Dean Wareham's

Black Postcards: A Rock & Roll Romance
$25.95
I couldn't put this book down. Dean is a great writer, and told his story prolifically of an indie band(s) trying to make it despite difficult circumstances. The encounters with other bands and artists and Dean's snarky comments were especially enjoyable, as well as the encounters with the fans around the world. You don't need to be a fan of Luna or Galaxie 500 (I was somewhat of one but not that familiar with all of the music) to love this book. Any fan of music will appreciate the references and the well written memoir of a struggling artist who wants to make music for the sake of music, and not just to to be a rock star.

Highball
$14.98
This film was shot in only six days--and it looks it. The one set of a couple's apartment is not very attractive to look at, but who cares. It suits the needs of the film. What I like about the quirky "Highball" is the weird comic writing and some inspired performances. The movie was written and directed by Noah Baumbach, whom you may know as the writer/director of "The Squid and the Whale" and more recently, "Margot at the Wedding". "Highball" is from 1997, and Mr. Baumbach chose to put two different aliases on the film as the writer and the director. Hopefully he's not ashamed of this early flick of his because it's quite enjoyable.

The story is simple. Young couple throw three parties over the course of a year. First is a birthday party for a very odd friend. The second is a hoot of a Halloween party (the funniest sequence). And last is a New Year's Eve party. Their friends come over and people fight and kiss and play games and eat. And that's about it.

The cast is very diverse: Justine Bateman (who is excellent as a wallflower who later blossoms), director Peter Bogdanovich (who is delightful as he quotes from various movies), Ally Sheedy and Rae Dawn Chong (who both play themselves), Eric Stoltz, Annabella Sciorra and Chris Eigeman.

If you're looking for something different and fun, check out "Highball". It's a kooky little gem of a flick.

Luna - Tell Me Do You Miss Me
$19.98
In 2007, Dean Wareham released an absolute excellent memoir of his days in the rock world ("Black Postcards"), mostly about his days in Luna, the NY indie-rock band that made great music from 1992 to 2005, but somehow staying under the radar of the mainstream music. It's one of the best books ever written about indie-music.

"Tell Me Do You Miss Me" (145 min.) chronicles the last tour of Luna, before they disbanded in 2005. It's an equally fascinating document that the Wareham book is. The DVD chronicles the last 6 months of the band, as it toured behind the 2004 "Rendezvous" album, and announced before the tour that this would be it. There is a lot of underlying melancholy in the movie, as the band knows that "this is it", in particular as the band revisits all of the cities in Europe, Japan and the US that it has visited before. But more than anything else that stands out is that these guys were indeed just getting by, money was always an issue/a problem. They are not superstars, yet at the same time they express their gratitude over and over that at least they can make it (even if barely). The band members open up in the various interviews and it is quite the treat. If you are a fan of Luna, or indie-rock for that matter, this is not to be missed. The proper movie is quite easy to the eyes and ears, and thankfully not edited MTV-style where the angle changes every second.

As to the extras, there are 4 concert songs added in their entirety, and a number of movie deleted scenes that are non-essential (and reason they didn't make it in the movie). No matter, this is an outstanding addition to the legacy of Luna. We miss ya, Luna! Dean and Britta have since then of course go on and have made several albums that are worth checking out as well. Meanwhile, this DVD is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Mr. Jealousy
$9.95
This movie is an overlooked gem. Unfortunately, the DVD presentation is shoddy -- it's not anamorphic video, so you'll be looking through a mail slot on your 16:9 television screen.