stephen

Truffaut: The 400 Blows (1959)

“You take him from here. I’m going home.” It’s those three little words. “I’m going home.” They really strike me as getting to the heart of things in this film. Not in some silly metaphorical sense, I mean, but literally: this guy has finished up at work, though he’s not finished with this particular job,Continue reading “Truffaut: The 400 Blows (1959)”

Allen: A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy (1980)

I’m drinking my father’s beer, just pizzazzed up (shouldn’t the plural of pizza be pizzazz?) my mother’s stirfry with WHOLE WHEAT PASTA, lime juice, teriyaki sauce, tobasco, and sugar (it was DREADFUL…i’m so sorry), and this film made me laugh about things I wouldn’t have found humor in a decade ago. “Can sex and loveContinue reading “Allen: A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy (1980)”

Bergman: The Virgin Spring (1960)

So it has been long since I’ve written anything. I’ve been crawling through the same books as I have for ages, and sometimes it’s one, sometimes another, they come and go into my hands as they please, disappear again, but never long enough to be completed. Well, I misplace the blame as well. But IContinue reading “Bergman: The Virgin Spring (1960)”

today’s adventure: meeting the last surviving american vet of wwi.

“ask me another question.” “what do you…think is wrong with people today?” “only that they move too fast.” “your generation was much braver.” “oh, i don’t know about that.” “what about the first world war?” “…i was 16 when i enlisted. when you’re 16 what looks like bravery is maybe just…ignorance.” The phrase ‘gaining perspective’Continue reading “today’s adventure: meeting the last surviving american vet of wwi.”

film: The Matrix trilogy

I’m not watching these three films entirely for pleasure. They’re actually part of a homework assignment. I was turned off by the first one way back when it was new because I thought it was so gross that I had to keep my eyes half closed to watch it. This time I knew when toContinue reading “film: The Matrix trilogy”

Trenton

I had no intention of writing about this–Trenton of all places–but spending one’s time doing piano exercises leads the mind to wander and point by point, well, everything belongs somewhere. I moved in to my room in Philadelphia on Wednesday evening, and, after a quick dinner, unpacked and set up my music things to spendContinue reading “Trenton”

Ballroom, Week 11

Because I’m temporarily moving to Philadelphia this is the last lesson I’ll be having for a while (there’s no dancing allowed in Philly, I know, I know, it’s so sad). I was barely conscious for the lesson, which taught me something very important: I don’t always, always, always feel like dancing. The fancy footwork I’dContinue reading “Ballroom, Week 11”

Religion, Theology, and other things I see on a milk bottle.

All I wanted to say was, ‘here’s some really great copy!’ and then: ‘Know what? Great farmers wouldn’t exist without great eaters. No kidding. When you choose organic food you’re helping the earth’s best farmers, and in so doing, creating a better world for tomorrow. Your tomorrow. Hello, hero.’ If you’re anything like me thenContinue reading “Religion, Theology, and other things I see on a milk bottle.”

Ballroom, week 10

The Right Turning Box is the first figure that I think is actually beautiful from a perspective of theory and time; I love the way we have two feet whose graceful movement depends upon our shifting the weight back and forth between them, yet we’re dealing with bars of 3/4, a gorgeous crisis, and furthermoreContinue reading “Ballroom, week 10”

Clair: À nous la liberté (1931)

It’s very difficult for me to say anything about this film because I so deeply long to forget it, to pretend that Clair never produced any work except Sous les toits de Paris — and it’s for all the wrong reasons, perhaps. In toits de Paris Clair uses sound so brilliantly that it led meContinue reading “Clair: À nous la liberté (1931)”