Laughing Matters — Taylor Tomlinson, “Straight Dudes”
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. Plain and simple, Taylor … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Taylor Tomlinson, “Straight Dudes”
Now Playing — Killers of the Flower Moon
David Grann’s book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI is the rare example of a bestseller that inspires outrage, at least if read properly. Although I suspect a significant number of copies … Continue reading Now Playing — Killers of the Flower Moon
Then Playing — Talk to Me; Scream; Messiah of Evil
Talk to Me (Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou, 2023). This horror film, the feature debut by twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, employs the sturdy concept of a cursed object that wreaks deadly havoc on a group of foolhardy souls … Continue reading Then Playing — Talk to Me; Scream; Messiah of Evil
The Art of the Sell — The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. The British government was concerned about an uptick in the number of children dying in drowning accidents. … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #8
8. R.E.M., Document (1987) R.E.M. had a message to convey and, more than was previously the case, they wanted to ensure they were understood. Across their first four studio albums, the immediate icons of college rock established and cultivated a … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #8
Outside Reading — Instead of Screams, I Swear I Can Hear Music in the Air edition
‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’: A Hit That Initially Unnerved Disney by Carlos Aguilar I was managing a movie theater when A Nightmare Before Christmas was initially released, in the fall of 1993. Among my brethren, anticipation was high, but actual … Continue reading Outside Reading — Instead of Screams, I Swear I Can Hear Music in the Air edition
This Week’s Model — Dowsing, “It Was Easy”
Dowsing is officially based in Chicago, but the individual members of the quartet are currently spread across four different states. So the decision to title their fifth proper album, their first new studio effort in four years, No One Said … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Dowsing, “It Was Easy”
Then Playing — Showing Up; Dear White People; California Split
Showing Up (Kelly Reichardt, 2023). Kelly Reichardt demonstrates again that she’s a modern master of small, resoundingly human stories. Working from a screenplay coauthored with her regular writing partner, Jon Raymond, Reichardt tells the story of Lizzy (Michelle Williams), a … Continue reading Then Playing — Showing Up; Dear White People; California Split
Medium Rotation — Everything Is Alive; Relentless
SLOWDIVE Everything Is Alive (Dead Oceans) — Like a lot of folks, the members of Slowdive have come through a tough couple of years. There were the usual lockdown woes to be sure. They also faced down the deaths of … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Everything Is Alive; Relentless
Laughing Matters — Charlie Brooker’s How to Report the News
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. Although he’s probably best … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Charlie Brooker’s How to Report the News
Coffee for Two 