Author: Mark

Paris Review – William Gibson, The Art of Fiction No. 211

~ Mark

There was a lot of inherent cultural relativism in the science fiction I discovered then. It gave me the idea that you could question anything, that it was possible to question anything at all. You could question religion, you could question your own culture’s most basic assumptions. That was just unheard of—where else could I have gotten it? You know, to be thirteen years old and get your brain plugged directly into Philip K. Dick’s brain!

That wasn’t the way science fiction advertised itself, of course. The self-advertisement was: Technology! The world of the future! Educational! Learn about science! It didn’t tell you that it would jack your kid into this weird malcontent urban literary universe and serve as the gateway drug to J. G. Ballard.

And nobody knew. The people at the high school didn’t know, your parents didn’t know. Nobody knew that I had discovered this window into all kinds of alien ways of thinking that wouldn’t have been at all acceptable to the people who ran that little world I lived in.

Paris Review – William Gibson, The Art of Fiction No. 211

~ Mark

Resentment might start with a wrong that’s done to you, but harboring it in silence is a wrong you do to others.

Carolyn Hax.

On Digital Minimalism – Study Hacks – Cal Newport

~ Mark

Be wary of tools that solve a problem that didn’t exist before the tool. GPS helped solve a problem that existed for a long time before it came along (how do I get where I want to go?), so did Google (how do I find this piece of information I need?). Snapchat, by contrast, did not. Be wary of tools in this latter category as they tend to exist mainly to create addictive new behaviors that support ad sales.

On Digital Minimalism – Study Hacks – Cal Newport

The Neon Demon

~ Mark

The Neon Demon. If divisiveness was Refn’s goal, it seems he delivered. Lots of hate and eye-rolling for this one, and I get it to a degree (especially when the director is kind of a troll). But I liked it. I appreciated Lauren Wilford’s perspective. Movies are not just the stories they’re about, but also the way they are about it. Gotta make space in the world for demented fever-dreamy impressionist movies, too.

Bone Tomahawk

~ Mark

Bone Tomahawk. It’s a western and a horror film. I shouldn’t have to sell it more than that, but I’ll add that it has a script that just blew my mind. So funny, so sharp. There’s some thematic richness, too, in how these characters (all pretty well-drawn) manage what they face together (some, uh, seriously horrific stuff – fair warning). So pleasantly surprised with this movie. I need a rewatch!

Arrival

~ Mark

Arrival. I loved the short story collection that this movie draws from. I wish they’d played the extremes just a bit more. Maybe get even more nerdy with the science/linguistics, and even more fragmented/playful with the chronology. Can’t have everything, though. It’s about as good an adaptation as you can ask for that’d still get wide release.

Bølgen (The Wave)

~ Mark

Bølgen (The Wave). With disaster films, you pretty much know what you’re getting into. This one delivers on all the beats you want – peaceful daily life with the foreboding undercurrent; the guy who has a spider-sense about what’s coming; the family drama; the series of traps and mishaps. These can only get so good, but it holds up its end of the deal. This could make a nice double-feature with Force Majeure.

Hush

~ Mark

Hush. There’s a pretty bullshit moment near the climax but it’s mostly pretty fun. I had a few shouting-at-the-TV moments, which is mostly what I’m looking for in this kind of movie.

In “Collateral Beauty” and “Passengers,” Two Tales of Gaslighting – The New Yorker

~ Mark

Fantasy, even when it’s rooted in practical details and doesn’t involve any metaphysical impossibilities, is the hardest genre to pull off, for the simple reason that life is interesting. A drama or a comedy that sticks close to experience has the intrinsic virtue of documentary—and, as with documentary itself, less is usually more.

In “Collateral Beauty” and “Passengers,” Two Tales of Gaslighting – The New Yorker

99 Homes

~ Mark

99 Homes. A tale of greed and selfishness. I think the lead’s motivation is borderline too irrational to hold up, but you never know. Wasn’t expecting so much from Andrew Garfield, but he’s legit. Shannon is the king.