Greatish Performances #41
#41 — Brie Larson as Grace Howard in Short Term 12 (Destin Daniel Cretton, 2013) Written and directed by Destin Danile Cretton, Short Term 12 is intensely focused in portraying the tender existences of people connected to a group home … Continue reading Greatish Performances #41
Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Good Times Roll,” “It’s All I Can Do,” and “Since You’re Gone”
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. The Cars registered thirteen Top 40 singles … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Good Times Roll,” “It’s All I Can Do,” and “Since You’re Gone”
Playing Catch-Up —Cloud Atlas; Margaret; Venom
Cloud Atlas (Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, and Lilly Wachowski, 2012). Based on the dense, woven basket David Mitchell novel of the same name, Cloud Atlas is an escalating dare as cinema. The film freely intercuts between six different plots, spanning … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up —Cloud Atlas; Margaret; Venom
Now Playing — Fighting with My Family
When expressing admiration for an actor’s talents, it’s common — even hackneyed — to note a willingness to follow them anywhere. I’ve made this pledge, but I’ve rarely honored it. There was a time when I was prepared to make … Continue reading Now Playing — Fighting with My Family
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #764 to #761
764. The Icicle Works, If You Want to Defeat Your Enemy Sing His Song (1987) By most accounts, Ian McNabb was anxious for a hit when it came time to record the third album with his band the Icicle Works. … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #764 to #761
From the Archive — CrissCross
This is a mundane review of a properly forgotten Golden Hawn vehicle from the early nineteen-nineties. The only particularly notable aspect of it, for our purposes here, is this I believe it represents the last piece of writing from my … Continue reading From the Archive — CrissCross
This Week’s Model — Mountain Man, “Take Me Home, Country Roads”
I appreciate honestly and accuracy in promotion, so I’d like to celebrate the simple guarantee offered by the trio Mountain Man in announcing new covers of John Denver songs. On their Facebook page, after pointing out they’d gone the extra … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Mountain Man, “Take Me Home, Country Roads”
The New Releases Shelf — Sunshine Rock
I’ve been repeatedly certain I’d finally encounter the sunny side of Bob Mould for at least twenty-five years. Upon the release of File Under: Easy Listening, the sophomore album from Mould’s band Sugar, I hummingbirded around my college radio station, … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Sunshine Rock
Playing Catch-Up — The Greatest Showman; At Eternity’s Gate; Brute Force
The Greatest Showman (Michael Gracey, 2017). The unexpected — and slow-building — success of this big screen musical at least provides gratifying evidence that modern audiences remain hungry for original material, no matter how desperately studio executives treat their production … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — The Greatest Showman; At Eternity’s Gate; Brute Force
Laughing Matters — Inside Amy Schumer, “The Foodroom”
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. It is obviously going … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Inside Amy Schumer, “The Foodroom”
Coffee for Two 