Wednesday, April 28, 2004
BOOKS
as Melanie will attest, i plowed through The Dogs of Babel (by Carolyn Parkhurst) in its entirety last night and, although i can't say that this is the best book i've ever read, it definitely kept me reading. was a bit on the sad side, though. i give it a B... but i'm inclined to give it a B+ because it pulled me in so successfully and nearly brought me to tears by the end (hey, i said nearly). i initially pulled it off the library shelf because the subject matter looked interesting: a guy loses his wife and the only witness to her death is their dog, Lorelei. he decides to try to teach the dog to speak in order to find out more about the circumstances of her death. i won't spoil the book for you by telling you more, except to say that the book has the feel of a mystery novel. see? see what i mean? sounds intriguing, huh?
Another B book i recently finished is The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith. i really, really love her writing style, but i must admit that i got a bit mired in the details... i felt that this is the type of book that takes five or six read-throughs to get a good feel for what it's about. and it just sort of fizzled at the end; i'm the type who likes a resounding OOMPH at the end of my reads, although they need not be conclusive endings. just some kind of closure is needed, i think. but i gave it a B largely because of the style.
on the other hand, another of Zadie Smith's novels i'd give a solid A is, of course, White Teeth, which chews around issues of race, class, and gender, and international politics in an fun and fun-ny way. don't let my analysis scare you, though. it doesn't hit you on the head with Politics the way Michael Moore does--no, not at all. it's politics wrapped up in a captivating story. and i like stories.
as Melanie will attest, i plowed through The Dogs of Babel (by Carolyn Parkhurst) in its entirety last night and, although i can't say that this is the best book i've ever read, it definitely kept me reading. was a bit on the sad side, though. i give it a B... but i'm inclined to give it a B+ because it pulled me in so successfully and nearly brought me to tears by the end (hey, i said nearly). i initially pulled it off the library shelf because the subject matter looked interesting: a guy loses his wife and the only witness to her death is their dog, Lorelei. he decides to try to teach the dog to speak in order to find out more about the circumstances of her death. i won't spoil the book for you by telling you more, except to say that the book has the feel of a mystery novel. see? see what i mean? sounds intriguing, huh?
Another B book i recently finished is The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith. i really, really love her writing style, but i must admit that i got a bit mired in the details... i felt that this is the type of book that takes five or six read-throughs to get a good feel for what it's about. and it just sort of fizzled at the end; i'm the type who likes a resounding OOMPH at the end of my reads, although they need not be conclusive endings. just some kind of closure is needed, i think. but i gave it a B largely because of the style.
on the other hand, another of Zadie Smith's novels i'd give a solid A is, of course, White Teeth, which chews around issues of race, class, and gender, and international politics in an fun and fun-ny way. don't let my analysis scare you, though. it doesn't hit you on the head with Politics the way Michael Moore does--no, not at all. it's politics wrapped up in a captivating story. and i like stories.
Monday, April 26, 2004
Hi there y'all! Melanie here, and I'll be adding my commentary to this media blog. Clare and I watch a lot of movies together, and enjoy the same magazine and newspaper subscriptions, so you can bet on hearing 2 views of the same media. You'll probably hear a lot more from Clare than from me, since I'm not A#1 at keeping up with blogging. Nevertheless, thanks for the invite, Clare, and here goes...
As for House of Sand and Fog, a truly excellent movie, one of the best I've seen in awhile. Definitely emotionally affecting, so Clare's recommendation to follow it up with Happy Accidents is a good idea. Based on a book by Andre Dubus III, which I plan to read soon.
If you're looking for books to read, I recommend Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. I couldn't put it down. Well-written, thoughtful, and engaging. A truly enjoyable novel.
As for House of Sand and Fog, a truly excellent movie, one of the best I've seen in awhile. Definitely emotionally affecting, so Clare's recommendation to follow it up with Happy Accidents is a good idea. Based on a book by Andre Dubus III, which I plan to read soon.
If you're looking for books to read, I recommend Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. I couldn't put it down. Well-written, thoughtful, and engaging. A truly enjoyable novel.
Friday, April 23, 2004
TWO FILMS ARE BETTER THAN ONE
movies that would be great to watch together:
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and
Happy Accidents
The House of Sand and Fog and
Dirty Pretty Things--in that order
American Dream and
Roger & Me
i'll probably think of more... but that's enough to getcha started.
we rent a lot of movies from The Criterion Collection. The most recent was Onibaba, which is not (it bears mentioning) a cartoon. we both thought that the movie was quite good; i'd give it a B+. it's a Japanese film that was made in the 60s, in black & white, and, despite the assertions of the director, we felt that it wasn't entirely about sex. rather, it's about the relationship between three characters in war-time medieval Japan, a woman and her daughter (who make a living by killing soldiers and selling their gear) and a sketchy neighbor guy who returns from war. their relationship is partially expressed in the film by the motion of the tall grasses in which they live. very cool. i especially like the film of the grasses.
in other news, you might have noticed that the second season of The Office is out on DVD... unlike the second season of Six Feet Under, which is taking for-freaking-EVER to come out on DVD for all of us poor, hapless, non-cable-subscription slaves. yeah, yeah. i know, i know. poor us. i'm just happy to have a DVD player, at this point... especially one with a warranty so, if it goes kaput, we're covered. yay for $7, 3-year warranties. but not yay for cheap products that break after 3 years. indeed, not yay at all.
