* Eric McDowell *
If Inside Llewyn Davis comes up short of the Coen brothers’ best films in any way, it may be due to a lack of “objects” in a second sense of the word—objectives, desires, points toward which the narrative inevitably strives.
Objects, elegy, and “Inside Llewyn Davis” Read More »
I loved the trappings of the holiday as perhaps only a child growing up in the tropics can love them: the snowy landscapes of greeting cards; the fireplaces and twinkly yellow lights glowing in the December dark of favourite books and films; the carols on my family’s Bing Crosby and Jim Reeves records; the Christmas pudding and fruit cake my Aunty Edith made; the whole comforting Englishness of it, at once familiar and exotic, reliable and exciting.
* Nicholas Johnson *
An exhibition I saw very quickly at the end of this year, reminded me of another exhibition I viewed quickly earlier in 2013. Kaye Donachie and Gary Hume have a knack for getting us to look longer. And the economy of means they achieve this with is remarkable.
How Long We Look at Things Read More »
* Kristie Kachler *
I thought I was preparing to sit down to write a blog post about writing, but first I had to meet a friend in the Media Markt to drop off the key to the apartment where I’ve been cat sitting between Christmas feasts. This Media Markt is located in a shopping center in Berlin-Neukoelln, the neighborhood that might offer the most insight into what gentrification looks like in 2013 in Germany. My friend, surrounded by glittering cases of DVDs and CDs, had apparently chosen her destination wisely. The desperate post-Christmas sales were on, and the sidewalk in front of the Arkaden was swarmed. I stepped into the crowd of Neukoellners. So did a man who looked homeless. The man who looked homeless was pulled aside by two policemen who told him this wasn’t the place for him. He started yelling. One of his interlocutors looked unmoved and professional. One laughed. The man kept protesting, but he would not be coming inside. I was swept in with the families and teenagers and young singles who looked to be probable customers.
Just another hour of participating in ‘advanced’ capitalism Read More »
At 6 AM, stress percolates in urban and suburban landscapes on par with coffee.
Warsaw Dispatch: Success, a Report Read More »
* Paula Mendoza *
In my Facebook newsfeed last week, a poet’s status alerted me to the fact that Beyoncé’s self-titled album dropped on iTunes.
Will the Real Feminist Please Stand Up Read More »
* Kevin Haworth *
The final, abbreviated season of the HBO television show Treme, airing now, is an opportunity to reflect on what that series has done better than any other recent television experience: depict the working life of creative people.
Play for That Money Read More »
* Claire Skinner *
I’m a poet. Occasionally, however, I hate poetry. Usually these feelings occur during periods when I can’t seem to write any of it, when anything I do manage to force on to the page sounds (to my ear) stilted and awkward and pitifully dumb.
On Writer’s Block and Suzanne Buffam’s Glinting Wings Read More »
* Zhanna Slor *
Disadvantages aside, I think watching a television show in its entirety can actually have some benefits, especially if you’re a writer of some kind. You learn how to easily spot plot-holes (uh, Battlestar Gallactica season four? The entire Heroes series?); you can learn about character-building (Walter White, Shane Vendrell, anyone created by Joss Whedon). You can also get a glimpse of what the current trends are (mystical creatures, criminal masterminds, and, as always, cops). You can also learn what to avoid, due to over-saturation (vampires!), or what to capitalize on (office dramas; quirky families).
What We Can Learn from TV (Seriously!) Read More »
* Eric McDowell *
To pass the Bechdel Test, a film must satisfy a very simple set of criteria: (1) it must have at least two female characters, preferably named, who (2) talk to each other about (3) something other than a man.
What Test? With Thanks to Alison Bechdel Read More »
