Greatish Performances #35
#35 — James Gandolfini as Winston Baldry in The Mexican (Gore Verbinski, 2001) I wonder if it’s all but inevitable that a proverbial “role of a lifetime” brings with it as many hardships as benefits. No matter the pleasures of … Continue reading Greatish Performances #35
The Art of the Sell — Tabasco “Mosquito” commercial
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. This commercial includes a remarkably accurate depiction of how I eat pizza. I mean it sincerely when … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — Tabasco “Mosquito” commercial
Beers I Have Known — NOLA Brewing Company Revivalists American Pale Ale
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. It is probably beyond my command of words — regardless of where I … Continue reading Beers I Have Known — NOLA Brewing Company Revivalists American Pale Ale
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #960 to #957
960. Plasticland, Wonder Wonderful Wonderland (1985) It’s treacherous to draw heavily drawing on distinctive rock subgenres layered with dust. By the time Plasticland formed — as the nineteen-eighties dawned in Milwaukee, Wisconsin — the version of lush, layered psychedelic rock … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #960 to #957
From the Archive — Paris, je t’aime
There’s no particular inspiration for extracting this old review from the archive today. It is one of the fairly random raids of my old writing. The only annotation I’ll offer is the retrospective conviction that Alexander Payne’s segment is strongest in the film. It’s the one that has stuck with me. The new film Paris, je t’aime brings together eighteen directors (or teams of directors) to create short films celebrating the beloved city of the title. There is no through-line, no overlap, nothing that connects the pieces together. It seems everyone was given the the freedom to construct whatever they … Continue reading From the Archive — Paris, je t’aime
One for Friday — Patti Smith, “People Have the Power”
Twenty-four hours from the moment I am typing these words out, students will be marching. They are marching in anger. They are marching because of their unyielding conviction. They are marching because they are engaged. They are marching because they … Continue reading One for Friday — Patti Smith, “People Have the Power”
Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Something’s Always Wrong”
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. Toad the Wet Sprocket had the right … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Something’s Always Wrong”
The Art of the Sell — Airplane! movie poster
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. Months ago, I used this space to expound upon the glories of the most famed movie poster … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — Airplane! movie poster
The New Releases Shelf — What a Time to Be Alive
Find the mid-nineteen-nineties version of me and ask him to indulge in a little pop culture forecasting. Specifically, get him to name the titans of alternative rock who’ll be still be around twenty years later, dishing out new music just … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — What a Time to Be Alive
Laughing Matters — Mr. Show, “Druggachusettes”
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. My weariness overtook me … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Mr. Show, “Druggachusettes”
