Quote of the Day: Neil Young

"Woodstock was a bullcrap gig, a piece of crap. We played freaking awful. No one was into the music.”

Yes, I've prettied up the language a bit but I couldn't resist this quote from my all-time favorite musician because I'm sick of all the Woodstock talk lately. My blood boiled with rage last night as I had to sit through another preview for Ang Lee's new Woodstock movie. I almost have the trailer memorized by now. I feel the same way about Vietnam too although I must admit that Denis Johnson's Tree of Smoke (http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Smoke-Novel-Denis-Johnson/dp/0374279128) was my favorite book of 2007 even though I read it in 2008. For instance, I would love to have a presidential campaign where we don't have to do talk about Vietnam. As a general rule I've just never been into all that self-congratulatory baby-boomer nostalgia. I also very much doubt that Woodstock changed the world. (Sorry, if you are a baby boomer. I swear I'm not talking about you.)

I have seen a lot of movies lately. I can recommend them all with a few reservations.

I saw "500 Days of Summer" which had some very innovative narrative techniques but you may not like it if you are expecting the chick-flick it's been marketed as.

"The Hurt Locker" was so awesome I didn't even mind sitting in a packed room with no air-conditioning to see it.

I thought movie "Adam" was quite a charming little romantic comedy about Aspergers. The only problem is that now I am convinced that 99% of the people I deal with on a regular basis
have Asbergers.

"District 9" was thoroughly enjoyable even it is was a little violent and the political symbolism a little heavy-handed. I guess when the symbol of evil in your movie is a company called "Multi-National United" you're kind of throwing subtlety out the window.

I know critical opinion is mixed on Judd Apatow's latest film "Funny People" but I thought it was his most mature work yet. Maybe I am biased though because I've loved Apatow's work ever since "Freaks and Geeks." "Funny People" is one of the best comedies I've seen in a while. Not too many mainstream comedies are brave enough to extol the virtue of duty over love. Of course, he did it with his usual smattering of juvenile jokes. To quote Seth Rogen, his usual leading man, " We make extremely right-wing movies with extremely filthy dialogue." He was exaggerating but you get the point.

I must go do some work now.