'Lawrence of Arabia'

A magnificent film. This should be required viewing for every American. Made more than 40 years ago, it speaks volumes in trying to explain the current situation in the Mideast. And it's a perfect companion to "Syriana," another brilliant film about Western and first-world influence in the Mideast.

Most extraordinary is the battle and definition of "barbarism" versus "civility."

Both finding a battleground in Lawrence's own head and heart. Once a champion for the latter, he learns that the former is so ingrained into the people of the area that it's impossible to truly escape. Furthermore, the people don't embrace irrationality and violence by choice. It's in their blood as the sand washes over them by time. The land is barbaric, so must its people be.

Some gorgeous shots. It's one thing to film in a beautiful place, but it's another to capture shots such as are seen in "Lawrence of Arabia."

'From Elvis in Memphis'

I always wonder if Elvis Presley was doing what he wanted, music-wise.

Personally, to go from gospel, to rock, to soul, to blues and back again between albums sounds fantastic and if I had to place money on the question, I would assume that the King had a blast making albums like this.

Basically rolling into one of the greatest music cities in the world, taking your pick from the best players in the world and making whatever album you wanted to make. Want to do gospel? OK, you're the King. Do gospel. Soul? Sure, let's the Memphis Horns in here to lay down some tracks.

I'm sure Elvis had problems, but I hope that he realized that he was doing something really cool and unique.

'Ratatouille'

Animated films are really not my thing. And yet, I'll end up watching them and enjoying them.

So why don't I seek them out earlier? Probably because there are so many non-animated, great movies that I've never seen and would like to that animated films get the shaft.

Except "Ratatouille." Too many adults said this was a good film so I sought it out and I really liked it. Nevermind that it's about cooking or Paris -- two things I like reading about or watching. But it's smart and funny. It has a really good message.

Plus, I like that they didn't try to get the big names to come in and do voices. Watching the film, I had no idea who was doing the voices and then you look at hte line-up and you're slightly blown away: Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Brian Dennehy, Peter O'Toole, Brad Garrett, Will Arnett and Janeane Garofalo. Understated and perfect.

'Fear of a Black Planet'

It's funny, the other day, everyone in my neighborhood received a copy of an e-mail in our mail boxes.

The e-mail told the harrowing tale of one house being intruded one night in our subdivision. The whole purpose was to let folks know that there may be a prowler lurking, but also that there's a problem with the police department.

It seems the person called the police and the police said they'd come around later. Well, they never came and there was a big to-do about the police really caring or whatever.

Then I listen to Public Enemy and their song "911 is a Joke."

Essentially, there's a vocal African American section of the population that believes that police and emergency crews are unresponsive to the ghetto.

And there's a vocal mostly white, middle-class, surburban section of the population that believes that the police are unresponsive to their part of the world.

Could it be that the system's just broke, or fails sometimes, in spite of class or color.

Naw. Never. It's always about class and color. Class and color sell records.

'Bryter Layter'

Last week, I brought criticism down upon Lucinda Williams for poor vocals. I felt on some songs from her album she tried too hard to come off as cool or aloof and her vocals suffered. I came to this conclusion after listening to all her songs and realizing that she can sound a bit more enthused and bring out some beautiful vocals.

I would ask Williams to listen to Nike Drake. It's as if he's singing at a whisper, you're just waiting for the music to overtake his understated voice. But it's beautiful. You can tell he's trying to come off as a minimalist in terms of his vocals, but it's sweet and melodic and good.

This whole album is good.

'The African Queen'

If I had to make a list of my favorite drunks from film and TV definitely Humphrey Bogart downing cases of gin on a flimsy ol' boat on an African River like Joseph Conrad is right up there with McNulty from "The Wire," Otis from "The Andy Griffith Show" and Vanessa from "The Cosby Show."

Couple things I'd like to know:

1. Was entering into missionary work with your sibling common?

2. Why the hell did Bogart's character have those gas tanks and explosives?

'Night of the Living Dead'

I'm 98 percent sure I could survive a zombie invasion. Why others have such a hard time is puzzling to me and it's one of the billion reasons why I don't really like watching horror flicks.

There's several things I would do to ensure survival:

1. Be proactive. Always on the move. Always on the attack.

2. Not shoot a shotgun at a gas pump. Never ends up well.

3. Load up on bleach and gasoline or other flammables. I would battle the zombies by first blinding them (Super Soaker style) and then undertake a full throttle fire attack. Set everything on fire.

4. Just run. They can not catch you. They walk like zombies.

5. Take a lesson from zombie movies past and sharpen something to start lopping off heads.

'Trout Mask Replica'

I'm just going to come out and say it: This album sucks.

