Dessert vs. veggies: the battle for sexy
If you’ve been reading my last few blogs, you know that I’ve been traveling so much I’ve had zero time to cook for myself, and if I do, I just cook a gigantic pot and eat the leftovers for days (I did make some really awesome tacos with ground turkey, refried beans, and black beans … Continue reading
February 21-27, 2011
Kevin Mattison falls just short of seeing every best picture Oscar nominee within a three week time frame. He provides his picks nonetheless in “Stumbling across the finish line: Oscar picks part 1” and “Stumbling across the finish line: Oscar picks part 2”
Mike Vincent has witnessed three big things since he became a music listener. The first was Nirvana. The second was the boy band wave. To find out the third, read “Discovery”
Who has time to watch the Oscar nominees? Kevin Mattison, that’s who, and he’s hooking you up with the Cliffs Notes. He continues this week with “True friends stab you in the front” (The Social Network), “He who acts most kingly is king” (The King’s Speech), “The house does not rest upon the ground, but upon a woman (two, actually)” (The Kids Are All Right) and “One must put away childish things” (Toy Story 3)
You may look at Questionable Content and see another web comic about directionless young non-professionals, but Kate Sloan sees a nice reminder that we don’t have careers, we have lives. Read “A field guide to Questionable Content“
Need something to do on your break now that you’ve quit smoking? (And good for you, by the way.) Andrew Simone is happy to oblige with a list of desktop flash games worthy of your brief but engaged attention. Read “Bored at work?”
The Gamers’ Club is playing Final Fantasy VII, or at least they’re supposed to be. Read “El Cid and the end of disc 1” by Daniel J. Hogan
Ana Holguin’s trip to the museums becomes an opportunity to confront her phobias, in all their terror and beauty, which turns out to be an excellent segue into the captivating, uncanny work of Alexis Rockman. Read “Nightmares on F Street, or, Archival horrors”
Fairy tales are great for kids, especially if what you want to do is deliver a lesson in pure, unadulterated evil. Lindsey Malta shows how an innocent musical production of a classic fairy tale like 1987’s Rumpelstiltskin is really a primer on “The 7 deadly sins for children”
Miguel Cabrera is a gifted ballplayer with a swing that is nothing less than a thing of beauty. He’s a leader and mentor to his teammates, and he’s a man who has a problem. Read Angela Vasquez-Giroux’s “In which Miguel Cabrera breaks my motherfucking heart”
Fast food, is bad, evil, and we all eat it at least once in a while. Jill Kolongowski offers some hints on making your fast food choices count when you really have to (or just really want to) in “The lesser of many evils: a guide to fast food”
Stumbling across the finish line: Oscar picks part 2
Best Cinematography: Matthew Libatique for Black Swan, Wally Pfister for Inception, Danny Cohen for The King’s Speech, Jeff Cronenweth for The Social Network, Roger Deakins for True Grit My pick: Roger Deakins for True Grit Probable winner:Jeff Conenweth for The King’s Speech Black Swan‘s gritty, realistic visuals provide a striking counterpoint to the madness it … Continue reading
Stumbling across the finish line: Oscar picks part 1
I have failed. I have fallen one movie short in the Best Picture category and four short of my overall goal. Thirteen films in three weeks can be tricky business for a married fellow with obligations. Damn you 127 Hours for not being as easily accessible as your fellow nominees! Damn you weather for thwarting … Continue reading
Discovery
I have always been an Apple kind of fellow. Apple computers, that is. Nothing against the fruit the computers are named for, but I do tend to prefer oranges. I remember growing up with strange, variant PCs but the computers in our home that really stood out were the Apple products. To this day my … Continue reading
One must put away childish things
Pixar is money, pure and simple. They have raised the bar on the animated film, having mastered the ability to engage a child while still holding the interest of an adult. The Toy Story series has always been pretty kid-centric but not without its mature themes. Toy Story 3 heads into infinity and almost beyond … Continue reading
Dysphonia on the air
Hello Readers— I just wanted to pass along this note to you, our devoted followers, that tonight, Friday February 25th I will be hosting the grooviest radio show in all of Northern Michigan, Soul Possession on WNMC 90.7fm in Traverse City. The show starts at 9pm and runs to 11pm EST. You can check out … Continue reading
The house does not rest upon the ground, but upon a woman (two, actually)
Marriage is tricky, even when things are going well. In theory, one should constantly be evolving, growing. Things get difficult when two people are asked to grow together. Sometimes we’re in different places at the same time. Such is the case with Nic (Annette Benning) and Jules (Julianne Moore) in The Kids Are All Right, … Continue reading
He who acts most kingly is king
God, I hate period pieces. Actually, that’s too much of a blanket statement. I hate most period pieces. There’s something overly formal about them (like the costumes, stifled emotions and, well, formalities) that almost immediately turns me off. I have enjoyed a few of them. I’m a huge fan of Marie Antoinette, for example, but … Continue reading
True friends stab you in the front
Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) isn’t an asshole. It’s just that he’s just trying so hard to be. Well, that’s one of his lawyers’ opinions anyway. The rest of the world seems to have reached a consensus. Lord knows the people suing him have. You’re probably familiar with the name Mark Zuckerberg. You probably even followed … Continue reading