also, it seems that the first season of the tv series Freaks and Geeks has also been released on DVD. the few episodes i saw of this series were especially awesome. i can't wait to rent & see if my memories of their awesomeness are accurate.
switching media, i've been listening to Gillian Welch's 2001 album Time (The Revelator) over and over and over in my car's skip-prone cd player each morning on my way to work. well, that's not entirely true. i was listening to it over and over for about a week and a half, a grand total of about 25 times. i especially like "Elvis Presley Blues":
"I was thinkin' last night about Elvis
Day that he died
Day that he died
I was thinkin' last night about Elvis
Day that he died
Day that he died
Just a country boy
Combed his hair
Put on the shirt his mother made
And he went on the air
And he shook it like a chorus girl
And he shook it like a Harlem queen
And he shook it like a midnight rambler, baby
Like he'd never seen
Never seen"
oof. that song is awesome.
much of her music sounds like it could've been written in the 20's and 30's--any half-assed reviewer will tell you that. for me, it's just so refreshing... calming... simple... all of the adjectives that describe a cool mood and a breath of air and a cold glass of water after a hot day in the sun... not that we've had many of those up here in maine for months and months. and even though her music isn't specifically political, it, like blues and folk as genres, seems to rise out of workers' experiences. As she sings in "Miner's refrain" (Hell Among the Yearlings, 1998):
"Now there's something good in a worried song
For the trouble in your soul
'Cause a worried man's been a long way down
Down in a deep dark hole."
movies that would be great to watch together:
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and
Happy Accidents
The House of Sand and Fog and
Dirty Pretty Things--in that order
American Dream and
Roger & Me
i'll probably think of more... but that's enough to getcha started.
we rent a lot of movies from The Criterion Collection. The most recent was Onibaba, which is not (it bears mentioning) a cartoon. we both thought that the movie was quite good; i'd give it a B+. it's a Japanese film that was made in the 60s, in black & white, and, despite the assertions of the director, we felt that it wasn't entirely about sex. rather, it's about the relationship between three characters in war-time medieval Japan, a woman and her daughter (who make a living by killing soldiers and selling their gear) and a sketchy neighbor guy who returns from war. their relationship is partially expressed in the film by the motion of the tall grasses in which they live. very cool. i especially like the film of the grasses.
in other news, you might have noticed that the second season of The Office is out on DVD... unlike the second season of Six Feet Under, which is taking for-freaking-EVER to come out on DVD for all of us poor, hapless, non-cable-subscription slaves. yeah, yeah. i know, i know. poor us. i'm just happy to have a DVD player, at this point... especially one with a warranty so, if it goes kaput, we're covered. yay for $7, 3-year warranties. but not yay for cheap products that break after 3 years. indeed, not yay at all.
also, it seems that the first season of the tv series Freaks and Geeks has also been released on DVD. the few episodes i saw of this series were especially awesome. i can't wait to rent & see if my memories of their awesomeness are accurate.
switching media, i've been listening to Gillian Welch's 2001 album Time (The Revelator) over and over and over in my car's skip-prone cd player each morning on my way to work. well, that's not entirely true. i was listening to it over and over for about a week and a half, a grand total of about 25 times. i especially like "Elvis Presley Blues":
"I was thinkin' last night about Elvis
Day that he died
Day that he died
I was thinkin' last night about Elvis
Day that he died
Day that he died
Just a country boy
Combed his hair
Put on the shirt his mother made
And he went on the air
And he shook it like a chorus girl
And he shook it like a Harlem queen
And he shook it like a midnight rambler, baby
Like he'd never seen
Never seen"
oof. that song is awesome.
much of her music sounds like it could've been written in the 20's and 30's--any half-assed reviewer will tell you that. for me, it's just so refreshing... calming... simple... all of the adjectives that describe a cool mood and a breath of air and a cold glass of water after a hot day in the sun... not that we've had many of those up here in maine for months and months. and even though her music isn't specifically political, it, like blues and folk as genres, seems to rise out of workers' experiences. As she sings in "Miner's refrain" (Hell Among the Yearlings, 1998):
"Now there's something good in a worried song
For the trouble in your soul
'Cause a worried man's been a long way down
Down in a deep dark hole."
Saturday, April 17, 2004
IN THE MEDIA MEANTIME
i was just perusing ann's poetry when i had this response to "The Pitchfork Feeling":
air, trees, and sun
all said,
"ok! ok! ok!"
we were in San Francisco.
a place our bodies called home
for a moment.
i was just perusing ann's poetry when i had this response to "The Pitchfork Feeling":
air, trees, and sun
all said,
"ok! ok! ok!"
we were in San Francisco.
a place our bodies called home
for a moment.
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
EXTENDED HIATUS
apologies--i'm putting myself on extended hiatus so that i may physically and mentally recover from last week's vacation. i'll get back into the swing when i'm well.
cheers!
apologies--i'm putting myself on extended hiatus so that i may physically and mentally recover from last week's vacation. i'll get back into the swing when i'm well.
cheers!
Thursday, April 01, 2004
ON HIATUS
as of tomorrow at 5pm, i'll be on a little vaca for a week or so. i'll return a new and significantly more relaxed person... i hope. maybe i'll bring back a little blog-related giftie for the one of you who actually reads this thing.
have a great week or so, in the meantime!
as of tomorrow at 5pm, i'll be on a little vaca for a week or so. i'll return a new and significantly more relaxed person... i hope. maybe i'll bring back a little blog-related giftie for the one of you who actually reads this thing.
have a great week or so, in the meantime!
