'Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'

Reading all these books, listening to all these records and watching all these films, you pick up on a ton of trends and common threads between generations, genres and individual works.

A week ago I read "Candide," which is a short story about a man who deals with the cruelty of mankind and the ideas of human nature, fate and behavior.

In "Strange Case ..." we are confronted with the same sort of themes, most notably the duality of man. As we saw in "Candide," humans seem to have the capability of making their own decisions and often times we are met with evil, destruction, pain and ill intentions. This is personified in the body of Dr. Henry Jekyll as he personally struggles with his inner animal and desires only the things that agree with the flesh without conscious.

Funny note: Visiting Edinburgh, I visited the pub of the man who inspired Robert Louis Stevenson's story.

'Can't Buy a Thrill'

That's it. I'm officially a fan of Steely Dan. After 28 years. After about eight years upon first receiving their 1977 opus "Aja." I'm a fan. So much of a fan that I am inclined to purchase their catalog on compact disc.

"Can't Buy a Thrill" is a really good album. And it was their first. I like some of their other albums a little better, but not much. Their technical fluidity, acuteness and flair just oozes from my gameroom speakers.

The scratch and jump of the turntable as it rolls through their hits ("Reelin' in the Years," "Dirty Work") and their hidden gems ("Brooklyn," "Kings" and "Do It Again") is one of the better sonic experiences I've had the last several years.

And I don't think I'd be here at 26 or 21. It had to be now. At 28, listening and enjoying Steely Dan makes so much more sense. It feels as if everything I've listened to before now built up to this moment. Of loving Steely Dan.

Man, I need religion.

'Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables'

It's hard to invest in punk rock.

I find most of the genre pretty bankrupt and hypocritical in nature. It is -- probably, for the most part -- an organic hypocrisy and something not intentionally done and probably something that most would deny.

Punk was formed on the basis of being different. Or basically not being like everyone else. Particularly the cool, right-wing. It was also a rejection of idols and beauty or image. A cultural anarchy, so to speak.

As much as fans would've wanted punk to be considered a communist regime, it never happened because even within punk there are tiers of "coolness" whether they like it or not. If you weren't punk from the beginning, then you weren't punk and you couldn't join in later. It was a group left out to begin with who were more than willing to leave others out. Those rejects of the rejects just became goth, I guess.

Then there's the position of idols. Guys like Henry Rollins, Jello Biafra, Johnny Rotten and others have become idols. Hell, they write books, engage audiences in "speaking" tours and host TV shows. How is that punk?

Also, the whole idea of actually getting together to record and release an album seemed very un-punk. Just seems like the record industry (no matter how DIY) was still part of the machine.

Another thing, so did the state of California just elect fascists every time? You'd figure they'd get it right eventually. Or maybe folks who re-record "California Uber Alles" shouldn't be so picky.

Other than The Clash, it's hard to get engaged in punk. And that's why.

'Boudu Saved From Drowning'

I thought this was a really funny film.

But is it really a comedy?

Where does Boudu's beard rank in the history of facial hair in film? Top five, at the very least.

How much do we love that font on the movie poster?

'Encounters at the End of the World'

If you're a bit of a naturalist and are as fascinated about the wildlife and environment of Antartica as I am, you'll love this documentary.

Furthermore, if you like Werner Herzog you'll like this documentary, too. I like Herzog. I like him because he puts himself into his documentaries without trying to be the star. He tries to serve as an intermediary or some personification of the viewing audience.

He makes randomly beautiful observations about things that are his personal point of view. He's making a film that he likes and espousing the ideas that he has but all with the audience mind because he thinks that we'll enjoy it.

What some call selfishness, I call public relations.

'Slumdog Millionaire' & 'Wall-E' & 'Milk'

Saturday the day before the Academy Awards, I had the opportunity to watch all five best picture nominees in a row.

It was the first time ever that I had seen all the nominees before the awards and it was a pretty crazy day because I didn't think I could stand 14 straight hours of movie watching.

In addition, Sunday, I had the opportunity to see the animated film "Wall-E." I had a very busy weekend. Anyway, I'm placing these three films on the 1,001 films I should see before I die because there probably won't be an updated list for another two years or so.

So with the Academy Awards in mind, I present another set of honors that may or may not have anything to do with these films:

Most Overrated
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Too long. The plot was inconsistent and pretty dumb. It's basically a "Forrest Gump" for the Gen Y. Brad Pitt isn't very good. Plus, he's not even in the film for 65 percent of the film, which meandered hither and thither. Cate Blanchett is hot. It's a good thing she didn't age until she was 80.

Biggest Surprise
Frost/Nixon
Thought it would be drier. It was funny and beyond interesting. The chemistry between Michael Sheen and Frank Langella was captivating.

Best 45 Seconds
Frost/Nixon
Near the end of the final interview in "Frost/Nixon" when Frost corners Nixon on apologizing to the American public. Just an intense half minute.

Hottest Babe
Kate Winslet
All apologies to the cutie from "Slumdog," Blanchett, the white robot from "Wall-E" and the chick from "Frost/Nixon," Winslet is soooo doable.

Best Chemistry
Sean Penn-Josh Brolin
Penn deserves whatever awards or kudos you want to heap on him. The scenes between him and Brolin are fantastic. There's a ton that's unsaid that makes the film.

Best Supporting Cast
"Milk"
"Frost/Nixon" brings it with Oliver Platt and Sam Rockwell. But it's hard to beat a motivated Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna, James Franco and a handful of other actors (including the blonde kid from "High School Musical") that absolutely make this film.

Best Suicide By Hanging
Kate Winslet
It took 40 years, but she finally understood that killing 300 Jews in the Holocaust wasn't cool. By the way, the other hanging was Diego Luna's character in "Milk." At the time, Harvey Milk and Luna's character were gay lovers. Luna's character kills himself in Milk's apartment right as he was becoming a high flyer in city and state politics. How does that not become a tabloid news story destorying Milk's political career?

'Swordfishtrombones'

I've heard this question many times: "Why is he/she famous?" This is typically directed at socialites like Paris Hilton, who have no discernible other than the ability to be born in the right family.

I don't really one way or another because I don't subscribe to any news programs or outlets that feature people like her very much. As long as they don't mind being photographed, then photograph them, I guess.

My personal questions is why is Tom Waits famous? I guess the better question is, why is Tom Waits important?

What has he done, who has he influenced to the point that people fall over themselves to cite Waits as an influence or a good musician or singer? He pretty parlayed an entire career of crap into a spot in "Coffee and Cigarettes" that featured people with real talent talking about nothing. Like Bill Murray. And the White Stripes.