Playing Catch-Up — The Deadly Affair; Dear Ruth; Breathless
The Deadly Affair (Sidney Lumet, 1967). Only the second film adaptation of a John le Carré work (it’s based on his novel Call for the Dead, although rights reasons prevented the studio from using its main character George Smiley), this … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — The Deadly Affair; Dear Ruth; Breathless
Now Playing — The Miseducation of Cameron Post
In The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Chloë Grace Moretz plays the title character, a high school girl who is caught outside the homecoming dance making out with one of her female friends (Quinn Shephard) in a parked car. Cameron’s aunt … Continue reading Now Playing — The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Mr. Success”
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. in 1958, Frank Sinatra expertly divided him … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Mr. Success”
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #872 to #869
872. Sting, …Nothing Like the Sun (1987) These days, I’m as prone as anyone to treat the performer born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner as a punchline of uncoolness, sitting swaddled in a couture turtleneck on some sprawling, misty English estate. … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #872 to #869
From the Archive — All the King’s Men
As we are about to slip from the boom-boom-boom of the summer movie season into a fall stocked with awards hopefuls, allow me to offer a gentle reminder that sometimes even sterling source material, a skilled filmmaker, a cast stocked … Continue reading From the Archive — All the King’s Men
One for Friday — Transvision Vamp, “Tell That Girl to Shut Up”
Thirty years ago, in 1988, Transvision Vamp released the album Pop Art. The British band’s debut album, Pop Art was positioned alongside the Primitives’ stellar Lovely as part of a mini-movement of brashly confident retro pop delivered by acts fronted … Continue reading One for Friday — Transvision Vamp, “Tell That Girl to Shut Up”
The Art of the Sell — “Real Life” trailer
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. Let’s be very plain and direct about this. It’s entirely possible that this, created to promote (sort … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — “Real Life” trailer
That Championship Season — Firefly, Season One
It was considered a major coup when the Fox television network signed up Joss Whedon to create a new ongoing science fiction series. Whedon sat in an exalted place among genre fandom, thanks to his efforts with Buffy the Vampire … Continue reading That Championship Season — Firefly, Season One
Laughing Matters — Late Night with Seth Meyers, “Amber Ruffin Remakes Art Created by Problematic Men”
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. One of the things … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Late Night with Seth Meyers, “Amber Ruffin Remakes Art Created by Problematic Men”
Playing Catch-Up — Ugetsu; Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind; Valerie and Her Week of Wonders
Ugetsu (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953). Drawn from stories in the eighteenth century collection Ugetsu Monogatari, by Ueda Akinari, Kenji Mizoguchi’s film proceeds like a hazy dream that’s periodically jarred into wakefulness by jolts of pointed pragmatism. Set in the time when earning … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — Ugetsu; Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind; Valerie and Her Week of Wonders
Coffee for Two 