things i've recently done...

Movies I've recently seen...
Eastern Promises: Good movie, pretty intense. Viggo is good. Might have been more interesting as a Donnie Brasco type movie than an almost love story. B
Gone Baby Gone: Solid movie here. Good use of place. This movie could have ended sooner, the twist was ok, but maybe not necessary. Also, not necessary, Michelle Monaghan's character. Good performance by Amy Ryan (Officer Beadie Russell from the Wire). B+
Paris Je'Taime: A collection of about 15 short films about Paris. A few real nice ones here, especially the Coen brothers' one with Steve Buscemi. B-
The Namesake: I was forced to watch this. About what I expected. Not terrible, but nothing I'd really see without some series coercion. B-
I Still Plan to See: There Will Be Blood, Cloverfield, Rambo.

CD's I've recently heard...
The Whigs, Mission Control: Good rock album. I like it better than their first one. A few of the songs have been stuck in my head for a while. They are pretty good live too. B+
Fred Thomas, Flood: Dude from Saturday Looks Good to Me plays some quieter lo-fi acoustic based numbers. Less poppy than SLGTM also a bit more dissonance in the background. B
Vandermark 5, Beat Reader: Really good. I'm don't really understand why I like this stuff, but I do. I can't really explain it or talk about it intelligently , but its' good. A
Chris Walla, Field Guide: The dude from Death Cab for Cutie, made a pretty ok, but forgettable album. You will hear it and think its ok, then forget you ever heard it. C+
Rivers Cuomo, Alone: The Home Recordings: The dude from Weezer releases some old stuff. Like most releases of this nature, there are some good ones and some turds. Luckily more of them are pretty decent. The turds really stink though, like the one where he kinda whispers the verses and Kurt Cobain yells the choruses. I made the comment that everyone liked Weezer at some point and now most people just don't care. A few of these songs remind me of when I cared. B
New CD's I'm just now listening to this week: Vampire Weekend (the actual release, not the bootleg I've had), Ida, Kelly Stoltz, Xiu Xiu

Show's I've recently seen:
Kimya Dawson: She's in town promoting the Juno soundtrack. Saw her play an in-store at Chaz's Bull City Records. Packed the tiny place. Kimya was great. I really like her songs. Its hard not to enjoy the simpleness of them. I tried to see her again last night at the Bull City Headquarters, but it was packed so we left.