Books, Music, Movies, and You!
blackmath"The wheel is falling apart, but the revolution is intact... H. Miller"
Reviews
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11/18/2010 4:24:35 PM
This most recent release by the Greenhornes is their most ambitious, textured, melodic--in short their best to date, and I like the earlier ones pretty damn well. This one maintains the intensity one would expect from these guys (track 2 Underestimated is a great example) while conjuring sounds from the Kinks and of course, The Yardbirds. One thing they may have done though, that perhaps their predecessors did not is string together 12 beautifully executed and placed songs. In the liner notes Jim Jarmusch, the director of Dead Man, Broken Flowers calls the albums satisfying mix "perfect". He may be on to something, just after the halfway mark track #7 gives a powerful Black Sabbath like performance and then the listener is lulled back into the irressitable melodies and the next five tracks maintain the albums differing yet cohesive sound. -
9/8/2010 12:45:22 PM
I am not particularly a fan of the horror genre as a whole, and more specifically I am not huge on zombie books or movies--I have never even seen Night of the Living Dead in its entirety. There are some though I like, for instance--28 Days Later or Max Brooks's Zombie Survival Guide (the wildly creative and entertaining book that pre-dates this one. The most impressive for me in the zombie field,thus far, is hands down World War Z. Max Brooks has written a book that is fun as well as thought provoking and at times even touching. He mentions the "human factor" in the preface and he does not fail to deliver there. One might imagine a book about a global zombie takeover and the subsequent war as a platform for gratuitous gore and violence. Instead Brooks uses it as a platform to build muti-dimensional characters that the reader can, if not relate to, care about in some capacity. It is wriiten as a series of interviews with survivors of "World War Z" and presents a much more mature plot and characters than i would have ever thought possible in a zombie book--and it has inspired me to put Night of the Living Dead on my netflix list. -
7/11/2010 11:05:47 AM
i have been thinking about this book a lot lately, though it has been a few years since i've read it. i first became aware of it by reading that kurt cobain had modeled the lyrics to the song scentless apprentice after this novel. i then began a fruitless search for it at used book stores and after many failed attempts to find it i lost interest. then years later i caught word they were making it into a film, renewing my interest. after several more failed attempts to find a copy, i finally ran across a great first edition hardbound version at a used bookstore about two blocks away from my apartment at the time. the book exceeded my expectations, which were already high given cobains huge endorsement, in ways i didn't anticipate--as many great works have. at its core it is the ultimate tale about alienation and loneliness (of course one can then imagine cobains fascination with the story). as well as being a wonderful allegory for desolation, it is also a thrilling and beautifully written work. the only other effort i know of by suskind is a short novel titled the pigeon which is another worthwhile tale thematically attacking loneliness and alientaion. i highly suggest perfume to anyone that has not read it--or at least you should watch the movie that is in my opinion a fair adaption of the novel, but probably not half as good. -
4/17/2010 12:46:42 AM
as any good paraody does OUR GANG aptly points out the absurdity of the targeted subject, the subjected here being the nixon administration(and i think american politics as a whole). i bought this at an independent used book store mainly because it was only a buck fifty and by philip roth, whose novel portnoy's complaint i loved. when i discovered it was primarily about nixon i was a little hesitant to begin reading--being that nixon was before my time and was afraid this book may have lost it's relevancy. fortunately, as is often the case, i was wrong. when i dug into this book i was overwhelmed by the humor and surrealism lasting throughout; and with a few minor changes i think the bush administration could be justifiably substituted or hundreds of other politicians for that matter. this book was vastly different than the other work i've read by roth, the aforementioned portnoy's complaint, but nonetheless also very comical and poignant, a mark of a great author in my opinion. the more i think about this novel the more excited i get to read more works by roth. i get the feeling he could write about almost anything and make it interesting and humorous. -
3/31/2010 4:19:04 AM
They were obliged to go with them" the Mock Turtle said. "no wise fish would go anywhere without a porpoise"--"Wouldn't it really?" Alice said in tone of great suprise.--"Of course not," said the Mock Turtle; "why, if a fish came to ME, and told me he was going on a journey, i should say, "With what porpoise?"--"Don't you mean 'purpose'?" said Alice.--"I mean what i say," the Mock Turtle replied in an offended tone....It is no wonder that this story endures and continues to reach audiences today. Maybe at its core the story is a testament to the powers of imagination. It is definately one of the most creative tales i have ever read and i put it on the level of enjoyment and absurdity with Adams's Hitchiker series. It is as imaginative as any book to be found anywhere, anytime. -
