Go now, go now, you’re a new man instead
Thirty-seventh in a series… (Via) Continue reading Go now, go now, you’re a new man instead
Author: Dan Seeger
Top Fifty Films of the 70s — Number Thirty-Five
#35 — The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973) William Friedkin often insisted, and perhaps still maintains, that The Exorcist isn’t a horror movie. It’s perhaps understandable that the director would prefer avoiding having any sort of reductive label attached to a … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 70s — Number Thirty-Five
Though nothing will keep us together, we could steal time just for one day
Popular taste has finally converged with the oeuvre of Joss Whedon. The writer-director has been a feverishly beloved cult hero since at least the point very early in the run of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer when it … Continue reading Though nothing will keep us together, we could steal time just for one day
College Countdown: CMJ Top 50 Albums of 2001, 40 and 39
40. The Faint, Danse Macabre One of the things I’ve addressed with some regularity in the One for Friday feature was my old appreciation for what I considered to be great radio records. These were the albums that rewarded the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 50 Albums of 2001, 40 and 39
Spectrum Check
The vast majority of the time, the reviewers at Spectrum Culture choose the material we write on, which means we sometimes build our own trends as writers. For example, I’ve already regularly claimed Vivian Girls and associated acts (including writing about the new Best Coast soon). Turns out I’ve also inadvertently developed a specialty for writing about movies centered on French prostitutes. Last fall, extremely positive festival buzz led me to ask for Bertrand Bonello’s House of Pleasures. Now my willingness to follow Juliette Binoche just about anywhere led to a more modern exploration of that particular European subculture. The … Continue reading Spectrum Check
One for Friday: Badly Drawn Boy, “You Were Right”
When my new position in college radio in 2001 finally allowed me to freshly and fully explore new music for the first time in years, there was a dizzying array of unfamiliar artists to wrap my head around. Making it a little trickier for me, many of them were distinct, singular solo artists that adopted wholly different identities with names that would usually be affixed to a full band. This may have happened a generation earlier when I was a student DJ, but I surely didn’t remember it. Beyond the occasional, “Hi, my name is Steven Morrissey, but just use … Continue reading One for Friday: Badly Drawn Boy, “You Were Right”
Top Fifty Films of the 70s — Number Thirty-Six
#36 — Harold & Maude (Hal Ashby, 1971) Engaging in an exercise like this countdown naturally inspires the generation of all sorts of half-baked theories, trying to condense disparate ranges of films made by wildly different and unique directors into … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 70s — Number Thirty-Six
Mighty Marvel Checklist HyperboleCheck: Avengers #97
When the marvelous mavens at Marvel meant to magnify the merits of their magnificent mags, there were no better place than the Mighty Marvel Checklist, typically taking up one crazy column in the monthly Bullpen Bulletins page. Starting with sterling … Continue reading Mighty Marvel Checklist HyperboleCheck: Avengers #97
Campbell, Cukor, Curtiz, Gluck, von Donnersmarck
Adam’s Rib (George Cukor, 1949). Probably the apex of the onscreen collaborations between Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, largely because the storyline involving married attorneys facing off against one another in a high-profile trial allowed for the sort of warm, frightfully intelligent banter that served the duo best. For most of the film, the interplay is infectiously delightful, especially as presented by the sure lens of George Cukor, who demonstrates an unerring sense of timing, including knowing when to just lean back and let his stars cut back and forth across the frame. The screenplay by Ruth Gordon and Garson … Continue reading Campbell, Cukor, Curtiz, Gluck, von Donnersmarck
Top 40 Smash Taps: “Tell Her She’s Lovely”
These posts are about the songs that can accurately claim to crossed the key line of chart success, becoming Top 40 hits on Billboard, but just barely. Every song featured in this series peaked at number 40. “Tell Her She’s Lovely” was the third and final single from the California band El Chicano to appear on the Billboard charts. In 1970, they made it into the Top 30 with “Viva Tirado, Pt. 1,” essentially the title cut from their debut album. Two years later, they just missed the Top 40 with a cover of Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl.” “Tell … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Taps: “Tell Her She’s Lovely”
Coffee for Two 