February 2014

Politicians accusing politicians of acting like politicians.

“Try Anyway,” a nice little story from @steph_hay about the great places self-confidence can take you. the-pastry-box-project.net/steph-hay/2014…

10 Ideas for TV Shows Starring Glenn Danzig: pleasekillme.com/10-ideas-for-t… (via @essl)

The plush, brightly lit green room at the House of Blues on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles is clean, colorful, and carpeted, with two large couches, a bathroom with a shower, and an abundance of mirrors. It is probably the most spacious and comfortable backstage area of any we’ve encountered, but it’s still inadequate. Between organizers, performers, friends, and photographers, the room is at more than twice its capacity, topped off with a showgirl’s ransom… See more →

If your app prompts me to rate it, with the options being “Rate 5 Stars” and “Not Now,” I’ll go out of my way to give it a one-star rating.

House of Cards, S02E01: The WTF plot sucker punch actually made me grin without irony. Maybe I warmed up to the show between seasons.

My Top 3 #lastfm Artists: De La Soul (25), Cynic (16) & Nine Inch Nails (14) tweekly.fm/twitter/robweycher…

Today’s view of Manhattan.

After a few days, the snow is basically a white glove test for the city, like, “See? This is how filthy this place is ALL THE TIME.”

It always seemed to me that Tonya Harding was not sufficiently contrite in public regarding her husband’s involvement in the attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan. Harding was quick to assert her innocence, but she never seemed all that mortified that someone was assaulted on her behalf, and in this documentary twenty years after the infamous event, she still doesn’t. But she is plenty bitter, and while that’s no surprise coming from someone whose life… See more →

It’s impressive that Cheers’ Sam & Diane dynamic was consistently compelling, but it took a nosedive in Season 5. It was time for her to go.

After a year of Pro @letterboxd membership, today I became a Patron, because it’s worth every penny and more. letterboxd.com/pro/

When the credits roll at the end of The Act of Killing, roughly a third of the crew is listed as “Anonymous.” These are presumably Indonesians who have gone nameless for fear of retribution by a government, new to democracy, which perceives their participation in the film as an act of defiance. For the same reason, virtually no one who is not closely aligned with the government is interviewed in the film. The voice of… See more →

My Top 3 #lastfm Artists: De La Soul (24), Arab Strap (13) & Low (10) tweekly.fm/twitter/robweycher…

It’s hard to pin down the horror/sci-fi alchemy that makes Alien work so well, but probably more than anything else, its landmark production design is indispensable, drawing the viewer helplessly into its lived-in world, making the film’s claustrophobic dread palpable.

Carrie is one of the better Stephen King adaptations, thanks largely to Sissy Spacek’s fragile performance and its memorably masterful climax. Still, I always feel like the first hour is mostly just something to sit through while waiting for the big moment.

The snow and ice don’t bother me. It’s the cars trying to get out of their parking spots. My block sounds like the fucking Daytona Speedway.

Tonight’s iTunes shuffle realization: Joy Division’s “Transmission” can comfortably follow pretty much any song by any artist.

Tonight’s smart playlist formula: “A-Sides.”

In tonight’s internet rabbit hole news, I just learned that Shirley Temple’s daughter was The Melvins’ bass player for several years.

This is how Adobe Illustrator and I are getting along these days. bukk.it/bad-day.gif

Saddened by the end of @GetEditorially, a great product made by great people. Here’s looking forward to more great things ahead of them.

An app that dissects and reassembles Ken Burns films as one massive American history timeline? Yes please. avclub.com/article/docume…

Hard to believe people actually buy into this nonsense. twitter.com/trammell/statu…

Really impressed with the handsome new @nGenWorks site. Simple, bold, fun, and looks great on screens of all sizes. ngenworks.com

It’s hard not to be inspired by Wayne White’s restless creative spirit and whimsical, hand-crafted artworks across an array of media, and his cheerfully acerbic raconteur skills make the story of his journey as an artist that much more entertaining.

My Top 3 #lastfm Artists: Cornelius (7), My Bloody Valentine (5) & The Mountain Goats (4) tweekly.fm/twitter/robweycher…

You guys, I really liked The Lego Movie. letterboxd.com/robweychert/fi…

The Lego Movie is probably the best unabashed, 100-minute toy commercial anyone is ever likely to see. It certainly helps that the toy on offer has a long history of superior quality, and that the imagination- and creativity-focused brand values the film is designed to bolster are essentially unassailable. But it still could have been a disaster in the wrong hands, especially given the cloying, self-acknowledged cliché at the center of it: You are special.… See more →

Didn’t expect much from a Daily Show guest who wrote a book about Rob Ford, but it was a fascinating interview. thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-febr…

“Being a Metallica fan is a statement usually followed by a certain number of caveats.” avclub.com/article/enter-…

Elena is a character study of an aging housewife who is frustrated by her wealthy husband’s refusal to offer financial assistance to her struggling son (from a previous marriage) and his family. It’s hard to tell how much one’s appreciation of the film is contingent upon their understanding of the class divide in post-Soviet Russia (mine is admittedly limited). Every plodding, beautifully shot moment of its excessive runtime is an overt examination of one or… See more →

Facebook, perhaps knowing its schmaltzy approach is likely incompatible with my content, will not generate an “A Look Back” video for me.

My Creation Museum visit years ago was one of smug bemusement, but Ken Ham’s willful myopia in yesterday’s Creation Debate just made me sad.

Thoughtful insights from @adactio on award culture running counter to the collaborative spirit of the web: adactio.com/journal/6668/

A pompous high school literature teacher, Germain, encourages the troubling voyeurism of a promising (and manipulative) student, Claude, intending to help Claude improve his writing. But as Claude’s story becomes increasingly invasive into the real lives of his characters, Germain’s motives as an instructor come into question. Within that premise, In the House is an exploration of the audience’s role as a participant in art, and in particular the audience’s complicity in the sins of… See more →

My Top 3 #lastfm Artists: Battles (23), Tomahawk (12) & Neko Case (12) tweekly.fm/twitter/robweycher…

“There is a thing I don’t know very much about, and I will express my opinion on the matter as forcefully as 140 characters will allow.”

An inventive and well-constructed mystery thriller that consistently intrigues without ever veering too far into pulp. A few too many answers pile up at the end for the resolution to be completely satisfying, but overall, I really enjoyed the ride.