February 7-11, 2011
Who has time to watch the Oscar nominees? Kevin Mattison, that’s who, and he’ll hook you up with the Cliffs Notes. Start off this week with “This dream must be madness” (Black Swan), “Survival is nothing more than recovery” (Winter’s Bone) and “I’ll show you the life of the mind” (Inception)
Adrian Tomine may be the Shakespeare of human failure, but Kate Sloan says that his first book-length work, Shortcomings, is really about the grace of recovering afterward. Read “On coming up short in a giant’s world”
Gavin Craig doesn’t really love Little Big Planet. So why does he keep playing it? Find out in “Playing the penguin”
The Gamers’ Club is playing Final Fantasy VII. Read “The slog” by Gavin Craig, “My cousin Vinny” by Daniel J. Hogan, and “Character and materia management” by Andrew Simone
Are you lonely? Is your life lacking fulfillment or companionship? Not to worry, says Ana Holguin. It’s nothing that a slavish and unreasonable devotion to a dachshund can’t fix. Read “How to be a crazy (wiener) dog lady”
Lindsey Malta says that you don’t have to be an old fan to be a fan, especially when it comes to a brilliant, compact jewel like Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes’ Spaced. Read “Get Spaced”
It’s time to start thinking about spring training, and Angela Vasquez-Giroux shares her Project 3B list in “9 ½ weeks”
Travel may not be good for a cooking regimen, but it’s good for testing one’s food discipline, and helping to sort out priorities. Read Jill Kolongowski’s “On dieting and real food”
I’ll show you the life of the mind
Director Christopher Nolan has done something extraordinary: He has become a master of the intelligent blockbuster film. It may not seem like much, but consider nearly every summer blockbuster through the eyes of Nolan and you’ll see what I’m getting at. Would Transformers have been the same goofy, loud, cut heavy film that it was? … Continue reading
This dream must be madness
It’s wet, cold and icy and I’m on my way to the Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak to see Black Swan. I shouldn’t be out, but there are ten friggin’ best picture nominees and I’ve got to get rolling. Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow. I shake off the cold (and the rage I … Continue reading
Survival is nothing more than recovery
As big a fan of the movie theatre experience as I am, I must admit that some films really are best viewed at home, curled up under a blanket in the dark. There is something about that level of intimacy that allows a film to really envelop you before truly sinking in. Winter’s Bone is … Continue reading
On coming up short in a giant’s world
I fell for the art of Adrian Tomine when I subscribed to The New Yorker my junior year of college. His distinctive clean style has a way of leaving an impression. I saved every cover he did those few years I subscribed, and then one day my subscription ran out and I was too poor … Continue reading
Playing the penguin
It’s not uncommon for my daughters to be up before me on weekend. They’re pretty good at entertaining themselves—sometimes quietly and sometimes not-so-much—while their parents try to steal a few more minutes of sleep. This Saturday, after she thought that she had waited long enough, my younger daughter, who I will refer to as Bootsy, … Continue reading
FFVII: The slog
I’ll admit, at the start, to feeling a bit of Final Fantasy fatigue this week. Which is a bit odd if only because I finally feel like I’m starting to make progress. But still, just disc 1! I find myself coming up with reasons that I might be further along than it really feels. Discs … Continue reading
FFVII: My cousin Vinny
Remember how I complained about having too large of a party in last week’s post? (this is addressed to all two of you who read it) Well, now I have another character: Vincent Valentine. Vincent is an “optional” character, meaning you don’t automatically get him and he is not required to beat the game. But, … Continue reading
FFVII: Character and materia management
Nothing like hotseating a console game with an out-of-town friend for a few days to get you long past the end of disk one. But with controller swapping, comes strategic differences and philosophical clashes. After hashing out our differences in front of the monitor with Irish Whiskey, we came up with a standard, go-to party … Continue reading
How to be a crazy (wiener) dog lady
It’s best, when trying to be a crazy dog lady, to start with a stacked deck. If possible, get born into a family that considers the dachshund of the house to be your equal and sibling. My only sister, for example, was a dachshund-beagle mix named Panfila (may she rest in peace), and residing below … Continue reading
