Then Playing — What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael; 27 Missing Kisses; Dial 1119
What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael (Rob Garver, 2018).This documentary traces the life and career of one of the most formidable film critics to ever amass column inches. From her perch at The New Yorker, Pauline Kael helped … Continue reading Then Playing — What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael; 27 Missing Kisses; Dial 1119
Laughing Matters — Pee-wee Herman on Late Night
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. I wonder if people … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Pee-wee Herman on Late Night
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #22 and #21
22. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Damn the Torpedoes (1979) The rutted path that was the early part of Tom Petty’s career sprang some especially deep divots on the Florida-born, California-based troubadour in the run-up to Damn the Torpedoes, his … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #22 and #21
Outside Reading — She’s Having the Best Day edition
Greta Gerwig on the Blockbuster ‘Barbie’ Opening (and How She Got Away With It) by Kyle Buchanan This is a fairly straightforward interview with Greta Gerwig, conducted after her latest feature, Barbie, officially blew past all expectations for its critical … Continue reading Outside Reading — She’s Having the Best Day edition
This Week’s Model — Mitski, “Bug Like an Angel”
Misery can have a touch of majesty to it. That’s one of the lessons that Mitski teaches, and it’s reinforced on her quietly staggering new single “Bug Like an Angel.” The music is mostly spare as she intones lyrics as … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Mitski, “Bug Like an Angel”
Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Are You Sure?”
These posts are about the songs that fell just short of crossing the key line of chart success, entering the Billboard Top 40. Every song featured in this series peaked at number 41. Marcus Bell and Mark Long spent several … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Are You Sure?”
Sinéad O’Connor, 1966 – 2023
“I could just be me. Do what I love. Be imperfect. Be mad, even. I’m not a pop star. I’m just a troubled soul who needs to scream into mikes now and then.” I don’t want to start with the … Continue reading Sinéad O’Connor, 1966 – 2023
Now Playing — Barbie
There are few better examples of damning with faint praise than to note that Barbie, the new comedy directed by Greta Gerwig, is better than it has any right to be. It’s true, though. In a cinematic age where it’s … Continue reading Now Playing — Barbie
Now Playing — Oppenheimer
Until Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a three-hour movie that I would describe as moving at a breakneck speed. For a large portion of its running time, that was my main impression of this biopic of … Continue reading Now Playing — Oppenheimer
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #24 and #23
24. Tears for Fears, Songs from the Big Chair (1985) Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith were angry at themselves for compromising. Tears for Fears, the band led by the longtime friends from Bath, England, delivered a major hit with their … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #24 and #23
Coffee for Two 