Then Playing — Dementia 13; Emily the Criminal; Goodbye Again
Dementia 13 (Francis Ford Coppola, 1963). The first feature directed by Francis Ford Coppola is miles away from the elegant import of The Godfather and other more esteemed entries on his filmography. Made within the confines of Roger Corman’s scrappy … Continue reading Then Playing — Dementia 13; Emily the Criminal; Goodbye Again
Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Mr. Pitiful” and “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember”
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. In late 1964, Steve Cropper was driving … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Mr. Pitiful” and “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember”
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #107 to #105
107. Big Audio Dynamite, Tighten Up Vol. 88 (1988) Mick Jones believed Tighten Up Vol. 88 was an album made to vault Big Audio Dynamite to next level of commercial popularity. The band’s first two albums, This Is Big Audio … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #107 to #105
Outside Reading — Do You Have Some Cute Things? edition
The White Lotus’s Portia Is TV’s Best-Dressed Character by Rachel Tashjian Writing for Harper’s Bazaar, Rachel Tashian heaps praise on Alex Bovaird, the costumer designer for the HBO series The White Lotus. In particular, Tashian goes deep on how the … Continue reading Outside Reading — Do You Have Some Cute Things? edition
This Week’s Model — SZA, “Ghost in the Machine (ft. Phoebe Bridgers)”
Whatever else can be said about Phoebe Bridgers, she’s pretty damned impressive as a collaborator. In the shooting-star ascendancy of her past few years, it seems Bridgers has eagerly responded in the affirmative to just about every cool opportunity that … Continue reading This Week’s Model — SZA, “Ghost in the Machine (ft. Phoebe Bridgers)”
Then Playing — The Sheepman; Hangmen Also Die!; Don’t Worry Darling
The Sheepman (George Marshall, 1958). This Western stars Glenn Ford as Jason Sweet, a deceptively genial schemer who shows up in a ranching town with a herd of sheep he plans to graze on public land, much to the consternation … Continue reading Then Playing — The Sheepman; Hangmen Also Die!; Don’t Worry Darling
The Art of the Sell — Tootsie teaser trailer
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. Sydney Pollack didn’t want to act in Tootsie. He started in the showbiz as an actor, but … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — Tootsie teaser trailer
Then Playing — Stop-Loss; Gilda Live; Winter Meeting
Stop-Loss (Kimberly Peirce, 2008). There was nearly a ten-year gap between Kimberly Peirce’s sensational feature debut, Boys Don’t Cry, and her follow-up, Stop-Loss, which is presumably indicative of the ridiculously difficult time female filmmakers have bringing projects to fruition. Stop-Loss … Continue reading Then Playing — Stop-Loss; Gilda Live; Winter Meeting
Medium Rotation — I Walked With You a Ways; Shufflemania!
PLAINS I Walked With You a Ways (Anti-) — I Walked With You a Ways is the sound of kinship. Katie Crutchfield, the heart, soul, and everything else of Waxahatchee, and Jess Williamson bonded over the soulful country music that … Continue reading Medium Rotation — I Walked With You a Ways; Shufflemania!
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #110 to #108
110. The Alarm, Declaration (1984) “Everything has happened so quickly, and we have hardly had time to think about it,” said Eddie Macdonald, bassist and guitarist for the Alarm, a few weeks before the band’s debut full-length was released. “But … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #110 to #108
Coffee for Two 