Now, I realize that I may be criticized for being artistically retarded or a prude when it comes to creativity.

The problem is this: If I see an abstract piece from Picasso, I can look at it and I feel something. I listen to "Trout Mask Replica" and I hear dissonance. In fact, dissonance is too good of a word. Dissonance indicates that there is some rhyme or reason even in the most grating way. No, this is not dissonant nor is it just noise like a dial tone or ring.

It's jackasses playing their instruments poorly for the sake of nothing. "Art" for the sake of "art."

Surely, Captain Beefheart influenced a lot of bands that I like. That is fine. But I don't have to like the first ever guitar player to like the Beatles.

'Jules and Jim'

So, Catherine was just a slut. Right?

Bros before hos. I believe that was Francois Truffaut's point.

'Dusty in Memphis'

Dusty Springfield, without looking at her, oozes sex.

This album, for example, is essentially about lovemaking. Whether behind a church or in the morning.

She just has the sultriness in her voice mixed with the lyrics and pretty soon you're rubbing up against desks and walls.

I should listen to less Dusty Springfield.

Or listen while looking at her picture. Yikes.

'Stardust'

Essentially an album of a country legend (Willie Nelson) doing very un-country covers of a bunch of dumb songs that no one cares about.

Plus, they all have that dumb harmonica sound that, unfortunately, Nelson used as a crutch throughout the 1970s.

'Getz/Gilberto'

Man, I wish I lived in an era when albums like this was used for baby making. It's perfect, really.

I bet Jack Kerouac and all those Beats who were all into jazz just collected the tail night after night with Coltrane, Getz and whoever else.

Good times.

On top of all that, it had awesome album art and the drummer on the record was Milton Banana.

'Head Hunters'

Whenever I hear or hear of Herbie Hancock, I always think about the Chris Farley film, "Tommy Boy."

Near the beginning when Farley's character is at college and he's taking the history exam. One of the questions is fill-in-the-blank. Obviously, the answer is "John Hancock." Instead, the silly Farley scribbles in "Herbie Hancock."

The really odd thing about this isn't that Farley's character is so dumb, or that a university finals history exam would have a fill-in-the-black question that is probably the easiest question in the world.

Nor is it necessarily thought provoking that Farley's character doesn't know the answer.

I'd like to know how the character knew of Herbie Hancock. I wouldn't consider Hancock a household name. Especially as a jazz artist. Not like he's playing The Tonight Show or anything.

So the character had no clue as to who John Hancock was, but it was fairly obvious to him that the guy who signed the Declaration of Independence was Herbie.

'The Atomic Basie'

Jazz is very interesting to me and I figured out why listening to Count Basie's "The Atomic Basie."

I think pretty much all jazz is good except for all the modern stuff (1980s on) that is real electronic, overproduced with synth and keyboards and crap.

Otherwise, I can not really and truly criticize jazz music. To me, it's so well done from the musicianship to the production and songs that there is little to nitpick from a jazz idiot's point of view (see: me).

Particularly, the musicianship is perfect. Think about it: In country music, rarely do you get the best of the best of guitarists, drummers, bass players, steel guitarists, fiddle players and mandolin. Even in rock music, most of the guys thrashing around on their guitars aren't too terribly accomplished at anything, more or less the guitar (there are exceptions -- Hendrix, Stewart Copeland in drums, Paul McCartney on bass, et al).

But on just about any jazz album of note, say, in the 1950s, you are probably listening to one of the top 3 or 5 drummers, horn players, bassists and any other instrument. And the thing is, if a drummer leaves a rock band, they replace with another mediocre, ho-hum drummer.

If the drummer leaves Count Basie's band, he is then replaced with probably one of the best drummers in that genre. Same goes for saxophone, trumpet, bass, trombone or piano.

There's a certain dedication to the music and craftsmanship that is clearly missing from just about all other genres of music. This is probably why there are jazz snobs and why those jazz snobs memorize what seemingly anonymous drummer played on this record or that record.

'New Forms'

There are certain items that your normal, run-of-the-mill person just doesn't need. Industrial tools, solvents, adhesives, et al. Things that construction workers might need but a normal dude doesn't because it's just too expensive or what you can do with that you can do a little less easily with something else.

For example, a nail gun versus a hammer. The guy putting up the frame of a house needs a nail gun. The guy replacing a picket in a fence just needs a hammer.