2/20/2010 1:22:14 AM
this is one of the better albums i have heard in the last year. actually the previous album that i found as enticing from the opening to closing track was by this same band, performing under their former name,the muslims. like their last lp, this one too has ten tracks that are all stellar and maybe now a little more accessible, melodic and catchy--though most maintain a frenzied edge that keeps the album from slipping into a pure pop affair. with their second offering i was forced to think about how this band is measuring up to some of my other favorites--and it is pretty favorably. not many bands have been able to put out two full albums that i like wholly from beginning to end. really only bands like nirvana, the white stripes the beatles, hendrix and pavemnent among a few others have managed to do so. that alone puts the soft pack among some elite company in my mind. plus i met them at a show in indianpolis and they were unbelievably cool, humble and friendly , that makes me like them even more. -
1/28/2010 9:08:08 PM
"When you find you can go neither backward nor forward, when you discover that you are no longer able to stand, sit or lie down, when your children have died of malnutrition and your aged parents have been sent to the poorhouse or the gas chamber, when you realize that you can neither write nor not write, when you are convinced that all the exits are blocked, either you take to believing in miracles or you stand still like the hummingbird. The miracle is that the honey is always there, right under your nose, only you were too busy searching elsewhere to realize it. The worst is not death but being blind, blind to the fact that everything about life is in the nature of the miraculous. The nature of society is conformity; the language of the creative induvidual is freedom, Life will continue to be a hell as long as the people who make up the world shut their eyes to reality. Switching from one ideology to another is a useless game. Each and every one of us is unique, and must be recongnized as such. The least we can say about ourselves is that we are American of French, or whatever the case may be. We are first of all human beings..." This is from the preface to Stand Still Like the Hummingbird by the one and only Henry Miller and in many ways embodies much of what I love about his writing and philosophy. His sledgehammer type impact coupled with a sort of cryptic spirituality and optimism. I know this is not much of a review but i think it is best to present Henry Miller in his own words. -
12/19/2009 3:00:05 AM
this dual dvd/cd set is as good as it gets in concert dvds for me. i put it up there in my top three with hendrix at the isle of wight and the white stripes under blackpool lights. this is fimed at the end of 92 when nirvana were hitting their stride and getting ready to record in utero. noveselic and grohl look like they are having the time of their lives while cobain stoically leads them through a ferocious and bulky set. that is not to say cobain is not passionate on stage here, he is just as always, pretty tacit in between songs as the other two goof off (though cobain does toy with the audience as he begins boston's more than a feeling before ripping into teen spirit. i wondered if this would have the same visceral effect on me with the PASSAGE OF TIME. nirvana still hit me as hard as they ever did.
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12/15/2009 11:02:55 PM
this is one i went to see in the theater twice and it wasn't near enough. i heard that someone told tarantino could not make a suspense movie and this was his response. in any case it is a wildly original and entertaining film. possibly his most unique effort in that it stands apart a little more from his others. during my first viewing i had no idea what was going to happen from scene to scene, which makes (for me ) a more stimulating and interesting movie. perfectly paced and beautifully shot, this is a two and a half an hour film that leaves me wanting more. -
12/7/2009 9:27:50 PM
possibly harvey kietels best role and the only work i am familiar with by director abel ferrara other than the funeral (staring christopher walkin and also worth checking out). beautifully shot with sparse dialogue, this film relies heavily on the exceptional photography and camera work. it cuts from scene to scene with little or no explanation; much is implied and leaves plenty for the viewer to decide. which done correctly, as this one is, can be a very good experience. but i think it takes a very talented flimaker and cast to pull it off and bad lieutenant certainly does. i won't give a plot summary except to say that kietel's character dives deep into moral depravity to a shocking level. from the opening scene to the ending credits this film is captivating and entertaining. one of the darkest protagonists i've seen in a film. even the moment of redemption, if it can be called that, is very questionable and disturbing. my older cousin--username chuckthetruck-- turned me on to this one, i'm fortunate that he did.