Greatish Performances #48
#48 — Mila Kunis as Lily in Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky, 2010) When my past assertions that Mila Kunis delivers one of the strongest performances — maybe the strongest performance — in Black Swan were met with surprise of even derision, I … Continue reading Greatish Performances #48
Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Born to Lose” and “If You Were Mine”
These posts are about the songs that just barely failed to cross the key line of chart success, entering the Billboard Top 40. Every song featured in this series peaked at number 41. Ray Charles made a name for himself in the nineteen-fifties and a tremendous performer who could move effortlessly back and forth between jazz and rhythm and blues. He also spoke regularly about his love for country music, cultivated during his upbringing in the South. “Hillybilly music” is what Charles called it, and he was convinced he could make a fine record with a batch of suitable songs, … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Born to Lose” and “If You Were Mine”
Now Playing — Ford v Ferrari
In the early nineteen-sixties, Ford Motor Company took a run at propping up their cultural cachet through the acquisition of Italian automaker Ferrari, renowned for their sleek sports cars, including the vehicles that famously dominated the yearly twenty-four endurance race … Continue reading Now Playing — Ford v Ferrari
Beers I Have Known — Around the Bend English Mild with Coffee
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 don’t ever really need a beer, but there are times when I … Continue reading Beers I Have Known — Around the Bend English Mild with Coffee
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #616 to #613
616. Prefab Sprout, Two Wheels Good (1985) Prefab Sprout found out they had a famous fan. During a discussion aired on BBC Radio, Thomas Dolby praised some of the material on Prefab Sprout’s 1983 debut album, Swoon. Connections were made, … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #616 to #613
Outside Reading — Neighborly edition
This Tom Hanks Story Will Help You Feel Less Bad by Taffy Brodesser-Akner Taffy Brodesser-Akner is the ace of The New York Times staff of writers covering celebrity culture, often taking on more prickly subject and giving a telling prominence … Continue reading Outside Reading — Neighborly edition
This Week’s Model — Billie Eilish, “Everything I Wanted”
When a music artist is of an age that a high school locker assignment is still a typical area of concern, it compounds the tendency to assume every song is a confession. Rather than pure invention, they must be using … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Billie Eilish, “Everything I Wanted”
The New Releases Shelf — Magdalene
For her sophomore full-length release, FKA twigs strips her music down to a fragile, spindly framework. Five years after the English musician delivered the mind-spinning debut LP1, she offers Magdalene, which retains the sense of relentless innovation and pushes further … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Magdalene
The Art of the Sell — Young MC for Pepsi Cool Cans
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. In the spring of 1990, Public Enemy released their third studio album, Fear of a Black Planet. … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — Young MC for Pepsi Cool Cans
Playing Catch-Up — Greta; A Warm December; Veronika Voss
Greta (Neil Jordan, 2019). Neil Jordan’s first feature film in six years is a trashy, inane thriller that’s miles removed from his best work. Except for the requisite appearance by Stephen Rea, it doesn’t even bear much resemblance to the … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — Greta; A Warm December; Veronika Voss
