Clarence Darrow spent his life defending causes that no one else had the courage to defend. He saw serious problems with the way the world ran, and did his best to remedy those problems. Did he always win? No - that happens when the odds are almost always against you. It is easy to win cases when you never bother to challenge the majority opinion and stand up for something, not because it is popular or will make you money, but because it is right. He wanted to make America a better place. Is that the same as "hating America"? No. If you hate America, you don't lift a finger to make it better. Darrow gave his life to make sure that each American had full independence to think and work and live as the founding fathers believed he should. The humanity and depth of this man were endless... we all would do well to read, and re-read, both this volume and his autobiography - books even more relevant now than they were then.

I admit that, when I first checked out this film, I had my apprehensions. "Another thief movie? Does the world need this?" I recall thinking. However, Billy Bob Thornton has not done me wrong yet, so I put aside prejudice and watched, and could not be happier. It is a very Thornton type of movie... about shattered characters just barely keeping themselves together, but at the same time pulling off acts of genius. The writing and characterizations are impressive and, more importantly, have a ring of truth about them. Yes, they are extreme, but it is only in the extreme that we can really recognize and acknowledge some of the latent seeds of unbalance within the minds of all.
Add fine acting into the mix, a soundtrack that is perfectly tuned to the different circumstances of the film, and an ending that rivals the best, and there should be little to no cause for disappointment, provided you understand that this movie is not a typical action film and don't expect an explosion every two seconds to satisfy your latent cro-magnon tendencies...

It always baffles me when, going to a Bowie concert, the fans stomp and yell for all of the old hits and then hardly acknowledge the greatness of Bowie's work over the past 15 years. Bowie is now better than he has ever been, and REALITY is a perfect example. The lyrics range from the heart-rending ("Days", "Loneliest Guy") to the triumphant ("Never Get Old") to the bittersweetly elegant ("New Killer Star", "Fall Dogs Bomb the Moon"). With both Reality and Heathen, Bowie has given us the best poetry of his life.

Musically, the album is equally rich. The melodies are more interesting, the harmonies more challenging, and the orchestrations more rich, than on any of the much more generally vaunted 70s albums. His music has never been this good, which is an astounding proclamation given that his music has been so consistently excellent for the past three decades. In another two decades, we can fully anticipate that Bowie's albums will so approach divinity that the mere listening thereto will cause mortal heads to spontaneously explode.

But Enough Generalities...
NEW KILLER STAR: "All the corners of the buildings... who but we remember these?" is one of those perfect lines to listen to with one's beloved, where Bowie captures the true fragile beauty of the passing of time in the company of another being. Plus, the song rocks...

PABLO PICASSO: One of the covers on the album. Bowie's inflection here is great, as is the rhythmic sense of the piece.

NEVER GET OLD: There is one part in here where David Bowie says "Never gonna get enough SEX" that instantly liquefies the knees of every female I know, my wife included... it is a musical testament to Bowie's insanely immaculate virility.

THE LONELIEST GUY: A song about a man trapped with the electronic creations of his fantasy, so much so that he is paralyzed in his attempts to communicate with the world. A shudderingly timely piece.

LOOKING FOR WATER: At first, this seemed Average to me, but now it is among my favorites, suggesting the grasping arid cityscapes of Heathen that made that album so very very good.

SHE'LL DRIVE THE BIG CAR: A great idea for a song, detailing the desperately monotonous ways that people try and "grasp life", only to fall into more wearing cliches than they were originally experiencing. "She'll turn the radio way up high/find a station playing sad sad songs/just a little bit louder now/just a little bit angry now."

DAYS: If you can look at your loved one while this song is playing and not burst into tears, you are not a human being.

FALL DOG BOMBS THE MOON: Classic melody with awesome lyrics. One of the best.

TRY SOME, BUY SOME: Cover of an old Harrison song. The only real track on the album that I could do without, but a number of the professional reviewers seem to like it, so who knows...

REALITY: A little bit Earthling, a little bit Suffragette. A nearly perfect fusion of old and new.

BRING ME THE DISCO KING: If you happen to be in the right atmosphere, this is the greatest song ever, one where you can just picture this desperate lounge act melting into nothingness.