William Hurt, 1950 – 2022
William Hurt changed my perception of acting. I was fourteen when I saw his performance in The Big Chill, so I was certainly old enough to realize that acting required effort beyond memorization and recitation to bring authenticity to a … Continue reading William Hurt, 1950 – 2022
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #224 to #222
224. Siouxsie and the Banshees, Hyæna (1984) Siouxsie and the Banshees were in a sort of limbo for a time before the recording and release of their sixth studio album, Hyæna. They hit a crisis point not long after the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #224 to #222
Outside Reading — Black Ink edition
Black-Owned Bookstores Safeguard Our History as Racists Try to Ban It by St. Clair Detrick-Jules As they fully intend, it’s difficult to pin down precisely which of the right wing’s many infractions against political norms and basic decency is most … Continue reading Outside Reading — Black Ink edition
This Week’s Model — The Black Keys, “Wild Child”
Realistically, I’m sold from the opening riff, with its little tingle of disco-era Rolling Stones. It’s only a few seconds before the fuzzed-out, thick-bottom blues guitar really kicks in, the blaring alert that “Wild Child” is indeed the Black Keys … Continue reading This Week’s Model — The Black Keys, “Wild Child”
Medium Rotation — Covers; The Boy Named If; Anaïs Mitchell
Although a sharp, evocative songwriter who regularly delivers new albums stuffed full of beautifully tarnished gems, Chan Marshall gets a lot of mileage out of repurposing other performers’ material. Titled with admirable clarity and directness, Covers is the third instance … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Covers; The Boy Named If; Anaïs Mitchell
Now Playing — After Yang
It is admittedly no feat to spot the influences in a film directed by Kogonada. With After Yang, the South Korean-born filmmaker has two features to his name. He also has a slew of film essays on the work of … Continue reading Now Playing — After Yang
Then Playing — Salaam Bombay!; Found Memories; Along Came Jones
Salaam Bombay! (Mira Nair, 1988). Director Mira Nair’s first fiction film owes a lot to her preceding documentaries. In depicting the plight of children living on the streets of India, Nair worked largely with amateur actors, many of whom were … Continue reading Then Playing — Salaam Bombay!; Found Memories; Along Came Jones
Top Ten Movies of 2021 — Number Four
The Lost Daughter, the feature directorial debut of Maggie Gyllenhaal, is dense with the anxiety of simply living. Adapted, by Gyllenhaal, from a 2006 novel by Elena Ferrante, the film follows Leda (Olivia Colman), a college professor who is on … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2021 — Number Four
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #227 to #225
227. The Mighty Lemon Drops, Happy Head (1986) In 1985, the Mighty Lemon Drops formed in the West Midlands city of Wolverhampton, playing gigs here and there as the Sherbert Monsters whenever they wanted to work through new material. Around … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #227 to #225
Outside Reading — Things That We Knew But Would Rather Forget edition
Who’s Afraid of Ketanji Brown Jackson? by Sherrilyn A. Ifill Writing for The New York Times, Sherrilyn A. Ifill, the brilliant and insightful president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, draws from the historical record to … Continue reading Outside Reading — Things That We Knew But Would Rather Forget edition
