Grizzly Man. Second viewing. (The first.) I found myself less sympathetic and more disturbed and saddened the second time around.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. Thrives more on effective mood and style and ambiance than narrative strength. Too cool for its own good, in both sense of the word (for my tastes), but it’s fresh, and I like the genre-blending across western, noir, and horror. Soundtrack.
The New Yorker’s Susan Orlean on the magic and mystery of writing
I also think if you’ve got writer’s block, you don’t have writer’s block. You have reporter’s block. You only are having trouble writing because you don’t actually yet know what you’re trying to say, and that usually means you don’t have enough information. That’s the signal to walk away from the keyboard, think about what it is that you don’t really know yet, and go do that reporting.
And also:
My father was really, really the author of my particular personality. He gave me a million different pieces of advice, but one that comes up all the time is: Anything that can be fixed with money isn’t worth crying over.
The New Yorker’s Susan Orlean on the magic and mystery of writing
Wolf in White Van
I read John Darnielle’s Wolf in White Van, but only 1/3 or so. Onward!
That Ominous Pulse
I’ve noticed a few recent movies with electro-ish scores that feature some sort of pulse or buzz or building waves of raw sound. Not especially melodic, just a persistent, engulfing motif that swallows you up.
From *Upstream Color*, one of my favorite soundtrack moments in recent memory, “As If It Would Have A Universal And Memorable Ending”:
From *Gone Girl*, “Consummation”:
And recently in *Ex Machina*, there’s the last minute or so of “Hacking/Cutting”:
The last two especially remind me of the opening few seconds of Yeezus. I’m sure I’m missing some other good examples?
True Grit
I read Charles Portis’ True Grit and was surprised how it manages to wring so much humor out of a pretty straight-shooting narrator. A quick read.
Ex Machina
Ex Machina. One of my favorites of the year so far. Oscar Isaac’s Nathan is awesome, flipping back and forth from intimidating to genial. He’s a brogrammer archetype. Excellent critique here of tech sexism and overreach. His overconfidence makes him too casual, flippant about the ethics. Domhnall Gleeson’s Caleb has his own blinders, about gender in particular. Some of the dialogue was tiresome. I wish they’d felt more courage to just let people talk, and let the audience get lost a bit (if needed) without preface and theory. On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised how they handled the ending. I’d imagined something more traditional. Loved it. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack for a couple weeks now. Good stuff.
The Fault in Our Stars
I read John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, and I was the guy wiping away tears and sniffling in public. Good one for all you softies out there. Recommended.
Why Everyone's Saying 'YAAAAAASSSSSS' Now
The word “yes” is an extremely dull way to express the varied sentiments of “yes.”
2001: A Space Odyssey
I re-read Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and am glad I did. It was cooler than I remembered. Much of it is a bit cold and distant, like the movies, but still has some awestruck moments, and it’s fun to come back to something that I’ve seen four or five times and have such convenient visuals/memories for. If you like the movie, this is a natural complement.