The Unwatchables: Now You See Me 2
Like most erudite (or, if you prefer, snobbish) modern film fans, I’m always ready to spring forth to decry the practice of making all decisions about which projects see the light according to a strained equation about the likelihood of spinning the material into a myriad of interconnection ancillary series. There can’t just be new Star Wars films. There must be a robust Star Wars universe, exploring side avenues and hidden histories that previously piqued the curiosity of precisely no one. But maybe — just maybe — if studios are going to commit to films largely on the basis of repeatability, … Continue reading The Unwatchables: Now You See Me 2
Laughing Matters: The Max Fischer Players
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. “She’s the smartest person in the world, general. I think we ought to listen to her.” I love this with an intensity I’ll never be able to truly convey. Previous entries in this series can be found by clicking on the “Laughing Matters” tag. Continue reading Laughing Matters: The Max Fischer Players
Now Playing: Life
Look, I get it. There has to be a mighty temptation to merge horror with science fiction. If one geeky genre has an irresistible appeal, shouldn’t an artful melding of the two inherently double the allure? Chocolate chip cookie dough … Continue reading Now Playing: Life
The Art of the Sell: Nighthawks at the Diner
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. In 1975, when Tom Waits released Nighthawks at the Diner, he had only been a known quantity for two years, with just a pair of studio full-lengths to his credit. He was in his mid-twenties, though he already looked like a bedraggled middle-aged man who’d spent a few too many nights helping keep a barstool in place. The Waits persona was already firmly in place. Not that there’s a desperate need for proof of the above assertion, but … Continue reading The Art of the Sell: Nighthawks at the Diner
College Countdown: CMJ Top 250 Songs, 1979 – 1989, 64 – 62
64. Hoodoo Gurus, “I Want You Back” The casual listener would be forgiven for assuming that “I Want You Back” is just another pining pop song, the next nearly indistinguishable boxcar on the endless train of the musically lovelorn line. Instead, the single from the 1984 album Stoneage Romeos, the debut release from Hoodoo Gurus, addresses the turmoil in the band’s lineup. Though the song resides on the first full-length from Hoodoo Gurus, the group had already endured quite a bit of personnel turmoil, including the departure of original guitarist Rod Radalj. Apparently nursing some ill feelings about the growing … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 250 Songs, 1979 – 1989, 64 – 62
From the Archive: Juno
Few filmmakers experienced quite as precipitous a drop as Jason Reitman. He went from back-to-back Best Director nominations to a pair of films that were universally panned (with, it’s worth noting, one compromised but ambition feature in between). Through it all, he’s at least had the live reads, regular events that brought together impressive groups of actors to offer one-time-only, live stage performances of some truly beloved screenplays. Though the event is officially retired as an ongoing concern, Reitman is clearly keeping it in his back pocket, ready to throw on the table when the moment is right, such as a … Continue reading From the Archive: Juno
One for Friday: The Chant, “All Behind Me”
Every once in a while, I feel obligated to tap out a new ode to the “C Stacks,” the part of my college radio station’s music library that inspired the most affection in me. When I arrived at the noncommercial broadcast outlet in the late nineteen-eighties, the main music library was divided into three sections, delineated by the first three letters of the alphabet. The “A Stacks” were home to those artists that we expected everyone knew, like Peter Gabriel and U2. The “B Stacks” were for the bands and performers that college radio kids held up as titans but … Continue reading One for Friday: The Chant, “All Behind Me”
Beers I Have Known: Wisconsin Brewing Company Betray 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. I’ve already had a couple Wisconsin Brewing Company Betray Ales this evening (and, in the interest of full disclosure, maybe a couple other similar beverages), so I’ll defer to the description on the menu of the fine establishment that is thankfully (or problematically) within walking distance of my pending home: “One time only Maibock style Mandarina Bavarian and Hallertau hops, a perfectly bright and sweet addition to the malts.” I can confirm that … Continue reading Beers I Have Known: Wisconsin Brewing Company Betray Ale
My Misspent Youth: The Mighty Marvel Superheroes Fun Book
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. As I’ve occasionally acknowledged, it took me a bit of time before I plunged into the world of superhero comics. As was my wont at that age, I clung to the kiddie material I loved longer than I probably should have. At different times, I’ve probably retrospectively tagged various comics as my gateway into the supposedly more mature fare populated by the costumed do-gooders of the Marvel Universe, but it’s probably … Continue reading My Misspent Youth: The Mighty Marvel Superheroes Fun Book
Laughing Matters: Louis C.K., “Of Course, But Maybe”
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. Louis C.K. has talked openly and repeatedly about the way that George Carlin changed his career. It was Carlin’s practice of throwing out all his material once it was documented in one of his many HBO specials and then building an act anew that inspired C.K., making him go deeper and be smarter with his own work. So when C.K. signed on for his … Continue reading Laughing Matters: Louis C.K., “Of Course, But Maybe”
Coffee for Two 