On the occasion of a new film from Darren Aronofsky arriving to acclaim and debate, and as I eagerly await my opportunity to screen said film and join in the carousing argument, it’s perhaps worth remembering that most of the … Continue reading From the Archive — The Fountain
During my first academic year at my college radio station, from the fall of 1988 through the spring of 1989, there was one song I was desperate to hear, even as it remained agonizingly elusive. Before I showed up at … Continue reading One for Friday — Grant Hart, “2541”
#31 — Jennifer Lopez as Karen Sisco in Out of Sight (Steven Soderbergh, 1998) When Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight was released, in 1998, it was revelatory in about a half-dozen different ways. It introduced the artful showman side of … Continue reading Greatish Performances #31
Good Morning (Yasujirō Ozu, 1959). I’ll admit to being underexposed to the work of the revered Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu. (It’s not a good excuse, by any means, but I’ve devoted most of my relevant geographically-based cinema self-schooling to films of … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up: Good Morning; The Big Sky; The Witness
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. In recent weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to spend some quality time in the small Midwestern town … Continue reading The Art of the Sell: “Major Points of Interest in Wisconsin”
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. Once I threw my heart into the fierce grasp of superhero … Continue reading My Misspent Youth: Fantastic Four #191 by Len Wein and George Pérez
5. The Smiths, “How Soon is Now?” “What is Johnny doing? That’s just noise.” Geoff Travis, the founder and chief of Rough Trade Records, wasn’t pleased with “How Soon Is Now?” when he first heard it. As lead singer Morrissey … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 250 Songs, 1979 – 1989, 5
I really should be dropping an old review of a Stephen King adaptation into this space, but I believe I’ve exhausted my supply of writing on the often-dire translations of the prolific author’s work. Instead, I’ll take as my prompt … Continue reading From the Archive: Running with Scissors
I appreciate those songwriters who can look to nearly inspiration in plying their trade. The annals of pop music is overstuffed with songs that offer up generic views of romance and heartbreak, but it takes a special craftsman to pen … Continue reading One for Friday — Robyn Hitchcock, “(A Man’s Gotta Know His Limitations) Briggs”
This series of posts is dedicated to the many, many six packs, pony kegs and pints that have sauntered into my life at one point or another. It has gotten extremely difficult to be a beer connoisseur — or beer … Continue reading Beers I Have Known — Cellarmaker Brewing Co. Turok: Mosaic Hunter
Coffee for Two 