By and by, Lord, by and by
Bringing the wartime experience of Louis Zamperini to the screen has been on the Universal Pictures wish list for so long that they once dangled the part to Tony Curtis. There’s nothing like a blockbuster book to suddenly propel a film project into being. Delivering the same sort of clear storytelling and reportorial depth that distinguished her earlier Seabiscuit, Laura Hillenbrand tracked through Zamperini’s youth, athletic feats, military achievements, astounding endurance both lost in sea and as a prisoner of war in Japanese internment camps, and finally struggles with pronounced post-traumatic stress disorder after returning home. There is a staggering amount of … Continue reading By and by, Lord, by and by
Great Moments in Literature
“He had never been completely unembarrassed while speaking on the radio; this was a fact (his mike fright was something else). He had always felt just a little silly announcing, introducing, selling, describing, interviewing, giving the time and telling the weather, doing local color, acting and reciting bed-time stories, holding up his spokesman’s end of the conversation — which in radio was the only end there was. For the truth of the matter was that radio was silence as well as sound; the unrelenting premise was that the announcer’s voice occurred in silence, in the heart of an attentive vacuum … Continue reading Great Moments in Literature
College Countdown: 90FM’s Top 90 of 1995, An Introduction
I don’t orchestrate when certain countdowns will start or end. It is my good fortune that it is time to begin a new exercise in counting backwards on the first Sunday in 2015, allowing me to unveil a chart from twenty years ago (or, technically, from nineteen years ago since it would have been presented on the last day of the calendar year in question, but this is the anniversary year of much of the music contained herein). Such round-numbered ages aren’t a necessity for our charts. It’s still nice when it happens. This is third time this feature will … Continue reading College Countdown: 90FM’s Top 90 of 1995, An Introduction
From the Archive: Beowulf
This is another review raided from my former online home. If nothing else, it’s a snapshot of a time when considering the relative value of a 3D viewing was still required when evaluating a film that has that option. By now, except in the rare occasions when it’s an enormous part of the intended experience, the technology is rarely brought up in reviews. I’ll also note that, following my habit of using song lyrics as the headlines to film reviews, this piece was original presented under the banner “The rain was there to wash away my tears, I wanted to … Continue reading From the Archive: Beowulf
One for Friday: Apollo Smile, “Thunderbox”
As with many households, the start of a new years is bringing all sorts of ambitious sorting and reorganizing projects. In our domicile, one of the places that manifests is with a fresh pass at the music collection, specifically the weight shelf of CDs that now occupies a corner of the living room. We got a custom-built CD shelf years and years ago, and there’s long been a general understanding that we’d try to keep the accumulated discs to a number that could fit into that unit. That means it’s time for a little purging. To facilitate this — and, … Continue reading One for Friday: Apollo Smile, “Thunderbox”
Oh give me pretty song, oh let me have that sound tonight
Yesterday I posted a list of my top ten albums of 2014. My other year-end tradition centered on music involves presenting some of my choices for the best songs of the year, a process a little complicated by the absence of the methodology that’s helped me make the selections. Previously, I highlighted some of the tracks I stumped for to no avail in Spectrum Culture’s process to determine their collective year-end tally. Since I’m not longer hanging my writer’s hat on their coatrack, I wasn’t privy to any of that, but I’d still prefer to use this regular post to … Continue reading Oh give me pretty song, oh let me have that sound tonight
Top Ten Albums of 2014
And here we come to the end of another year. Though I tried to keep up with new music without the outside impetus of a website compelling me to write record reviews, I definitely fell behind. That’s led to a lot of cramming in the past few weeks and a tally I will present with the shakiest of conviction. Except for the work of art at the top of the list. That’s the best album of the year. I have no question or qualm about that. 1. St. Vincent, St. Vincent — This what Annie Clark has been building to all along. … Continue reading Top Ten Albums of 2014
My Misspent Youth: Fantastic Four by Scott Lobdell and Alan Davis
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 occasionally must, I’ll note that this entry abuses the … Continue reading My Misspent Youth: Fantastic Four by Scott Lobdell and Alan Davis
All our little wishes have gone dry, made it to the water, waded in the lies
In one respect, I stand before Into the Woods as a novice in evaluation before a master of composition. I feel like I can break down what does and doesn’t work in a film with the best of them, but … Continue reading All our little wishes have gone dry, made it to the water, waded in the lies
College Countdown: Rockpool’s Top 20 College Radio Albums, November 1988, 1
1. The Feelies, Only Life I will likely never be able to accurately identify the first song I ever played on the radio. For one thing, it was probably a jazz song, grabbed at random from the stacks by someone … Continue reading College Countdown: Rockpool’s Top 20 College Radio Albums, November 1988, 1
Coffee for Two 