Political Weekend

UK

Labour is coming under yet more heavy criticism of the loss of confidential files on a train.

The Tories are also being vocal on the EU Treaty referendum following Ireland’s rejection on Friday.

David Davis, who resigned as MP this week, is being backed by rebel Labour MPs.

He’s gained the backing of Henry Porter for his move.

And Andrew Rawnsley.

His move provides a key test for Brown and Cameron.

World

Mugabe says that he’ll wage war if he loses.

Robert Fisk discusses the Middle East‘s appetite for threats.

Number of the Link

Downey Jr for Sherlock Holmes?

Here’s an interview with Baltar, aka James Callis.

The Happening is getting killed.

The Hold Steady are adding extra cuts to the special editions of Stay Positive.

Cameron Crowe has signed up Reese Witherspoon and Ben Stiller for his next project.

Here’s an interview with Alan Moore.

JJ Abrams is to prequel Fringe with a comic.

U2 is selling a Basquiat.

Blender has an oral history of Sub Pop.

David Denby discusses You Don’t Mess With the Zohan and The Incredible Hulk.

An adolescent gives an account of his experiences with the work of Greg Araki.

It seems to be Audrey Tautou week on The Guardian.

Here’s a clip from Guy Maddin’s My Winnipeg.

Leo as Captain America?

Coldplay on Guitar Hero… My Chemical Romance is bad enough.

Aziz Ansari is to be in the Office-spinoff.

This dude’s photos of Russia are amazing. (Thanks to Boing Boing for pointing this out).

Paper Magazine has a nice list of the twenty-five most stylish ladies of song.

Did cable news assassinate the Clinton campaign?

Lots of new Dark Knight shizzle has turned up ahead of next month’s release.

Link Your Daughter, To The Slaughter

The AV Club pays tribute to Wet Hot American Summer.

The Apprentice got 10 million viewers for its finale.

The Hold Steady’s new record is on MySpace and, well, it flippin’ rocks.

Worst movie remakes ever? Ladykillers gets my vote.

Downey Jr is deservedly busy right now.

Here’s a list of the TV twosome with the strongest chemistry.

Judd Apatow has branched out to take Eric Bana and Jason Schwartzman under his comedy umbrella.

Paul Newman, one of my all-time top five actors, has cancer.

What’s on the Wayne-Coleen wedding playlist?

The BBC music archives have been thrown open following a deal with EMI.

Lil Wayne delivers again on his new set.

The Mogwai tracklisting is now available.

Also, details on the new Beck.

The Happening may well suck. But Zooey Deschanel can’t do any wrong for me.

The Wackness is apparently pretty good.

Here’s an interview with Adam Green, writer of the best song about Jessica Simpson ever.

Werner Herzog’s new documentary sound oh, so Herzogian.

Run to the Links

Iron Maiden link pun things. Yay!

Noel Murray has a lovely tribute to the genius of Joni Mitchell in this week’s Popless.

The AV Club also has a great selection of documentaries about the little men with ambition.

Bad accents in movies. Love it.

Leo DiCaprio is to play the inventor of the Atari in a new movie.

Michael Sragow shares some thoughts on Alex Korda’s The Thief of Bagdad.

Slate has a review of Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired.

An anti-energy drink… isn’t that what gin is?

Shy Child are so scene. An sooo loved by Pitchfork.

Tony Hale is quite rightly getting some work.

Peter Bradshaw selects his top ten for Edinburgh.

Rosie Swash rounds up this week’s singles.

Josh Levin at Slate has been writing a really great blog about the R Kelly trial.

In Search of a Midnight Kiss is getting serious love.

The Believer interviews Tom McCarthy, the winner of its book prize.

DVDs this Week – June 9th

Picks of the Week

Juno – The indie darling of this year that’s much better than the now-naysayers would like you to think. Any Juno backlash should be counteracted by a) Ellen Page’s amazing performance as well as the turns from Michael Cera, Allison Janney and JK Simmons, b) The whipsmart script that never gets too enamoured with itself, and c) the fact it features Cat Power singing ‘Sea of Love’ and Michael Cera and Ellen Page singing at each other at the close. Lovely.
AND…
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – Just the most moving and honest piece of cinema to be released over here this year. Julian Schnabel’s adaptation of Jean Dominique Bauby’s memoir written while suffering from locked-in syndrome is an astonishing achivement of acting, writing and cinematography. Also, Max von Sydow as Bauby’s father delivers the most crushingly emotional scene of the year and yet, never once is the film mawkish. Brilliance.

Also out:

Curb Your Enthusiam Season 6 – Still delivering great moments here and there but this one’s time has passed and the genius of the first three season broadened to create just a very good sitcom rather than a work of misanthropic art.
Cloverfield – I mentioned this last week but it is a decent little monster movie and worth a watch even if the cast bland it to the max.
The Edge of Heaven – Can’t wait to see this, Fatih Akin’s follow-up to Head On looks like just wonderful.
Dirty Harry Collection – Full box set of all the terrific Harry Callahan films including the truly masterful original.
Dan in Real Life – Decent if deeply unspectacular Steve Carell vehicle in which he is good despite having to share the screen with Dane Cook.
War Inc – No cinema release for this little one starring John Cusack and seemingly some sort of comment on the war-as-business debate. Looks pretty uninspired.
Jesus Camp – Excellent if one-sided portrayal of a Christian camp for young children that features some truly satisfyingly horrifying scenes for us atheists.
Battle for Haditha – Nick Broomfield’s outstanding semi-documentary piece on Iraq’s My Lai.
Tony Jaa 2 Pack – Ong Bak and Warrior King in one handy boxset for those days when all you want to do is watch someone kick someone else really, really hard. No plot but the kicking, oh, the kicking.

