November 15-20, 2010
Today, in “Dysphonia,” Mike Vincent says the venue’s the thing, and size really does matter when it comes to a live comedy album. Read “That’s not funny”
In “The Cinephiles,” Kevin Mattison asks if games are becoming more and more cinematic, why are movies based on video games so bad (and vice-versa)? Read “You can take the game out of the movie, but you can’t take the movie out of the game” Adam Simmons bemoans the lack of genuine, certified bad-asses in contemporary action films, especially in comparison to 1972’s Prime Cut, a film that will turn you off sausage forever. Read “Certified Bad-ass”
In “Diary of a Casual Gamer,” Gavin Craig plays Super Mario Bros. again in honor of its 25th anniversary. And because he’s never beaten the damn game. Read “Mario gets old”
In “Flipside,” Rosemary Van Deuren explains why the 13-hour miniseries deserves a comeback. (Hint: It’s mostly because 1976’s I, Claudius is brilliant, bawdy, features a better Caligula than Caligula, and shows off the best performance of Derek Jacobi’s career.) Read “Of emperors and prophetic chickens”
In “Rounding Third,” Angela Vasquez-Giroux traces her sidearm throwing motion to her dad. And the Karate Kid. (Neither of which makes it any easier to correct her mechanics now.) Read “It’s looking like a limb torn off”
In “The F Word,” Jill Kolongowski shares a few helpful rules for dealing with hypoglycemia. Or good snacking. Or what to do if she unexpectedly bites your head off while dress shopping. Read “Peanuts or pretzels?”
Certified Bad-ass
If they gave certificates for such things, Lee Marvin would most certainly be a “Certified Bad-ass”. Though he died at age 63 in 1987, Marvin is one of those guys who had always looked old, and made it work for him. Not unlike his contemporary, Charles Bronson, Marvin was a true man’s man. Tough when … Continue reading
You can take the game out of the movie, but you can’t take the movie out of the game
There is a moment towards the tail end of Rockstar Games’ epic western Red Dead Redemption when, after a long campaign filled with violence, you are finally allowed to return home to your wife and child. As you ride across the plains the soundtrack swells. It feels triumphant, sentimental and incredibly cinematic. Red Dead is not alone. … Continue reading
Mario gets old
If I had any illusions about holding on to my youth, they were dispelled by Nintendo’s hoopla surrounding the 25th anniversary of the release of Super Mario Bros. (And may I step to the side for a moment and comment on how much I adore the fact that the name of the game is “Super … Continue reading
Of emperors and prophetic chickens
Ashamed as I am to admit this, I feel compelled to tell you: I saw the 1976 I, Claudius BBC television serial before I ever read Robert Graves staggering, breathtaking books, I, Claudius and Claudius the God. I know; it would’ve been so easy for me to just lie. But I first watched the miniseries … Continue reading
It’s looking like a limb torn off
I believe in being five my father teaching me to throw in the backyard/ our house on Crescent Avenue: sidearm hard almost no arc on the ball watched it tail as a ten inch comet to my father’s open mitt. From FOR TIM (suggesting I name ten things I truly believe, which is really fucking … Continue reading
Peanuts or pretzels?
As I’ve been writing this column, I notice that while I am more apt to try new recipes and write about them, or think about food and cooking, I’m also realizing how often I don’t bother cooking at all. This week, I had one of my favorite easy recipes: I mash up a ripe avocado … Continue reading
Mister Schimmel has passed away
I get the occasional email from my father. Usually they are empty, the subject line of the email is the message he hopes to convey to me. Other times they are notes picked from the obituaries—random grotesque deaths or deaths of people he knew. The other evening he sent me an email simply titled “RIP.” … Continue reading
November 8-13, 2010
Today, in “Dysphonia,” Mike Vincent mourns the untimely passing of Robert Schimmel in “Mister Schimmel has passed away” In “The Cinephiles,” Kevin Mattison writes about the only person Werner Herzog ever worked with who had as much energy and passion as the infamous director, and was quite possibly crazier. Read “The madness of Klaus Kinski” … Continue reading
The madness of Klaus Kinski
With his eyes wide and his upper lip locked in the kind of perpetual snarl that seems right at home on his harsh, German face, Klaus Kinski accusingly points a finger at his audience. I am not the Jesus of the official church, who the police, bankers, judges, hangmen, officers, church bosses, politicians and other … Continue reading
