Laughing Matters — “Weird Al” Yankovic, “Word Crimes”
Sometimes comedy illuminates hard truths with a pointed urgency that other means can’t quite achieve. Sometimes comedy is just funny. This series of posts is mostly about the former instances, but the latter is valuable, too. Offered as a reminder … Continue reading Laughing Matters — “Weird Al” Yankovic, “Word Crimes”
The Art of the Sell — “Marty” trailer
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. I have a strong affection for the unique era of movie trailers represented by this promotional assemblage … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — “Marty” trailer
Greatish Performances #42
#42 — Gene Hackman as Royal Tenenbaum in The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001) Gene Hackman didn’t want to play Royal Tenenbaum. As he recounted, history told him that instances in which a filmmaker had written a part specifically for … Continue reading Greatish Performances #42
Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “All Cried Out”
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. Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien was born … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “All Cried Out”
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #728 to #725
728. Joan Armatrading, The Key (1983) Joan Armatrading was deep into her career when she released The Key, and she was ready for a little more commercial success. “I would like to sell more records in America, not so people … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #728 to #725
From the Archive — Casino Royale
I’m running low on older material, so we’re likely in the last few weeks of the “From the Archive” feature. Hence, the recent ramping up of pre-production promo for the next James Bond film — led by casting announcements that … Continue reading From the Archive — Casino Royale
This Week’s Model — Bleached, “Hard to Kill”
Although it’s been many, many (many, many, many) years since I set my internal clock by the schedule of a college radio station, some vestiges remain. For example, as the calendar page flips and the thirty-one squares of May are … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Bleached, “Hard to Kill”
My Misspent Youth — Action Comics by John Byrne
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. By the middle of the nineteen-eighties, I was well-versed in the … Continue reading My Misspent Youth — Action Comics by John Byrne
Beers I Have Known — Alarmist Brewing Le Jus
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. With the rapid expansion of dots on the craft brewery map, trying to … Continue reading Beers I Have Known — Alarmist Brewing Le Jus
Playing Catch-Up —The Kid Who Would Be King; Total Recall; The Old Man and the Gun
The Kid Who Would Be King (Joe Cornish, 2019). After his feature directorial debut, Attack the Block, Joe Cornish seemed positioned to jostle with a few others — including Edgar Wright, one of that film’s producers — for the distinction … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up —The Kid Who Would Be King; Total Recall; The Old Man and the Gun
Coffee for Two 