The movie star, well she crashed her car, but everyone said she was beautiful even without her head
Syriana (Stephen Gaghan, 2005). For his sophomore directorial effort, Gaghan returns to the sort of multi-thread, big issue storytelling that won him a screenwriting Oscar for Traffic. The result is dense, resolutely intellectual and dramatically inert. The unapologetic complexities of the film are admirable, but Gaghan almost entirely ignores the human element. Even the few details seemingly intended to flesh out the characters beyond their pawnlike roles in the major schemes of international intrigue come across as mere convolutions. As a treatise on the current ways of the world Syriana has some power. It could have used some more adept … Continue reading The movie star, well she crashed her car, but everyone said she was beautiful even without her head
One for Friday: Black Solid, “Hot N Now”
Much as I might aspire to be a person of refined tastes, expounding on the art of cinema or submerging myself in some acclaimed literary wonder, I must also admit a taste for some less inspiring fare. This, sadly, is especially true of food. We are aspirational chefs in our household and strive to eat well. Given the opportunity, though, I would happily, greedily purchase and consume a whole sack full of thirty-nine cent hamburgers. Sometime during my first year of college, joyful drunkards of my acquaintance discovered this concrete bunker nestled within the strip of commercial eyesores on the … Continue reading One for Friday: Black Solid, “Hot N Now”
I’ll be standing by, I’ll be standing by, first sign of injury is the pain after the fall
As usual, Hobbes knows what he’s talking about. (Posted simultaneously to “Jelly-Town!”) Continue reading I’ll be standing by, I’ll be standing by, first sign of injury is the pain after the fall
She disposes of her old toys, she badly needs a new toy
I seem to keep falling behind every day, leading this space to turn into nothing more than “Here’s the funniest thing I found today.” I’ll try to rectify that soon. In the meantime… Due credit: I found this on The Hot Blog. (Posted simultaneously to “Jelly-Town!”) Continue reading She disposes of her old toys, she badly needs a new toy
Black snake diamond role twist away across the floor
Now that the hype over the Watchmen movie starts to abate, the inevitable discussion as to which sequential art epic should next make the leap to the silver screen has begun. I initially intended to remove myself completely from this … Continue reading Black snake diamond role twist away across the floor
Midnight is in her eyes, tears drop like a child
Zack Snyder’s Watchmen is impressively ambitious, but its hard to avoid the conclusion that when it succeeds as a film, it’s in spite of him rather than because of his efforts. The grim masterwork crafted by Alan Moore and Dave … Continue reading Midnight is in her eyes, tears drop like a child
To take a glimpse at the good life, a look at what we could have
I need to find my own gigantic pillow. (Posted simultaneously to “Jelly-Town!”) Continue reading To take a glimpse at the good life, a look at what we could have
If she had half a mind, you’d be about even
And I thought the ads that replaced critics’ comments with testimonials from giddy, halfwit patrons who’ve just exited the theater were bad. We’ve reached a hilarious new low. (Posted simultaneously to “Jelly-Town!”) Continue reading If she had half a mind, you’d be about even
One for Friday: Self, “Meg Ryan”
I had a Christmas tradition for a while. In the late nineties, I would call up my old college radio station and offer to take the first air shift on the morning of December 25th. As someone who served two years as the Program Director there, I knew how difficult it could be to wrangle up personnel during winter break, especially on the day that even the most devoted student volunteers were spending back home with the fam. This was after I won parole from my time served in commercial radio and before I found myself back in the strange … Continue reading One for Friday: Self, “Meg Ryan”
Alan Moore knows the score
In response to yesterday’s post, a pal of mine noted that all this Watchmen talk should be accompanied by an equal amount of Alan Moore talk. I agree. And I’ll defer to the man’s own words: “All too often education actually acts as a form of aversion therapy, that what we’re really teaching our children is to associate learning with work and to associate work with drudgery so that the remainder of their lives they will possibly never go near a book because they associate books with learning, learning with work and work with drudgery. Whereas after a hard day’s … Continue reading Alan Moore knows the score
