« September 2005 | Main | November 2005 »
Happy Halloween! Scary music you should listen to: Shostakovich, 2nd Movement 15th Qt. Check out Retro Crush's 100 Scariest Scenes of all time. I caught The Shining last night on A&E, and the scene with the old caretaker Delbert Grady gets better and creepier each time I see it. I don't care what they say, I won't stay in a world without fear. What are your votes for chilling scenes?
(It's been 88 years since the Chicago White Sox were baseball's best)
...and beat Houston 4 times in one week!
(source Fark)
(My Random House first edition)
I caught a matinee showing of Capote today, and haven't been the same since. Director Bennett Miller is going to be the next great figure in movie making. Like his impeccable portrayal of Speed Levitch in "The Cruise," the depiction of Truman Capote is everything I imagined it to be (I've read quite a bit on Capote's life). As bleak as this movie looks and sounds, this is the most inspiring cinema I've seen in years. There are so many dynamics effectively brought out: the gradual build of the relationship between Truman and Perry, Truman's torture waiting to finish the book, Harper Lee's mistreatment, Alvin Dewey's skepticism, Hickock's general inanity, and the "high wheat plains of Western Kansas" are captured in all their lonesome glory. My blood ran cold when Truman was alone in the funeral parlor: a standout scene. You won't hear this much from me, but this is a 10.
...from a self proclaimed "Satanist":
"I mean, dude, it's all about new and old spirits. Jesus Christ, for instance, I admire his brilliance and his convictions, but we're all sinners. That's the way we need to live; we need to embrace that."
...from a law student:
"Go buy this book now! It will change your life. It's Jacques Ellul's Propoganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes..."
...from a chef (and a friend):
"My Morning Jacket was amazing live. Think of them as a backwoods U2."
Edward Elgar borrowed from the first movement of Brahms' 2nd serenade when composing the 8th "enigma" variation.
Same key, too.
Hard to believe it took me three years to see this movie (UK, 2002). It seems the words "Morvern Callar" have been floating around from friends forever; and they've all been friends with fairly high standards of taste. Morvern, the movie's female protagonist, is an apathetic Indie girl with no aspirations in life. Her boyfriend, a novelist, has just committed suicide and left her his novel. She pirates his labor, and makes off with the dough. That sounds a little too familiar.
Given that I'm fairly artsy myself, I couldn't help but appreciate most of the cinematography (which overwhelmingly reminded me of Y tu mamá también ). The last montage with the Mamas and Papas is nice, but it's a complete rip off Ratso's descent in Midnight Cowboy. Too much self-awareness and indie hipsterism for my taste. And Morvern goes down as one of the most terminally uninteresting characters in cinema: which, now that I think about it, is quite an accomplishment.
B-
finishing the final components of my midterm exam and upcoming Chaucer presentation, check out AC Douglas's post of humility in recognition of his betters (and mine) in the mathematical sciences. A good reminder why he's one of the best writers who blogs.
8 months without and today I finally bought a TV: a 20" flat screen with a DVD player. Yesterday may have been one of the most exciting and unusual days in college football history (USC/Notre Dame, Penn State/Michigan, Wisconsin/Minnesota). And after burning a little tree last night, I was confirmed: college football looks amazing. When coached and played well, it's as graceful as anything out there. Last night's game-winning touchdown in a late game in Ann Arbor sadly reminded me of Joe. I can still smell the crumbled leaves in his backyard.
Iowa 38 Indiana 21 (Oct. 15, 2005)
Alex Ross, on two posts (here, and here ) alludes to his upcoming trip to my home state (well, one of them) only one week from today. The New Yorker is on a college road trip giving various talks about what they do best, and Ross will discuss the "art of criticism." I spent a semester at the University of Iowa, so the Iowa Memorial Union rings a bell. As I recall, in its vicinity are nice views of the Pentacrest, that futuristic Frank Gehry building, and of course the lazy Iowa River. If any Iowa Citians are reading this, please go and sniff it out!
