Category
Film
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Books, Film
Literary Adaptations, Science Fiction Division
One: At io9, an interview with Joh Alan Simon, the writer/director of an upcoming adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s Radio Free Albemuth. (With a Robyn Hitchcock soundtrack, no less.)
Two: At Bleeding Cool, Adi Tantimedh discusses the influence of Andrei Tarkovsky’s work on science fiction. While I don’t agree with his take on the Soderbergh adaptation [...] -
Film, Music
“Crazy Heart” + Music Writing
Given that I wasn’t entirely impressed with Crazy Heart’s take on music journalism, I’m glad to see that the fine people at New York were thinking along similar lines. And thus: this take on music journalists on film, past and present, which is worth a read.
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Books, Film
In Which ‘Crazy Heart’ is Reviewed
I reviewed the film Crazy Heart for Flavorwire. My thoughts on it were somewhat mixed.
Writer-director Cooper — here adapting Thomas Cobb’s novel — introduces the less savory aspects of Blake’s life with a heavy hand. That includes early scenes in which Blake handles a bottle of his own urine and drunkenly fishes his sunglasses out [...] -
Film
Almereyda Redux
A few years ago, I posted around these parts about the filmmaker Michael Almereyda, who’s made a few films of which I’m pretty fond. What got my attention at the time was his film Happy Here and Now, which brought together low-key science fiction and a pre-Katrina New Orleans. Apparently, he has an adaptation of [...]
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Books, Film
(Some pun on “smash” should go here.)
Last night, I went to the PPOW Gallery to see a screening of Michael Kimball and Luca Dipierro’s I Will Smash You, a film consisting of short scenes of people smashing objects (or, in one case, smashing a concept) for assorted reasons. In most cases, the smashing functioned for the person performing it on both [...]
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Film, Politics
“One of these days, Mrs. Trotsky…”
New York’s Vulture blog has posted a recap of memorable lines from Toronto Film Festival entries. One in particular stood out:
“You demonic concubine.” —The teenage reincarnation of Trotsky (Jay Baruchel), addressing the head of the school board in The Trotsky; screenplay by writer-director Jacob Tierney
Right about now might be the time to mention my strange [...] -
Film
Giant Robots
In the vein of Christopher Orr’s review of 21 based solely on the trailer: note the points of overlap between Brian Lynch’s “How to Survive Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen“ and David Edelstein’s review of the film in question. Also worth a read for Edelstein’s discussion of the careers of Michael Bay and Ridley Scott, [...]
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Books, Film
What the hell, Scott Foundas?
I realize it’s an odd thing to be peeved about a particular detail in a bad review, but: this Scott Foundas review of Away We Go (co-written by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida) is one of the most frustrating pieces of criticism by a normally solid critic that I’ve encountered in a long while. Steven [...]
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Film, Music
Artlinks (in abundance): 20 May 2009
One: A brutally candid Kevin Smith is interviewed by New York about his recent and upcoming work. I’m glad to hear that Red State is still likely to be made at some point, as I’ve been eager to see it ever since it was announced.
Two: Following one honest interview with another: Jeremy Bolen talks to [...] -
Books, Film
Reading on Reading: 20 May 2009
For today, links to three interviews with the venerable Joe Meno, whose novel The Great Perhaps is newly available:
The Millions, in which the novel’s structure, symbolism, and relationship to the political landscape of 2004 are discussed.
What To Wear During an Orange Alert?, in which Chicago, research, and the assembly of the novel are discussed.
Hobart, in [...] -
Books, Film
in which greg mottola and charles portis are referenced
Last week, I saw Greg Mottola’s Adventureland, which I’d definitely recommend. Last week, I also read Charles Portis’s The Dog of the South, which also comes highly recommended. It’s a strange bit of serendipity, then, that in this comprehensive AV Club interview with Mottola, he had this to say in passing:
In fact, I’ve optioned a [...] -
Culture, Film
in which david simon returns to journalism
Via Alan Sepinwall: This piece from The Wire co-creator David Simon on his efforts to learn more about an underreported police shooting in Baltimore is well worth a read.
Half-truths, obfuscations and apparent deceit — these are the wages of a world in which newspapers, their staffs eviscerated, no longer battle at the frontiers of public [...] -
Books, Film
notes on narrative versions
Earlier this week, I wrote about alternate versions of narrative works — novels and films, to be more specific. Michael Hemmingson posted a response regarding the Raymond Carver question:
The unedited carver book, BEGINNERS, will be out in october in the UK from Jonathan Cape. In August, the Library of America will publish a 900 page [...] -
Books, Film, Live, People, Politics, Rocket Fuel, SXSW2008, Thursday, Uncategorized
notes on beloved films + shambolic futures
Saw Idiocracy last week. I find myself thinking it would make a fine double bill with WALL-E: each depicts a future in which aspects of modern culture have spun out of control, leading to mammoth piles of garbage, an unholy fusion of big business with government, and an agriculturally barren landscape. One’s a cult classic, [...]
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Books, Film
critical writing links for 11.09.08
Jonathan Lethem on Roberto Bolaño’s 2666. [Hat tip to Anna on this one.]
Ryland Walker Knight on Arnaud Desplechin.
the scowl
Tobias Carroll lives in Brooklyn, New York. He has covered music and books for a number of publications, and his fiction has appeared in THE2NDHAND, 3:AM, Word Riot, and as part of Featherproof Books' "Light Reading" series. He is presently working on multiple projects of varying lengths.
