Where are these "mixed" responses to Nebraska? It's getting almost nothing except flat-out raves. The only negative I've read is from David Denby in The New Yorker. He's all wet on that one.

Inside Llewyn Davis is a good-not-great film by the Coen Brothers. Better than most of their movies, it's still not a Coen classic. Well acted and photographed and possessing a wonderful soundtrack full of folk music, it's the character study of a very self-destructive folk singer with a wildly erratic personality. Oscar Isaac is extremely convincing and quite sympathetic as this infuriating man, and he's backed by a good supporting cast including Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, F. Murray Abraham, and a host of well-chosen character types. All the other characters besiides Llewyn, however, are either cameos or extended cameos.

The movie is essentially plotless and depends entirely on one's interest in the character of Llewyn Davis. He's a fascinating character and, as noted, well acted--but it's not enough to make this a great film. Good, however, it is.

As for yours truly and my vaunted presence, you can recognize me as a blurry white-haired image in the background of one scene if you know exactly where to look and are willing to ignore the rather important and amusing dialogue taking place in the foreground. (In other words, if you're me.)

Hey, whatever, I'm definitely there.

....The two fat cousins, giggling over "Billings to Hawthorne in TWO DAYS," and boasting about their driving times across the plains, was dead on.

Do you have a button that can lock your speed? When I'm on the Interstate and there isn't a lot of traffic I lock my speed at 5 mph over the speed limit. When I pass the cop cars watching for speeders, they never stop me.

I really liked About Schmidt. Billy really didn't like About Schmidt.

Not just Billy.

Isn't that called "cruise control"? Don't they use that term in the North Country?