“If it wasn’t them, they’d be playing their song”
Stephen Colbert talks about Daft Punk, among other things, on the Paul Mercurio Show: “Well, I’m beginning to see why they don’t do TV.”
Shirley Jackson and the Witchcraft of Writing
“In 1962, when Shirley Jackson published her acknowledged masterpiece, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, she was at the height of her fame. She ranked among the most highly regarded writers in America, required reading on literature courses and the recipient of literary prizes, her work regularly […]
The Subtle Noir of Dorothy B. Hughes
At The LA Review of Books, Sarah Weinman writes about fine, subtle and underappreciated noir writer, Dorothy B. Hughes. “In a Lonely Place…blasted my mind open to new ways of reading. I wasn’t only enjoying the story and getting creeped out by the wholly unreliable narrator, Dix Steele, […]
“Michelle Rodriguez Made Me Cry At Comic-Con”
Kate Conway writes about how powerful she found the Women Who Kick Ass Panel in San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall C. “These dudes onstage weren’t selling themselves to me; they didn’t even care what I thought. Here we were, in the biggest room at Comic-Con, and I only felt […]
Violence As A Cheap Conflict Drug
In discussing The Following, Todd VanDerWerff writes about violence & wanting “to be only cool moments”: “Violence becomes a kind of cheap conflict drug, and the show’s writers keep trying to get hit after hit. The effect wears thin, particularly for those familiar with horror movies, who will […]
“That’s Not A Plot Hole. Allow Me To Explain”
Scott Nye writes about plot holes, deflection, and characters explaining for the audience at Ebert.com‘s “Balder & Dash” blog: “Characters must constantly address questions on behalf of a too-curious audience awash in complexly-plotted mega-stories. The movies are trying to plug leaks in a boat before the whole thing […]
The Cultural Gutter 