December 2011
12 posts
5 Things about Crazy Stupid Love
1. You’d think that Crazy Stupid Love was a romantic comedy, which in some ways it is. But it’s actually more of a drama about a middle-aged man trying to find what he wants in the shadow of his crumbling marriage. At times, Crazy Stupid Love doesn’t know what it wants to be, warbling from serious-faced romance, to farcical-like comedy, to heavy-handed drama, and is kept afloat...
5 Things about Midnight in Paris
1. As a fan of process, it’s always kind of fascinating watching a piece of art that is, in essence, trying to in some way, inspire art. Maybe Woody Allen doesn’t necessarily make movies that are meant to inspire specifically “art,” but there’s no question that a fair number of his movies are about the joy of living life. Considering the hyper self-awareness housed...
1 Thing about Drive
Is Drive a good movie? Wait, that’s not the right question. The right question is this: am I impressed by Drive? Yes. Yes, I am. Drive is a film of such visceral, pulpy, neo-noir-like deliciousness, that it’s hard not to think that I’m SUPPOSED to be impressed by Drive, in a showy, and almost empty way. So is Drive a good movie? After some thought, I’d have to say that...
5 Things about 50/50
1. Despite its best attempts at fulfilling every indie movie trope, from sweeping indie music soundtrack to a shoehorned-in love story to spirited stabs at black comedy, Jonathan Levine’s 50/50 is a surprisingly moving document of isolation and pain that comes with battling cancer, and a rather touching and hilarious movie in and of itself. Loosely based on screenwriter Will...
Surreal
I’m #7 on How Stuff Works’ list of 10 Standout Nerds of 2011.
Surreal.
My Top 10 Movies of 2011
UPDATED WITH NEW MOVIES THAT I JUST SAW
Look. I won’t lie. 2011 was a weird year for me. I traveled a lot. And then there was three straight months I was on the road. So I didn’t see EVERY SINGLE MOVIE that I wanted to. I still saw a bunch of movies. And as someone who used to actually write movie reviews for like, papers and other places, I still have this indefatigable need to...
6 Things about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
So many thoughts, going in a zillion different directions at once. I’m calling an audible, I’m talking about SIX things, instead of the usual 5-pointed review. Sue me.
1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a movie of such unstoppable forward momentum, you don’t mind that it comes to its inevitable conclusion with less than a bang, but undoubtedly more than a whimper. A...
5 Things about MI:4 Ghost Protocol
Hey! I am alive, and I do still see movies. Been busy putting the final touches on the new album, but now that I’m out of the weeds with that, I can write about movies again.
Oh, I also saw Sherlock Holmes 2 and here is 1 Thing about that movie: it is exactly what you think it will be. And I mean, I dug it. But then, I dug the first one, and I still am comfortable saying I love Guy...
Morning Glories
I read a lot of comics. Right now, I have a stack of literally 14 trades/hardcovers sitting next to my coffee table that I’ve gotten over the past month or so alone that I need to catch up with. So I won’t lie, I skim a lot of them. It allows me to enjoy the art, and I just don’t have the time. If a comic is good enough, I’ll slow down long enough to read it. If I get...
Memphis Rap in The Fader
Andrew Noz, who in my opinion is the best hip hop writer in the universe, traveled to Memphis and wrote an in-depth article about the Memphis Underground sound for The Fader magazine. Read it here.
Reading this made me literally tear up. There has NEVER been a well-written, thoughtful piece about the importance of the Memphis rap scene, and its place in popular music. Even beyond Three-Six...
3 months....
3 months. 51 shows. 16,000+ miles on the car.
Did that.