is a common theme. The Mormons and mobsters are described as getting along because they had in common business acumen, loyalty, and unquestioning obedience.

Movie Log 2007: #41-57

In no order. Also, I've started a collaborative movie blog here.

Wasabi
Hugo Pool
part of a MDN we attended. I remember very little abut them because we spent most of our time decorating these figurines.
The Heart of the Game
Knocked Up
Spidey 3
Hostel Part 2 - I reject the term "torture porn" as something concocted by lazy critics. That doesn't mean this movie holds up much past its initial horrors. I'll probably have more to say about this at the other site.
Nacho Libre
We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen
Helvetica
Superman Returns
Children of Men
The Queen
The Squid and the Whale - When K. I were in college we once at at the Thai place near campus, and overheard a loud, pompous, tweedy gentleman dining with two female acolytes. He described menu items at length, and declared one dish to have a "distinct summery flavor." In honor of Jeff Daniels' character, we declared this film to be Distinct Summery Flavor: The Movie.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Maybe because I have no stake in the comics at all, and think Galactus was best skewered in the Tick episode "Alone Together," but I rather enjoyed this, and had a better time then at the bewildering Spidey 3.
Inside Man
Lord of the Flies (1963)
Casino Royale (2006)

"Stay Hungry," indeed...
Any restaurant playing Talking Heads' More Songs About Buildings and Food album as I walk in is going to become an instant favorite with me.

Also, we got to try the freaky soda Rosenberg told us about. It wasn't the worst thing ever, and certainly complemented a bacon sausage with caramelized onions and brie.

It's not like I went to Europe and back or got thrown in and out of jail since I last had anything to say. In the interim I:

- had an anniversary
- went curling
- went to MN to see the family
- and of course, saw a crapload of movies, which I'll have to write up separately.