January 2009
22 posts
The 50 Greatest Things in the World
Taking a page from blogger, professor, and A.V. Clubber extraordinaire Donna Bowman, I now present my 2008 Archies: a definitive list of The 50 Greatest Things in the World.
Fresh apples at The Fillmore
Nate Silver’s brain
The Elements of Style
Television’s Marquee Moon
The 0.25 mm Pigma Micron
Google Reader
We Are Campfire T-shirts
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along...
December 2008
35 posts
Watch
A young and obviously stoned Steven Spielberg talks with Andy Warhol. Interesting fact: this is the first Spielberg-affiliated video to be released since Amblin’ that fails to address the crippling consequences that a boy faces by growing up without a father. [Spout Blog]
About to go to sleep. Hopefully the Ratings Man leaves some nice presents under the tree for us tonight.
Do you know who wrote the story for this year’s Traitor, a terrorism drama starring Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, and Jeff Daniels? It was Steve Martin.
It’s no secret that Phil Hoffman is the best actor working in Hollywood today. He’s won not just middlebrow awards but also the hearts and minds of the hipster tastemakers who rule the internet. I just wish Tara would give him a proper Fame Audit to replace the sorry H!ITG treatment he got in 1999. Dude hasn’t just blown up since those pre-Y2K days — everywhere you look,...
Watching late-night commercials for freetriplescore69.com while reading about Deep Throat’s death sounds a lot dirtier than it really is.
The Crazy Cult of 'The Room' →
I’m not a general proponent of so-bad-it’s-good cinema, and I rarely advocate on the behalf of “guilty pleasures” — I think it’s just another excuse for people to be uncritical of the culture they consume — but after reading this EW article about The Room, I’m officially shaking up my Netflix queue. Of course, the last time I tried this type of...
“Would it be possible for you to put up some kind of easy-to-read ‘Hated...”
– Some random girl, responding to David Edelstein’s recent review package
Anatomy of a Hall of Fame debate
Quick: name one instance when saying “This has been an interesting argument — and isn’t that all that really matters in the end?” isn’t a clear sign that you’ve just had your clock cleaned by your opponent. Guess what? You can’t.
With Rice clearly lacking objective Hall of Fame credentials, [Boston baseball writers] are forced to fall back on the...
I always worry that I’m underrating potential negatives when I think: “You know, it wouldn’t be so bad if Cosmo Kramer was my neighbor.”
Interiors
Sometimes Sandy and I discuss how our dream-home will be decorated with obscure artworks and amenities from our favorite movies. I always use this conversation to remind her how much I like the subtle photograph of Alvy holding a lobster that you can briefly see in the third act of Annie Hall. It’s one of my favorite details of the movie, both because it’s a callback to the better...
“If, as has been speculated, Hans Christian Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard shared...”
– The Atlantic’s James Parker, unironically describing the upcoming Jim Carrey vehicle Yes Man
In defense of Wes Anderson →
(via goldenfiddle)
Certain critiques of Anderson’s work have an undeniable truth: his films are defined by a theatrical distance, a maximum of visual pomp and a minimum of emotional circumstance. But everything about an Anderson film is meticulous and studied, from the careful costuming to the delectable soundtracks. Could a self-aware control-freak like Anderson really have overlooked...
“[D]amn mr. leitch!! why are u shitting on me and dick riding kanye. seems like...”
– Q-Tip, née Jonathan Davis, responds to Will Leitch
The Lonely Island
Yet another litmus test to gauge your connection to the zeitgeist: Did you see this video1 referenced in at least three places yesterday? If the answer is yes, then continue on your way. If the answer is no, then you’re simply not trying hard enough. — 1 Remember: Just because you watched it doesn’t mean you have to think it’s funny, mainly because it’s not.
Pitchfork: The Year in News: 2008 →
Pitchfork wouldn’t get such a bad rap from the general public if they didn’t define news in such a way that made it seem like everything everyone else cares about didn’t even occur in their universe. I’ve been casually flipping through The Pitchfork 500 in the bathroom recently, and have stumbled on the same problem. Not to get all Klosterman-populist here, but it’s...
Kidman, I think, sometimes feels more at ease if she looks sensational. This is an actress who needs to be put in chic clothes in romantic comedies where she can be funny, and wicked, and drop a few of the clothes. Otherwise, it’s [a] kid’s picture.
— David Thomson, author, film scholar and Nicole Kidman’s creepiest fan, on why the Austrailia star has spent the last...
Robert Redford and his posse dropped the 2009 competition list for Sundance yesterday — and that list includes Big Fan. BF is the brainchild of Rob Siegel, former writer/editor for The Onion and soon-to-be-Oscar®-nominated screenwriter for The Wrestler, and contains the first starring role for the country’s best working comedian and hardcore cineaste, Patton Oswalt. I want to believe...
What just happened?
Twenty-four hours ago, if someone had asked me, “Do you know who Tara Michelle is?” I probably would have said, “No, but she sounds totally fake.” Does that mean I can see the future? Or does it mean I started tumbling at exactly the wrong time, like a guy who earned his real estate license on March 1, 2007?
Myers-Briggs by way of 'Cashiers du Cinemart'
Jason Kottke proposed a new personality test this morning. Since all the cool kids are throwing in their two cents, I might as well too. I am: 1. The Big Lebowski, 2. Rushmore, 3. Bound for Glory, 4. Chasing Amy, 5. Pulp Fiction, 6. Barry Lyndon, 7. There Will Be Blood, and 8. The Fog of War. Which means my archenemy prefers: 1. The Hudsucker Proxy, 2. The Darjeeling Limited, 3. The...
Another one for the “You Don’t Get This in the Encyclopædia Britannica” file: Jerry Seinfeld has two suspected alter-egos. Ed Broth and Ted L. Nancy. Broth and Nancy are the authors of four humor books — written in a conspicuously similar style — but neither has ever been seen in public. Despite this, Seinfeld is a heavy promoter of their work, writing forewards for...
What does Steve Buscemi get paid to voice a gingerbread man in a telecom commercial?
Favtape mix: Cinema of Cool →
Don’t look now, but the internet’s most recent answer to Muxtape is now live for your (inevitably temporary) enjoyment: Favtape. In honor of this roundhouse-kick to the RIAA’s solar plexus, allow me to present my newest mix — something I call the “Cinema of Cool,” mainly because it’s what everyone else calls it too. All 26 songs in this mix have been...
Pop goes the project
While never as sexy as Nathan Rabin’s “My Year of Flops” project from 2007, Noel Murray published the penulimate entry of his “Popless” series at The A.V. Club today — and as is typical of Murray’s writing, it’s a thoughtful, honest, and even tender look back at the last 12 months, most of which he spent re-discovering his exisiting music library...
Hello, my name is...
Finally caught Charlie Wilson’s War on HBO while decorating the tree today. Like so many Mike Nichols efforts, it was finely acted and indifferently directed. To my surprise, Tom Hanks bore a mild resemblance to his real-world inspiration. Though I’m pretty sure Nichols’ casting director would have done better by getting (the newly-retired) Leaf Phoenix to perform with his Johnny...