The Harder They Fall, the feature directorial debut of Jeymes Samuel, is awash in its influences, and that seems to be the point. The film is a mish-mash of Spaghetti Westerns, Sam Peckinpah, John Ford, and Howard Hawks, modernized with … Continue reading Now Playing — The Harder They Fall
278. David Bowie, Tonight (1984) There’s no question that David Bowie was a certified rock legend as the calendar edged forward in the early nineteen-eighties. That didn’t mean he couldn’t hit new heights. His 1983 studio album, Let’s Dance, was … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #278 to 276
In Praise Of Movies That Just End (Because They Used To Know When To End) by Mike Ryan This is exactly the sort of grumpy-old-man movie criticism I’m looking for these days. I’ve been slow to reengage in the moviegoing … Continue reading Outside Reading — The Last Frame of the Last Reel edition
On her new single “Puppy and a Truck,” Jenny Lewis reaches a pinnacle of easygoing self-assurance. As a songwriter, Lewis forged her legend, alongside her Rilo Kiley bandmates, by crafting pointed, poignant, decorticating songs about living with depression. Her process … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Jenny Lewis, “Puppy and a Truck”
I read a lot of comic books as a kid. This series of posts is about the comics I read, and, occasionally, the comics that I should have read. Jack Kirby, who you must remember was the King, had a … Continue reading My Misspent Youth — The Eternals by Jack Kirby
#53 — Jenny Slate as Donna Stern in Obvious Child (Gillian Robespierre, 2014) When Gillian Robespierre developed her feature directorial debut, Obvious Child, she had Jenny Slate in mind for the lead role of Donna, a woman whose drunken canoodling … Continue reading Greatish Performances #53
American Animals (Bart Layton, 2018). Bart Layton’s heist drama is drawn from an actual crime perpetrated by a group of young men in the early two-thousands, and the filmmaker creatively incorporates documentary — and documentary warping — contributions from the … Continue reading Then Playing — American Animals; Madeline’s Madeline; No Time to Die
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. I’m not saying all commercials would be improved by the addition of Cookie Monsters, but I’m also … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — Cookie Monster and His iPhone 6
281. The Housemartins, The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death (1987) With their bright, buoyant melodies and crisp pop sound, the Housemartins hardly sound like the sort of band that would inspire outrage. At around the time the PMRC was … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #281 to #279
Falsehoods Meddle in Humble Bid to Honor Past by Reid J. Epstein The news story out of Montana is an object lesson in the way right-wing brain worms have demolished the ability to get the simplest public works accomplished. A … Continue reading Outside Reading — Big Lie Country edition
Coffee for Two 