The Art of the Sell — American Express, “One Hour Photo”
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. There are a lot of ills and injustices perpetrated by modern-day capitalism. I am aware of this. … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — American Express, “One Hour Photo”
My Misspent Youth — Astonishing Tales by Larry Lieber and Wally Wood
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. There were all sorts of comic books that I doggedly pursued … Continue reading My Misspent Youth — Astonishing Tales by Larry Lieber and Wally Wood
Now Playing — Godzilla vs. Kong
I fully understand the wisdom in adjusting expectations ahead of a viewing of Godzilla vs. Kong. No matter how gleefully retrospective analyzers of film can employ weighty themes of nuclear proliferation and malicious colonialism onto the inaugural screen appearance of … Continue reading Now Playing — Godzilla vs. Kong
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #371 to #369
371. The Chameleons U.K., Strange Times (1986) Manchester band the Chameleons were poised for quick success. After earning the enthusiastic support of influential British DJ John Peel, the band was signed to Epic Records, and their 1982 debut single, “In … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #371 to #369
Outside Reading — Tripping Halls edition
If Y2K-Era Movie Theater Carpets Could Talk by Foster Kamer Now this is the sort of narrow-niche article that I crave. Writing for the blog of independent film distributor A24, Foster Kamer offers an appreciation for the garish aesthetic of … Continue reading Outside Reading — Tripping Halls edition
This Week’s Model — Waxahatchee, “Light of a Clear Blue Morning”
It’s been a long, rough year since Waxahatchee released the exceptional album Saint Cloud. There’s little doubt that Katie Crutchfield, the sole proprietor of Waxahatchee, was counting on the subsequent tour as her true revenue stream. We all know how … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Waxahatchee, “Light of a Clear Blue Morning”
The New Releases Shelf — Little Oblivions
I want to write about Julien Baker’s new album, Little Oblivions, without bringing up the singer-songwriter’s bandmates in boygenius. It’s so hard, though. Just like her cohorts, Baker spun away from that indie dream group with a readiness to expand … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Little Oblivions
Top Ten Movies of 2020 — Number One
As Kirsten Johnson watched as her beloved father’s mind slip away, she decided to grapple with the welling sorrow in the way that felt most natural and apt to her. She did it through her art. After years shooting documentaries, … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2020 — Number One
Top Ten Movies of 2020 — Number Two
With a level of patience and care that’s become her clear trademark, writer-director Kelly Reichardt crafts a warm, shrewd cinematic story that explores a distant American past to offer pertinent, strangely moving commentary on the present. Set in the first … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2020 — Number Two
Then Playing — Borat Subsequent Moviefilm; Another Round; Hillbilly Elegy
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Jason Wollner, 2020). Notably stronger than its predecessor from fourteen years earlier, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm returns the title Kazakh journalist (Sacha Baron Cohen) to the good ol’ Land of the Free. Borat’s stated mission is to put … Continue reading Then Playing — Borat Subsequent Moviefilm; Another Round; Hillbilly Elegy
Coffee for Two 