Movies for Music Lovers: Part TwoClick here for part oneMy top 50 continues with documentaries and re-releases. This year, I'm including DVDs as part of the latter, since so many theatrical revivals these days are loss leaders for home video—assuming screenings are even part of the promotional plan.Jim Jarmusch's debut, Permanent Vacation, for instance, appears as an extra on the Criterion Collection edition of Stranger Than Paradise, but wasn't accompanied by a theatrical run. Charles Burnett's My Brother's Wedding, on the other hand, also appears as an extra (with Milestone's Killer of Sheep), but did play some limited dates after its celebrated pre

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Movies for Music LoversClick here for Songs for Swingin' CineastesI compiled the following list from the 350+ films I saw this year. As usual, I don't pay much attention to the big-budget extravaganzas released around the holidays, so you won't find many here. In fact, as of this date, I haven't seenThe Golden Compass or Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barberof Fleet Street yet. Though I'll probably pass on the former,I look forward to seeing the latter in the coming days.I missed a few other films, as well, like Live-in Maid and Ter-ror's Advocate, which had too-short Seattle runs. Sometimes reallife gets in the way, even if real life for me often equals ree

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I'm Totally Wired (Overlooked and Underappreciated)Had the following releases come out earlier in 2007—or had I discovered them sooner—they might've made my top 30 for the year. Or maybe there was just too much good stuff from which to choose. (This list also includes records I haven't heard in their entirety, though I like what I've heard.)In any case, they're my regrets. Note that I purposefullyexcluded a few high-profile acts, like Band of Horses, Feist,Go! Team, Iron & Wine, Elvis Perkins, and Kanye West.I don't have a problem with any of those artists. They aren't my favorites, but I don't go out of my way to avoid them. They do what they do,

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Into the Prine: Part TwoClick here for part oneI've been working up the courage to perform "Angel From Montgomery" as a sort of tribute to Into the Wild. Call it a party trick (everybody needs one). My practice regim-ine involves singing along with Bonnie Raitt. It's a fool's game, really. I can do it, but not half as well. Maybe a third—if that.I'd like to think John Prine's words will carry the day. And maybe they will. Either way, here's a live duet between Prineand Raitt. The video doesn't feature their performance, but ratherstill images illustrating the lyrics. This is songwriting at its finest.I'm not alone in that assessment. Check out this po

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Songs for Swingin' Cineastes!This year marks the second an-nual Idolator Pop Critics Poll (formerly "Jackin' Pop"). The fol-lowing represents the bulk ofthe ballot I'll be submitting.As the deadline isn't until 12/21at 5pm (EST), I've been workingon this thing off and on ever sinceeditor Michaelangelo Matos made the announcement on11/16. I reserve the right to tweak these lists a time or two be-fore the deadline. The links are to my Amazon, AndMore-Again, Siffblog, and Stranger reviews and/or previews.[Updated on 12/10/07. Top 10 order changed and singles list expanded.]Top Albums:1. Lavender Diamond - Imagine Our Love (Matador)2. LCD Soundsystem - So

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Bad Santa (December Reviews)These are the reviews and other as-signments I'm working on this month.Amazon DVDs: Breathless -Criterion Collection (special feat-ures), Romance & Cigarettes (dir.John Turturro; starring James Gan-dolfini and Kate Winslet), Naked Boys Singing!, Amy Winehouse - I Told YouI Was Trouble: Live in London, When Night Is Falling, and State of Play [two-disc set] (with Bill Nighy and James McAvoy!).[Romance & Cigarettes has been taking some serious critical hits, but I gotta say: I enjoyed it. If you're at all curious—take a chance.]Amazon Theatricals: Starting Out in the Eve-ning (Frank Langella and Lauren Ambrose) andMar

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Vibes, Vibes and More Vibes Various Artists, Drop-pin' Science: The Great-est Samples From the Blue Note Lab, Blue Note [2/18/08] What happens when funkmeets jazz? First of all,you get the compilationDroppin' Science.More importantly—since most of the sourced recordingsare readily available—you get sheer auditory bliss. At leastif you're into body-swaying beats and musical virtuosity.And vibes. Vibes for days. Vibes for miles. What's not to likeabout vibes? They move, they groove. They float and they fly.The hook is this: These tracks have all been sampled by hip-hop artists. Repeatedly, in some cases. So, even if you haven't heard the numbers in thei

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