Top Ten Movies of 2022 — Number Six
Written and directed by Zach Cregger, Barbarian deftly uses the familiar mechanics of the the horror genre to build in dread at every turn. The style and visual wit Cregger brings to the proceedings would be impressive enough on its … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2022 — Number Six
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #77 to #75
77. Culture Club, Kissing to Be Clever (1982) Malcolm McLaren knew this young bloke named George had the makings of a pop star. The cunning impresario recruited the androgynously styled club kid to share lead vocalist duties in a new … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #77 to #75
Outside Reading — Night Coffee edition
the only good coffee is bad coffee by Helena Fitzgerald Although I am also a devotee of brews of high quality, my belief system is also aligned with the gospel truth about the considerable pleasures of bad coffee detailed by … Continue reading Outside Reading — Night Coffee edition
This Week’s Model — PONY, “Très Jolie”
Together, Sam Bielanski and Matty Morand are PONY, a band that hails from Toronto and specializes in fuzzy, buzzy, perfectly compact pop songs. Their latest, “Très Jolie,” performs the grand, glorious magic trick I seek so fervently. From it opening … Continue reading This Week’s Model — PONY, “Très Jolie”
Then Playing — Causeway; All Quiet on the Western Front; Remember My Name
Causeway (Lila Neugebauer, 2022). In a welcome return to a more small-scale drama, Jennifer Lawrence plays Lynsey, a soldier who returns to her home city of New Orleans after sustaining a traumatic brain injury while deployed in Afghanistan. Lawrence is … Continue reading Then Playing — Causeway; All Quiet on the Western Front; Remember My Name
Top Ten Movies of 2022 — Number Seven
Playing the title character in Pearl, Mia Goth has two different scenes that instantly feel like the stuff of film acting legend. The first is a lengthy monologue held in a single shot, Goth’s Pearl finally expressing to someone else … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2022 — Number Seven
Happy Valentine’s Day
When in doubt about how to commemorate a holiday, we always have Calvin and Hobbes. Continue reading Happy Valentine’s Day
Radio Days — Then and Now: February 12, 2023
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. When my pal was looking for substitutes to step in on his Sunday night radio show for … Continue reading Radio Days — Then and Now: February 12, 2023
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #80 to #78
80. That Petrol Emotion, Babble (1987) Following the breakup of his band the Undertones, guitarist John O’Neill initially thought he was done with the music business. The punk group’s splitting had been acrimonious, in part because he and his brother … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #80 to #78
Outside Reading — Tarnished edition
The Grammys Are Built on a Delusion by Spencer Kornhaber It’s been ages since I cared about the selections made for the Grammy Awards (my obsessive tendencies are directed at a different showbiz trophy), but even I can acknowledge that … Continue reading Outside Reading — Tarnished edition
Coffee for Two 