Link → Dispatches from a Public Librarian ~ McSweeney's
The Librarian: A Twitter Story by Scott Douglas
wolfnotes
Jun 19
Mar 26
Feb 17
Jan 25
My Girls ~ Animal Collective
Jan 16
Recent viewings
The Wrestler Perhaps marred by the sentimentality of some of the writing, this is still my favorite film of 2008, gripping from beginning to end, directed by Aronofsky with a refreshingly stripped down aesthetic, and an absolute tour de force from Rourke. My rating: 85
Doubt Worth watching for Streep’s performance alone. Hoffman and Adams are also excellent. Some of the material is a bit platitudinous however. My rating: 77
Chop Shop The docu-style realism and unique setting captured my interest immediately, and though many scenes created an intimacy unknown in big-budget movies, the film did not add up to much more than the sum of its parts. My rating: 70
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button After the novelty of its premise wears off, there isn’t much in the screenplay and its treatment of the source material to keep things interesting. Also, the present-day segments seem like a clumsy narrative device, an unsuccessful attempt at added sentiment. It remains watchable, however, due to its enchanting visuals and the appeal of actors such as Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton. My rating: 65
Dec 22
Link → All Songs Considered: The Year in Music
Bob Boilen and company on the pleasures of beard rock and also its antidote.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
The first two thirds of this film is quite engaging, the quiz show device works surprisingly well; it is well paced, a sense of immediacy running through every scene. But the superficial treatment of the lead characters’ relationship only goes so far, and once the characters grow up, the film’s earlier vitality seems to dissipate. My rating: 70
Dec 18
Animal Collective at Grrrnd Zero Festival, Lyon, France
(via Pitchfork)
Dec 11
Recent viewings
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
So well-crafted and performed, its characters so vividly realized, the television version of Fanny and Alexander is a uniquely engrossing experience. Bergman captures such a remarkable depth and breadth of human emotion and it never feels like melodrama. My rating: 90
Flight of the Red Balloon (2008)
A keenly observed slice of life paired with some contemplative poetic imagery. Slows to a snail’s pace at times, but Juliette Binoche is wonderful as always. My rating: 70
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
This movie will get under your skin; depending on who you are, that means it will either irritate you or affect you deeply, or both. The best Kaufman-penned film since Adaptation. My rating: 80