Region 1:

Jumper – Shitty, Hayden Christensen starrer saved fully in my book due to the presence of Rachel Bilson.
The Bucket List – Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman celebrate being old with hilarious/cringey results.

Political Weekend (a day late, sorry)

US

So Obama won last week, officially. Plus Hillary’s getting right behind him.

But what will it take for her people to really get behind Obama?

Maureen Dowd praises her acting skills.

Why did her campaign go wrong though?

For the Clinton clan, this is a pretty huge change for their lives to take.

Peggy Noonan thinks the American people dodged a bullet.

Here’s an interesting thought, could she be predicating a future run on a failure this year for Obama?

Frank Rich concentrates more on the enormous gap in political philosophy between Obama and McCain.

Jesse Jackson thinks Hillary’s a strong candidate for vice-president.

Obama’s received the endorsement of Kurt Beck, the leader of Germany’s Social Democrats Party. The move represents a key break from tradition of German politics.

Obama has much to do however, and little time to do it in.

Andrew Sullivan and Marc Ambinder consider an Obama presidency.

Linko & Cash

The AV Club is doing an extended interview with Harlan Ellison.

And looks back on Jim Jarmusch’s marvellous Dead Man.

Tom Perrota interviews The Hold Steady.

Ewww… Knightley is trying to fill the shoes of Hepburn. No chance this is good.

The European Championships… of beer.

The top twenty-five animated movies.

Jimmy Smits in Dexter.

AO Scott offers his thoughts on You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.

Slate’s Audio Book Club discuss Anna Karenina.

Fleet Foxes are great. Pitchfork official.

Well-written songs are the true lifeblood.

AfterEllen has its own Hot 100 up.

Winehouse has sent Willis back off to rehab.

Dylan’s for Obama too.

New Deerhoof in October.

Over the Link

Joel McHale is interviewed on The AV Club.

Professional balloon twisters documentary. Yes please.

Jenna Fischer went on NPR’s Fresh Air yesterday.

Vladimir Nabokov’s ‘Natasha’ is the short story on The New Yorker to check out.

Big love for Spiritualized.

Dana Stevens discusses the new phase of John Cusack.

The Bo Diddley tributes are pouring in.

Guy Ritchie is going to revive the Sherlock Holmes character.

Matt Damon is signed on for Human Factor, an upcoming project of Clint Eastwood.

Jim White checks in with Daytrotter.

The new Bond book is flying off the shelves.

The Mystery Jets are a highlight for Rosie Swash among this week’s singles.

Best independent record ever?

Rogen’s got the green light for The Green Hornet.

Harp profiles The Whigs.

Link Up

It’s Sly Stallone puns this week.

The MTV Movie Awards were big and loud and shiny again. Just ask Popsugar UK.

The Graduate: Book or film better?

Kurt Cobain’s ashes have apparently gone missing…

Ol’ grumpy Moz is returning in September.

Nancy Franklin writes about CBS’s Swingtime.

Ouch!! New Weezer record not loved.

More Original Silence on its way from Thurston Moore and Jim O’Rourke.

AfterElton has published its Hot 100. Check out the quote on the front page by John Barrowman.

Friedberg and Seltzer are back… this one’s called Disaster Movie. Excuse my French but honestly, le fuck them.

Death Cab are interviewed here an also on this week’s APM Sound Opinions for you podcast listeners.

Evil Dead: The Musical. Awesome.

Jeff Daniels dropped by to record a really decent set for Daytrotter.

DVDs This Week June 2

Pick of the Week: No Country for Old Men – The Coens’ fantastic neo-western adapted from Cormac McCarthy’s elegiac thriller which swept the top of the Oscars. It’s a masterful piece of work, beautifully shot and directed but is dominated by Javier Bardem as the Devil incarnate. His performance itself is immense but the character is so well used throughout as to make him fearsomely frightening. It’s certainly among the strongest in their canon and thorough deserves its place in your DVD collection.

Also Out:

National Treasure 2 – Nicolas Cage rips off Indiana Jones and ends up in a sub-par Da Vinci Code. Unfeasibly popular crap.
The Kite Runner – Decent if somewhat flawed exploraton of friendship and roots that does feature two wonderful child performances.
The 11th Hour – Leo DiCaprio tells us all to cut down on emissions to save the planet. Thanks.
I Think I Love My Wife – Horrible looking wannabe-mean spirited comedy with Chris Rock as a happily married man struggling with the possibility of infidelity.
Death of a Salesman – Good attempt to bring Arthur Miller’s masterwork to the screen featuring a strong perfomance from Dustin Hoffman.
King of California – Michael Douglas basically reprising the Wonder Boys character in an interesting little under-the-radar pick.

Region 1

Cloverfield – Pretty good modern monster movie that only really suffers due to the cast looking and acting like participants in a Gap commercial. Otherwise, a thoroughly effective event film.
Semi Pro – Really strange comedy in which Will Ferrell is in Anchorman-with-Basketball and Woody Harrelson is in Cinderella Man. Two totally different films stuck together, after which you’ll want to punch woody for ruining the fun.
Rescue Me: Season 4 – Getting strong as it goes, Rescue Me is now the premiere deconstruction of the alpha male psyche on television following the end of The Sopranos.
The Onion Movie – I’m looking forward to this sketch piece which feature a fake trailer for Steven Seagal in ‘The Cockpuncher’. Likely hit-and-miss but hopefully darn funny in places.
Honeydripper – You can’t go wrong with John Sayles behind the camera and Danny Glover in front. Looking forward to checking this out this week.
Patton: Special Edition – George C Scott in one of the finest male performances in movie history.