randy newman: a few words in defense of our country

This isn't top-notch Randy Newman -- it's not quite as cutting as his very best satirical songs -- but it'll do for the long wee...

death note comes to los angeles

Death Note , a fun Japanese thriller based on a popular manga of the same name, may be for the fan-boys, but, hey, we've all got a littl...

vicky cristina barcelona: my take

I heap all kinds of praise on Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona in my Consumables column . Also, reviews of Transsiberian , The Ex...

obama picks biden

Lots of good analysis this morning of why Barack Obama went with Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate, but this from the intrepid Andrew Tane...

kanye west: champion

Remember, everyone: Puppets are always funny. And the song's good too... dig that Steely Dan sample. UPDATE (Sept. 10, 2008): You can no...

one last comment about obama and mccain at saddleback

In case you assumed all conservatives thought McCain whipped Obama last Saturday at Rick Warren's presidential forum, this blog post sh...

my religulous review: bill maher goes gunning for god

Religulous , the satirical film from comedian Bill Maher and Borat director Larry Charles, is often very funny in its condemnation of organi...

death race is pretty fun

Much to my pleasant surprise, I found Death Race to be a perfectly enjoyable way to round out the summer movie season. Oh sure, it's ins...

nixon: the movie

Nixon , Oliver Stone's underrated 1995 biopic of the disgraced president, returns to DVD. My review is up at Vulture .

staind: the illusion of progress

Staind were huge back in 2001 thanks to their monster ballad "It's Been Awhile." Not surprisingly, their latest album, The Ill...

traitor: don cheadle in syriana territory

Traitor is a political thriller that tries to be more sensitive in its depiction of Islamist terrorists than your average Hollywood fare. B...

woody allen on vicky cristina barcelona

Cities move me. That’s why I don’t think I could make a film in a place that would appear boring to me, or unromantic. If I’m making a film ...

vicky cristina barcelona is terrific

And David Denby will explain why.

radiohead: house of cards

Right, you've already seen this. But in case you haven't, you really should. And if you've only seen it once, why not see it again?

enough of mccain

A reader of Andrew Sullivan's fantastic blog has had enough with the recent turn in sympathy toward John McCain: McCain wants to win the...

one day as a lion

If you haven't heard One Day as a Lion yet, and you're a fan of Zack de La Rocha's vocal stylings from Rage Against the Machine...

henry poole is here

Luke Wilson stars as the despondent titular atheist of Henry Poole Is Here . It's an affecting performance in a low-key way, but the mov...

randy newman's so-so new album

I love Randy Newman, but even he can make a mediocre record on occasion. Harps and Angels , his latest, has plenty of nice touches, but it&#...

star wars: the clone wars

The animated Clone Wars film, which hits theaters August 15, in some ways improves on the debilitating problems of the mediocre prequels. B...

the shins: pink bullets

This might be the saddest video ever. If it's not, I'd love to hear your alternate picks.

pete seeger: the power of song

The Power of Song , the great documentary about folk singer Pete Seeger, comes to DVD today. I give it the brief once-over at Vulture .

trapt - only through the pain

Only Through the Pain is the third album from the rock band Trapt. How is it? About the same as their last two.

the airborne toxic event

This L.A. indie rock band made a big noise last year when their first song, "Sometime Around Midnight," started getting a ton of a...

andrew sullivan is back from vacation

God, have I missed him.

the hold steady: the swish

In honor of the great Hold Steady show I attended this week, here's "The Swish" from their first album, Almost Killed Me . The...