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December 2021

Month archive / 25 posts

In honor of @letterboxd’s 10th birthday, I joined a handful of other veteran members in writing a bit about our decade on the platform. letterboxd.com/journal/turnin…

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Phantom Thread film poster

Phantom Thread

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Big Summer Night album cover

Big Summer Night

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The Power of the Dog film poster

The Power of the Dog

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The Matrix Resurrections film poster

The Matrix Resurrections

Look, I’m here for the action. As much as the Matrix series is an enjoyable alchemy of classic mythology, cyberpunk, and pop philosophy, anyone who says the action isn’t far and away its biggest strength is kidding themselves. The increasingly convoluted technological underpinnings, the endless rumination on the paradox of free will, the paper-thin character work—it’s all set dressing for some extraordinary fight and chase sequences, bolstered by visionary special effects. Or at least it… See more →

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The Matrix Revolutions film poster

The Matrix Revolutions

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The Matrix Reloaded film poster

The Matrix Reloaded

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Where We Were Together album cover

Where We Were Together

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We’ve Sobered Up album cover

We’ve Sobered Up

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Batman Returns film poster

Batman Returns

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Safety Last! film poster

Safety Last!

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Rope film poster

Rope

I had a Hitch itch, wanted something short, and hadn’t seen Rope in ages. Perfect, right? Totally forgot about the one-shot schtick until it started, and man, I’ve never found it less impressive. The movie mostly looks like shit: The Technicolor is weirdly drab, and the plot is dialog-driven to the point that the roving camera tends to just flatly center the speaker in the frame. The limited edits do give the proceedings the effect… See more →

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Listening to Kenny G film poster

Listening to Kenny G

A decent profile of Kenny G and his position as a uniquely polarizing figure in music, but not nearly as probing as it could be. For a much deeper dive into the notions of “good” and “bad” music, I highly recommend Carl Wilson’s Let’s Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste.

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The Plot Against America film poster

The Plot Against America

The final episode of this is scarier than any horror movie in recent memory.

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All Thoughts Fly album cover

All Thoughts Fly

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Baroness

No one can say Baroness aren’t professionals. After two years away from the road, an all-request tour where everything in their roughly 80-song catalog is on the table? Impressive. Ticketholders for each show were able to vote for which songs they wanted to hear, but I unfortunately missed the link in the ticket confirmation email, so I was at the mercy of my fellow audience members, who apparently prefer newer material than I do. The… See more →

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The Crucible film poster

The Crucible

When I last saw this 25 years ago, I responded with some kind of wannabe film snob shit—I don’t remember if it was for or against—and my girlfriend at the time was, correctly, not having it. This time, probably still unjustifiably, I feel assured enough in my snobbery to say that the visuals in this movie are distractingly bland. Apart from a few dramatic camera swoops here and there, the colors and compositions reflect all… See more →

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Elevator to the Gallows film poster

Elevator to the Gallows

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Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death film poster

Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death

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The Outsiders film poster

The Outsiders

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