It’s long been clear that filmmaker Todd Haynes is a master of manipulating tone for delightfully acts of cinematic chicanery. To this point, this most potent manifestation of that talent was surely Far from Heaven, his 2002 film that gently … Continue reading Now Playing — May December
Theater Camp (Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman, 2023). This affectionate spoofing of arts education summer camps where young thespians find their hit-the-back-row voices is too raggedy to be wholly satisfying. As directed by first-timers Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman, Theater … Continue reading Then Playing — Theater Camp; Inherit the Wind; Sweet Revenge
WILCO Cousin (dBpm) — By the time a band gets to lucky album number thirteen, complacency would be understandable. That’s especially the case if the band has a songwriter who can evidently dash off accomplished new tunes as easily a … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Cousin; Silver
3. The English Beat, Special Beat Service (1982) “We looked at ourselves and realized we had unconsciously overcompensated for the frenetic rhythms of the first album with the slower pacings of the second album,” Dave Wakeling, guitarist and vocalist with … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #3
We Three Kings: boygenius On Their Breakout Year by Brady Gerber Even those who engage in only casual perusals of my little corner of the digital world are undoubtedly clear that I wholeheartedly hopped on the boygenius bandwagon at the … Continue reading Outside Reading — Past-Life Arsonists edition
“Just a Place,” the new single from Glitterer, opens with an enticing tuneful cascade of the sort that the Ocean Blue used to dispense like candy from their pockets. As the track moves on, it toughens up just a bit, … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Glitterer, “Just a Place”
Midway through the day and into early evening, none of the festival attendees knew if Shane MacGowan was going to show up for his scheduled set. There were all sorts of reasons to surmise that the onetime Pogues frontman would … Continue reading Shane MacGowan, 1957 – 2023
The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin Fiction, 2017 But there are none so frightened, or so strange in their fear, as conquerors. They conjure phantoms endlessly, terrified that their victims will someday do back what was done to them—even if, … Continue reading Book Report — The Stone Sky; Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
Sometimes comedy illuminates hard truths with a pointed urgency that other means can’t quite achieve. Sometimes comedy is just funny. This series of posts is mostly about the former instances, but the latter is valuable, too. Although I have mostly … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Albert Brooks and Danny
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life (Rob Reiner, 2023). This documentary on the life and career of Albert Brooks includes enough clips of his remarkable work in comedy and filmmaking to ensure a suitable level of entertainment. In nearly every other … Continue reading Then Playing — Albert Brooks: Defending My Life; Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.; Blue Jean
Coffee for Two 