Now Playing — Last Night in Soho
The protagonist of Last Night in Soho, Edgar Wright’s latest film, can be viewed as a surrogate for any number of filmmakers, including, just maybe, the one who presides over her story. Ellie (Thomasin McKenzie) is a young woman from … Continue reading Now Playing — Last Night in Soho
Beers I Have Known — Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
This series of posts is dedicated to the many, many six packs, pony kegs and pints that have sauntered into my life at one point or another. I will admit that I sometimes took for granted that, following my return … Continue reading Beers I Have Known — Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
Then Playing — O Ebrio; Jeanne Eagels; Let Them All Talk
O Ébrio (Gilda de Abreu, 1946). This Brazilian film, the directorial debut of Gilda de Abreu, was a smash hit on its home turf at the time of its release. The film follows the shifting fortunes of Gilberto (Vicente Celestino), who … Continue reading Then Playing — O Ebrio; Jeanne Eagels; Let Them All Talk
Now Playing — The Harder They Fall
The Harder They Fall, the feature directorial debut of Jeymes Samuel, is awash in its influences, and that seems to be the point. The film is a mish-mash of Spaghetti Westerns, Sam Peckinpah, John Ford, and Howard Hawks, modernized with … Continue reading Now Playing — The Harder They Fall
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #278 to 276
278. David Bowie, Tonight (1984) There’s no question that David Bowie was a certified rock legend as the calendar edged forward in the early nineteen-eighties. That didn’t mean he couldn’t hit new heights. His 1983 studio album, Let’s Dance, was … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #278 to 276
Outside Reading — The Last Frame of the Last Reel edition
In Praise Of Movies That Just End (Because They Used To Know When To End) by Mike Ryan This is exactly the sort of grumpy-old-man movie criticism I’m looking for these days. I’ve been slow to reengage in the moviegoing … Continue reading Outside Reading — The Last Frame of the Last Reel edition
This Week’s Model — Jenny Lewis, “Puppy and a Truck”
On her new single “Puppy and a Truck,” Jenny Lewis reaches a pinnacle of easygoing self-assurance. As a songwriter, Lewis forged her legend, alongside her Rilo Kiley bandmates, by crafting pointed, poignant, decorticating songs about living with depression. Her process … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Jenny Lewis, “Puppy and a Truck”
My Misspent Youth — The Eternals by Jack Kirby
I read a lot of comic books as a kid. This series of posts is about the comics I read, and, occasionally, the comics that I should have read. Jack Kirby, who you must remember was the King, had a … Continue reading My Misspent Youth — The Eternals by Jack Kirby
Greatish Performances #53
#53 — Jenny Slate as Donna Stern in Obvious Child (Gillian Robespierre, 2014) When Gillian Robespierre developed her feature directorial debut, Obvious Child, she had Jenny Slate in mind for the lead role of Donna, a woman whose drunken canoodling … Continue reading Greatish Performances #53
Then Playing — American Animals; Madeline’s Madeline; No Time to Die
American Animals (Bart Layton, 2018). Bart Layton’s heist drama is drawn from an actual crime perpetrated by a group of young men in the early two-thousands, and the filmmaker creatively incorporates documentary — and documentary warping — contributions from the … Continue reading Then Playing — American Animals; Madeline’s Madeline; No Time to Die
Coffee for Two 