Author: Dan Seeger

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Top Fifty Films of the 60s — Number Twenty-Seven

Dan Seeger

#27 — Goldfinger (Guy Hamilton, 1964) In principle, I admire the recent overhaul bestowed upon the James Bond franchise, the clear shucking off of the outer layer of hoary tradition that made it seem increasingly old-fashioned. I have no calcified veneration for the sanctity of the character, caring not a whit if they adhere to traditions like the timely issuance of new murderous gizmos sure to come in handy on the new mission or the casual introduction, last name first. I even remember being excited about the unsolicited suggestion given publicly to the producers several years ago–by Entertainment Weekly, I … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 60s — Number Twenty-Seven

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Top Fifty Films of the 60s — Number Twenty-Eight

Dan Seeger

#28 — La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini, 1960) I will concede from the beginning that I sometimes find the vivid abstractions of Federico Fellini to be too dizzying. I recognize his mastery of a certain form of cinema, even celebrate the way he eradicated boundaries with his skillful braiding of dream logic and traditional narrative. And yet there are times when there is just too much unpacking to be done, too much presented as a brazen challenge to the audience to find meaning in the obscurity. He writes an equation on a chalkboard and then uses an eraser to smear … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 60s — Number Twenty-Eight

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Spectrum Check

Dan Seeger

In a rare occurrence, I didn’t have anything new go up at Spectrum Culture this week. But I am charged with figuring out which 2013 album release I think is worth inclusion on our list of the best of the year so far. By far the strongest album I’ve reviewed for the site–and still probably my choice for the year’s top release–is Yo La Tengo’s Fade. I’d like to see it included (and it had a low enough profile that I’m afraid it will be forgotten if I don’t tackle it), but I’m always reluctant to write on something that … Continue reading Spectrum Check

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One for Friday: Les Enfants, “Shed a Tear (There You Go)”

Dan Seeger

I’d love to report that I know about the Dublin band Les Enfants and their 1985 album, Touché, because I found it in some used record store, buying the artifact note unheard on the basis of something about the cover or the names of the songs. Certainly it’s easy, knowing what I know about the music, to think I may have correctly guessed a song called “Shed a Tear (There You Go),” hailing from the middle of the eighties, is some lost gem of post-New Wave pop. I was rarely that bold, however, and it’s entirely possible that I’ve never … Continue reading One for Friday: Les Enfants, “Shed a Tear (There You Go)”

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James Gandolfini, 1961 – 2013

Dan Seeger

And The Sopranos is on right now. Six years after the show went off the air, it remains a staple on the various HBO side channels, enduring in perpetual rotation in a way that other acclaimed series from the network haven’t quite. Not that there’s any shortage of treasures within the show, led by the inspiration of creator David Chase and a multitude of great performances. But watch any given episode and it’s clear that a major part of its greatness–the reason it truly lasts–is the incredible central performance by James Gandolfini. It’s absolutely one of the pinnacles in the … Continue reading James Gandolfini, 1961 – 2013