Archive for the ‘Arts’ Category

top 10 american sitcoms

Posted: June 5, 2012 in Arts
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Any top ten proclamation is bound to elicit strong reactions from anyone who reads the choices. I suspect this list is no different. For example I’m sure lovers of South Park, Family Guy, Cheers and Gilligan’s Island will take exception to this list. And who’s to say they’re wrong? Oh right, me. So without further finessing and meaningless explanation as to why some shows didn’t make the list I give for your arguing pleasure my choices for the top ten American sitcoms of all time.

10) Community – Yes, I know it gets put on hiatus more often than Ms. Lohan violates her probation. Just because it doesn’t have a huge following doesn’t (more…)

shorts: 6

Posted: May 23, 2012 in Arts
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It’s been a while since we dipped into the film archive, so the time has come to rectify that. For the complete list of reviews pop over to the Shorts page. Places everyone! And…Action!

One for the Money (2012) – After years of anticipation Janet Evanovich’s bounty hunter comes to the big screen and is not a plum worth picking. (2) – 5/23/12

Happy Feet (2006) – Box office animated smash left me (more…)

a few books which would make pretty decent movies if only hollywood would listen to me

Posted: May 17, 2012 in Arts
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The Conduct of the Game – John Hough Jr.

If baseball movies had a batting average it would be about .250. Not enough juice to be an all-star, but good enough to stay in the game. To help baseball filmdom I scout around for stories which could hit a Hollywood home run. This is because I am the studio puppet master, the guy who green lights films the way NFL players herd baby mamas. One phone call, one meeting, one lunch with me and your movie is golden. (And once that first phone call/meeting/lunch happens I’ll prove it.) This novel would be a fine start. It does not possess the nail-biting tension of more conventional sports films. No last minute drama, no death or glory moments. Instead, we visit a more subdued world – minor league umpiring in the 1950’s where the people are the stars. The characters are so well drawn you know them once you meet them resulting in a story brimming with quiet dignity. (more…)

top 10 r.e.m. songs

Posted: May 12, 2012 in Arts
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Sometimes I decide to craft a list which turns out to be an impossible task. Like this one. When I go through the R.E.M. catalog I am reminded how many great songs they recorded, songs which I had forgotten. Whittling them into a top ten list is like trying to pick up (more…)

top 10 beatles songs

Posted: April 22, 2012 in Arts
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When in doubt it is fun to create a list of stuff consisting entirely of your own biased opinions. It’s also a cheap and easy way to write a post on a rainy Sunday night. Or at any time. The difficulty comes in choosing what to list. Some lists are easy to compile. They organically rise out of the muck of (more…)

the paralyzing fear of rabid dogs

Posted: April 8, 2012 in Arts
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So I have this case brimming with old compilation cassettes, all recorded between 1981 and 1998. The case holds 120 tapes and is nearly full. Creating compilation tapes was an essential part of being a music lover in the pre-digital age. For many of us this was not a casual activity. It required (more…)

shorts: 5

Posted: April 3, 2012 in Arts
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Mercy me, the time has come to roll out the next 10 “Shorts” film reviews. What this deal is all about, including all reviewed films, can be found on the Shorts page. Have fun disagreeing! 

Meet the Parents (2000) – Further proof you can wring all the good comedy out of a premise in one movie. (3½) – 4/3/12

Cops and Robbers (1973) – I love Donald Westlake’s books, but (more…)

what’s new in fictional music

Posted: March 11, 2012 in Arts, Humorous Bits
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It’s time to get musically graphic, folks.

Earlier today the venerable Anagram King posted this new variation of a viral thingy from a few years ago. It’s a simple, creative and fun diversion, especially when all your writing ideas are still gestating. Create a fictional cover for a fictional album by a fictional band! So let’s all play along, shall we? All you have to do is follow these simple steps. (more…)

shorts: 4

Posted: March 7, 2012 in Arts
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Latest installment of one sentence, 20 word max movie reviews. Entire list can be found on the Shorts page.

That Thing You Do! (1996) – Pitch perfect time capsule of one fictional band’s rise to the top of the pop charts in mid 60’s. (4) – 3/7/12

Taking of Pelham One Two Three, The (1974) – Film captures 1970’s grit which also (more…)

the catalog of cool

Posted: February 19, 2012 in Arts
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This morning I stumbled upon The Catalog of Cool, a book published in 1982 and purchased around the same time. It was tucked away in a low corner of a bookcase, long forgotten. Edited by Gene Sculatti, a contributor to Rolling Stone magazine in the 1970’s, The Catalog of Cool gives us…well, let’s hear it straight from the editor’s typewriter. (more…)

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