#31 — The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006) Though we’re trained to believe otherwise, change usually happens incrementally. The misconception is fueled by newscasts and history textbooks that portray great social changes growing out singular events, tipping … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 00s — Number Thirty-One
My homeland endured a slightly embarrassing news story this past week, as an innocent acronym proved to be unexpectedly problematic. They made a reasonable change, but I can’t help but think that the ingenious folks at the “Brand New” blog … Continue reading Nothing more to say, no more ace to play
As I’ve previously confessed, I came to my musical taste relatively late. I’d love to report that I was precociously listening to cool Joy Division music or bouncy, catchy Ramones songs when I was a kid, but during the era those albums were coming out, I was still childishly clinging to lesser fare. It certainly didn’t help that the only adult in my immediate household who even bothered to listen to music was drawn to highly problematic choices, making it that much harder for me to find a pathway to the excellent material that was emerging in the part of … Continue reading One for Friday: The Rainmakers, “Small Circles”
As they used to say on CBS, read more about it. (Posted simultaneously on “Jelly-Town!”) Continue reading With a red guitar, on fire
I think it’s possible that Steven Soderbergh will never make another great movie. I don’t mean to imply that his efforts won’t be significantly better than most of what crosses multiplex screens, or that he won’t continue to be one … Continue reading I intentionally wrote it out to be an illegible mess
I’ve got a few key things that I’m due to write, including two different new movie reviews, but the truth is that there’s no combination of words that I can concoct that is more worth your time than spending around fourteen minutes with the late, great Richard Harris. Continue reading And I’ll never have that recipe again, oh no
#32 — Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003) For all the time I spend pondering movies, I find I don’t often retain my specific first impressions, even when I feel very strongly about the film in question. For example, despite … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 00s — Number Thirty-Two
It’s always a pleasure to go through our Sunday New York Times. It’s pretty rare, however, that there’s something in there that I feel compelled to share. That’s one of the buildings at the college that currently offers me gainful employment. Known as the EcoDorm, it’s one of only two student resident halls in the country that boasts the highest rating that can be given to buildings that receive LEED-certification for environmentally friendly construction and operation. The accompanying article calls it the “spiritual center” of campus. While that may be overstating it, the article (and the additional photos) does provide … Continue reading This used to be real estate, now it’s only fields and streams
I do wish I were in Wisconsin right now. Instead I have to settle on rooting on The World’s Second Most Famous Trivia TeamTM from afar. Go Cakers! Continue reading They answered my questions with questions and pointed me into the night
The music I write about in this space tends to be from my days as a student, toiling happily at the college radio station in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. This is partially because I want to stick to posting music that’s out of print, and the songs in my possession that fit that criteria are largely from this era. But it’s also because this is the music that sticks with me the most, the music that has stories associated with it, the music that leaves the strongest impression and has the strongest associations. The songs are the anthems of my youth, … Continue reading One for Friday: The Judybats, “Down in the Shacks Where the Satellite Dishes Grow”
Coffee for Two 