iPhone... silly

How many people are going to waste $500 on this gadget? Why does anyone need a phone that can do all of these things?

People get so caught up in buying the latest and the greatest because they want to say they own it. They want to show it off to friends; they want to boost their image and self-worth. But, do they really need all the features on the iPhone? Most people don't.

Like the 500 channels on satellite TV, it's fun to say that you have it, but you really end up watching the same 10 channels you've always been watching.

And by the way, I don't understand iPods either, but I'll save that for another time...

Ratatouille brats

I had one of those unfortunate viewing experiences that happen from time to time when seeing a "family film."

The kid to my right fell asleep and started snoring unbelievably loud; her parent didn't seem to think this was a problem. After 10 minutes of the distracting noise, I found another seat, only to discover that the kid in front of me liked to bounce up and down, up and down, up and down. His parent didn't seem to think this was a problem either.

I liked "Ratatouille," although I didn't leave the theater with the same euphoria I had when I saw "The Incredibles." Then again, I was distracted so often during the movie by those little audience members that I feel I need to give the film another try.

Feist - 1 2 3 4

At the USC gym, one is forced to listed to whatever mtvU is playing. The music videos they air are rarely good, but this one caught my eye and actually made me forget about that next set for a couple of minutes.

Rube Goldberg to the Max

Classical Barbie Girl

Katsak Cat Toy

The commentary is brilliant, just brilliant.

Arcade Fire @ Hollywood Bowl

Arcade Fire will be playing with LCD Soundsystem at the Hollywood Bowl on Thurs, Sept. 20.

I missed Arcade Fire the last time they were in L.A., but I don't plan to make that mistake again.

Tickets go on sale this Saturday. Who's with me?

Joe Hisaishi - Howl's Moving Castle theme

And might as well vouch for "Howl's Moving Castle" yet again. As time passes, I become more and more certain that this is a perfect score.

Underground theme

One of the great modern film scores...

Binary marble adding machine

This video is for Vinny.

Oscar-worthy performance

Love it

If only this was real...

AFI and Beyond

So, the AFI list didn't have many surprises, but it is a better list than the one they released 10 years ago.

People like to bitch about lists, because face it, no list is going to please everyone. But the AFI is a pretty damn good one. It's hampered by the fact that all the films have to be American (apparently being British is okay too). Yes, the U.S. is king when it comes to cinema, but this denies the worthy works from the Big Three (France, Italy, Japan), as well as many other countries.

There were also some odd omissions - "Barry Lyndon," "The Third Man," "Touch of Evil." I still think "The Producers" was denied a spot, and I was sad to see "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" voted off.

But, overall, it's a wonderful list. It's wonderful to see a Scorsese film ("Raging Bull") in the top 10. How wise of them to know that "Vertigo" is truly Hitchcock's best film, that "City Lights" is Chaplin's finest, and that "2001: A Space Odyssey" deserves to be in the Top 15. And that "Titanic," despite its unwarranted backlash, is an American classic.

You could do a lot worse than using the AFI list as a Netflix guide.

Battles - Atlas

While on the topic of cool music videos...

Dungen - Familj

One of my favorite songs this year just got a very awesome and totally trippy music video.

AFI Top 100

On Wednesday night, the American Film Institute will unveil its list of the 100 greatest American movies of all time.

This is the second time they've made such a list, the last being 10 years ago. I remember watching that TV special. I was 12 years old, and at the time I was wondering what the hell this "Citizen Kane" movie was all about.

The Top 10 on the 1997 list were:

1. Citizen Kane
2. Casablanca
3. The Godfather
4. Gone With the Wind
5. Lawrence of Arabia
6. The Wizard of Oz
7. The Graduate
8. On the Waterfront
9. Schindler's List
10. Singin' in the Rain

This time around, I think the top 3 will remain the same, but in what order? Will voters have gotten tired of hearing that "Kane" is the supposed best film of all time? Perhaps, and that may clear the way for "Casablanca" or "Godfather."

Logically, one should never bet against "Kane," but I'm going to predict a "Casablanca" upset just for the fun of it.

Oh boy, aren't lists fun? And completely meaningless, too.

There Will Be Blood

The absolutely astounding promo trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson's next film, starring Daniel Day-Lewis:

The Night of the Hunter

Charles Laughton's "The Night of the Hunter" (1955), which I watched for the first time yesterday night, is without a doubt one of the best American films ever made.

Here's a film that came out in the middle of the idyllic, Eisenhower 1950s, that concerns itself with a Christian preacher who engages in a series of despicable acts (which I will refrain from specifying) - and he does so all in the name of God.

Releasing such a film today would garner a swift backlash from the conservative Christian community. Of course, it really shouldn't. It's not that radical of an idea that something that is intended for good (i.e. Christianity and The Bible) can be misinterpreted to do evil.

Laughton's film shows both the appropriate and the condemnable ways one can interpret Scripture, and in a chillingly poetic scene, the two sides face off in a way that's so brilliant, I dare not spoil it.

In fact, I've already said too much regarding the plot. At least I can mention the style, in which the legendary cinematographer Stanley Cortez infuses shots of the sunny South with a brutal tinge of German Expressionism.

There are images to savor, a few of which are posted below. And of course, I'm leaving out the most famous image of all, but it's a spoiler... so you'll just have to dive in yourself.

"You Kill Me" Premiere

My Variety article on the "You Kill Me" premiere, which was the first movie premiere I've ever attended, was published today. You can read it here.

And no, "perfand" is not a word. It's an internet typo where the words "perf" (as in performance) and "and" got combined. However, I do think "perfand" is accidentally one of the coolest non-words around.

Hitler Gets Banned

Of course, most people won't know that this is from the stunning movie, "Downfall." Oh well, it's funny nonetheless.

Photosynth

Here's proof that computers have just begun to change the way we view the world around us.