#19 — Saving Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg, 1998) During the first part of his career, Steven Spielberg made the sort of movies he could have dreamed up as a kid. Like may good artist finding his way, he was making … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 90s — Number Nineteen
I greatly appreciate the way that this series of tubes that we call the Internet has completely changed our access to art, especially music. There was a time when getting exposed to something new often meant plowing through the architecture dances of music reviews in various publications and trying to imagine what the album sounded like from the collection of sonic descriptors. Unless the material was embraced by radio or got exposure on some television showcase, the only way to actually hear it involved plunking down hard-earned dollars, something that was in short supply in my youth. Now, even those … Continue reading One for Friday: Debbie Harry and Kermit the Frog, “The Rainbow Connection”
Revenge is a dish best served cold. And on the sidewalk. Almost fifty years after the master of suspense dealt the avian community a P.R. blow, they finally retaliate. (Due credit: this was brought to my attention by someone else.) Continue reading A thumbnail sketch, a jeweler’s stone, a mean idea to call my own
Kevorkian (Matthew Galkin, 2010). This documentary is about the Michigan physician who gained notoriety and, in some quarters, infamy by advocating for the right of terminally ill patients to end their lives on their own terms and providing the mechanized means to do so in the most humane fashion possible. The relative lack of voices arguing against the very premise of Kevorkian’s actions makes it fairly clear where Galkin’s sympathies lie, but the film is no hagiography. He gives a full airing to the combativeness, unpleasantness and self-defeating egotism of the man, leaving a strong impression that Kevorkian may be … Continue reading Bier, Brooks, Galkin, Jarmusch, Karlson
Because some days all you need is to turn up the volume… Continue reading You’ll get those plain hot potatoes to satisfy your appetite
Back when the Marvel Comics Group could accurately be described as the House of Ideas, some of their finest writing could be found every month in the checklist of new titles. They were promoted with the most bodaciously breathless boasts … Continue reading Mighty Marvel Checklist HyperboleCheck: Captain America #136
And now…on with the countdown… 10. Matthew Sweet, “Girlfriend” A sensational single can change everything, lifting an artist from complete obscurity (even within the obscurity-embracing culture of college radio) to critical acclaim, healthy airplay, and even the less prestigious showcases in late night television. The whole Girlfriend album is terrific, but that title cut is the sort of grabber that artists spend their entire careers fruitlessly longing for. In Sweet’s original pass at this song, it was entitled “Good Friend,” but everyone he played it for thought he was saying “girlfriend” so he went ahead and made the minor but … Continue reading College Countdown: Winter 1991, 10-6
#20 — Smoke (Wayne Wang, 1996) Smoke is about the power and pleasure of stories. The film is enamored with the very act of spinning a tale, whether it be complete concoctions, embellishments on personal histories, or even the fictions people create about themselves as buffers against the sadness of the world. The mere craft of it is admirable enough, and there’s perhaps no better indicator of its value than the smile that irresistibly rises to the visage of a teller who has completed their task particularly well. The film is centered around a Brooklyn cigar shop, the perfect setting … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 90s — Number Twenty
One of the little intellectual games that naturally came up around the college radio station involved speculating about other eras of music and what it would’ve been like to be taking our turn on the left end of the dial in those times. What must it have been like to be there in the late seventies, for example, when the burst of punk and new wave brought amazing albums from the likes of the Ramones, Blondie, and Elvis Costello into the rotation on a regular basis? Or to be Music Director when the package from I.R.S. Records arrived with Murmur, … Continue reading One for Friday: XTC, “My Bird Performs”
A couple weeks ago when the trailer for Kenneth Branagh’s Thor leaked, I was asked a question by a friend of mine who, despite his proud Norwegian heritage, was busy becoming acquainted with different gods during his comic-readin’ years. Specifically, … Continue reading You’re up, you’re down, I can’t work you out