"New Forms" by Roni Size/Reprazent is like "industrial" music. No, not industrial like Skinny Puppy. But this album is for DJs, producers and guys that want to make their own hip-hop or whatever. Not for regular ol' me.

(But I got to admit, I did enjoy play this album loud and proud through downtown Dallas.)

'If You're Feeling Sinister'

Classic, classic, classic, great, great, fantastic album. One of the best all time.

I owned this album in college and it was one of probably 35-40 that were stolen out of my vehicle while living in some student apartments in Nacogdoches.

Three problems arose: I was too dumb to take my valuables inside; my vehicle at the time was incredibly easy to break into (I might as well have left it unlocked with the window down); and I lived in a complex with a billion other students, which provided a virtual assembly line of vehicles just asking to be broke into.

Unfortunately, nothing was ever recovered including Belle and Sebastian's greatest output.

Isn't art beautiful? It's as much part of your life as any family, friends, accomplishments or heartbreaks.

'Car Wheels on a Gravel Road'

This is a fantastic album and any kudos and superlatives that you'd like to lay down at its feet is more than deserving.

However, if I can offer any criticism of the record it's this: Lucinda Williams' vocals.

Here's the issue: I realize that Williams isn't a vocalist as much as she's an artist and songwriter. And I also realize that maybe she doesn't really care and when she sings "Right in Time" and "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" that the vocals aren't as important as, say, the musicians, harmonies or lyrics.

All of this is fine until you get to more spirited and inspired vocal performances "Greenville," "Jackson" and "Concrete and Barbed Wire." In these songs she offers a certain twang and really finishes off notes. They're just all around better songs because of this.

Clearly, she knows how to inject life into her vocals, but I guess she doesn't care. She's just too cool to sing well all the time.

'McCabe and Mrs. Miller'

I simply dislike Robert Altman. Funny thing, I loved "Gosford Park," which everyone I know hated. And they hate it for about the same reason I hate Altman's earlier pieces like "MASH," "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" and "Nashville."

For one, "Nashville" was fucking stupid. But all three are very, very noisy. Not that the world doesn't have a lot of noise, but it's not all loud at once. It's like Altman stuck one microphone and it captured every noise in the house or area. It's so hard to understand and it's not realistic because if two people are having a conversation at one end of the room and another pair are conversing at the other end, their conversations typically don't drown each other out. Watch this film and you'll know what I mean.

Otherwise I expect more out of Warren Beatty.

Plus, what's up with the Leonard Cohen? Why was it so cool in the 1970s to have this loud, out-of-place music rolling over your film? They did it in "Harold and Maude" and even in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." The modern music fits like a foot in a glove in most instances. It practically ruined this film.

That goes without saying anything about Cohen's songs making zero sense.

'The Invisible Man'

My main question is this: Why is the Invisible Man so pissed off? Initially, I thought it was because he was invisible and had to wear fake noses and all these clothes.

But then you delve into his past and you realize he was kind of an asshole before he was invisible.

Then he gets into his brain that he's going to have a reign of terror ... all the while we assume he's trying to find an antidote for his invisibleness.

Why couldn't he be happy with sneaking in girls' lockerrooms and stealing stuff?

Some people just don't know what to do when fate deals you a good hand.

'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'

You know, if I'm Watson, I'm pissed.

He's a doctor, a married man and an accomplished writer and he gets kicked in the nuts at every turn by flippin' Holmes.

And Holmes in an unsocialable asshole with a cocaine addiction, who makes semi-obvious observations to solve, often, menial crimes and gets paid a lot. Is Watson getting paid for all this?

Holmes is insufferable and why Watson hangs around this guy is the real mystery.

'The Island of Dr. Moreau'

As part of this little blog, I've read two other H.G. Wells novels and this, by far, is the best.

It's fleshed out a lot more and a lot more polished and less "diarylike" than "War of the Worlds" or "The Time Machine."

Plus, it's pertinent. Genetic engineering and evolution. It also has gigantic societal undertones pertaining to race, ethnicity, class structures and such.

Furthermore, it didn't hurt that I had seen Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando's cinematic effort, which is awesome.

'Deja Vu'

How many music artists do you know that any random song can come on the radio and you know exactly who they are based on the sound or vocals?

Crosby, Stills and Nash are that group. Now, does that make them good? No. In fact they are very, very poor.

Except for "Teach Your Children" and the Neil Young contributions, they just suck. It's boring and trite.

'Cheap Thrills'

I always hear about older folks stating that the best music is made in the 1960s. And that music today just sucks. You just can't understand the lyrics and it's poorly produced.

This from the generation responsible for Janis Joplin.

There is not a worst singer ever.