Kafka On The Shore

The Schrödinger’s Cat paradoxSchrödinger’s...

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:27:00 +0000

The Schrödinger’s Cat paradox

Schrödinger’s dead-and-alive cat makes a cameo appearance in A Serious Man.

Word of the day: Dybbuk

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:15:00 +0000

In Jewish folklore, a dybbuk is a malicious spirit in search of a body to possess. In A Serious Man’s pre-credit Yiddish fable, an old rabbi is mistaken for a dybbuk and gets stabbed with an ice pick. Harsh.

A Serious Man (2009) by the Coen brothersA Serious Man is the...

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:58:00 +0000

A Serious Man (2009) by the Coen brothers

A Serious Man is the Coens’ Jew movie. It’s also a brilliant and unsettling dark comedy and hands down my favourite Coens flick of the noughties. I loved the opening yiddish folk tale, I loved the ominous ending, and I loved everything in between.

Some of my favourite bits include a troublesome Korean student (and his dad), three rabbis, the weird neighbour coming back from a hunt, Uncle Arthur’s breakdown by the pool, Larry’s nightmares, Danny’s trippy bar mitzvah, the goy’s teeth story, Sy Ableman’s assholy pep talks and more.

Broken Social Scene - Stars and Sons

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:27:00 +0000

Broken Social Scene - Stars and Sons

Il divo (2008) by Paolo Sorrentino (via nevver)The Once And...

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:40:00 +0000

Il divo (2008) by Paolo Sorrentino (via nevver)

The Once And Future Blonde urges me to see this film. Looking at this trailer, I’m in. It makes great use of Cassius’s Toop Toop; I also love how the tag lines synch with the images. Now added on my to-download list.

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-11-15)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:26:26 +0000

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-11-15):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

Cold Souls (2009) by Sophie BarthesMeh…Lots of good ideas...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:36:00 +0000

Cold Souls (2009) by Sophie Barthes

Meh…Lots of good ideas that all went to waste. Too bad as I’m sure a half decent screenwriter could have come up with a meatier and more engaging script.
A few things I liked: a soulless Giamatti doing Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, Giamatti’s great chemistry with Dina Korzun (their five-second bit on “frivolity” is pitch perfect), and, most importantly, Dina Korzun herself.

Broken Social Scene - Lover’s Spit (feat. Feist)All these...

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:39:00 +0000

Broken Social Scene - Lover’s Spit (feat. Feist)

All these people drinking lover’s spit
Swallowing words while giving head

Ok, so one wouldn’t know how romantic this song really is judging by the lyrics I’ve just plucked out. I do like the other version as well, but Feist’s voice takes the song to a higher level I think.

The White Ribbon (2009) by Michael HanekeI knew this Haneke film...

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:33:00 +0000

The White Ribbon (2009) by Michael Haneke

I knew this Haneke film was going to be particularly good (it won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes festival after all) but I didn’t expect to be blown away like this. This is so far and by far my favourite film this year.

The White Ribbon details the disturbing events that unfold in a small Austrian village just before the outbreak of World War I. Shot in beautifully crisp black and white, the film is eerie, perverse, full of repression, perversion, malice, violence and brutality…You know, the usual Haneke stuff. But in the midst of all that, it’s got a rather touching romance between the school teacher, who narrates the film, and a young nanny. Ironically, their love story is where you can find genuine innocence, while at the same time Haneke asks us to focus on the corrupted innocence of the children of the village.

More importantly, the White Ribbon is utterly absorbing. Of course, in the end, Haneke offers no answers, nor easy solutions. The ending left me left me a tad frustrated but it felt right. I need to watch this again.

Alyssa by David Knight I went to check out this year’s...

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:54:00 +0000

Alyssa by David Knight

I went to check out this year’s Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery (the one in London, that is). The first prize went to the swimmer, but, personally, I only had eyes for David Knight’s Alyssa. Must be the freckles.

Arthur Russell - This is How We Walk on the Moon(via...

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:31:00 +0000

Arthur Russell - This is How We Walk on the Moon

(via britticisms: swansandwolves)

"[The Escapist] was strapped to a bizarre multiple guillotine that would have sliced him like a..."

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:53:00 +0000

“[The Escapist] was strapped to a bizarre multiple guillotine that would have sliced him like a hard-boiled egg while the Führer himself smugly looked on. Naturally, patiently, indomitably, he had worked his way loose of his riveted steel bonds and hurled himself at the throat of the dictator. At this point, an entire Wehrmacht division had come between the Escapist’s fingers and that gravely desired larynx. Over the course of the next eighteen pages, in panels that crowded, jostled, piled one on top of the other, and threatened to burst the margins of the page, the Wehrmacht, the Luftwaffe, and the Escapist had duked it out. One the very last page, in a transcendent moment in the history of wishful figments, the Escapist had captured Adolf Hitler and dragged him before a world tribunal. Head finally bowed in defeat and shame, Hitler was sentenced to die for his crimes against humanity. The war was over; a universal era of peace was declared, the imprisoned and persecuted peoples of Europe […] were free.”

- From The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

Kosher porn at its best, imo.

Judith Beheading Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi...

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:31:10 +0000

Judith Beheading Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1653)

Artemisia Gentileschi was one of the first women artists to achieve recognition in the male-dominated world of post-Renaissance art and the first woman to paint major historical and religious scenes blah blah snore blah, but, really, what’s rather fascinating about her is that she got raped by painter Agostino Tassi, her then mentor, and when Tassi was taken to court for the rape, she was subjected to physical torture to prove the veracity of her testimony. Wow.

Now, knowing all that, it’s no wonder she got obsessed with the depiction of the slaying of Holofernes (she churned out many versions of that same scene, I believe). Clearly, painting can be cathartic.

Hot Chip - Take It In (via trfwrk: tylerpaige) tylerpaige:New...

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:35:00 +0000

Hot Chip - Take It In

(via trfwrk: tylerpaige)

tylerpaige:
New Hot Chip grooves are good.
The new album One Life Stand comes out in February.

I’m totally biased when it comes to Hot Chip. Plus I’m craving some new stuff from them so gimme gimme gimme.

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-11-8)

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:41:00 +0000

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-11-8):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

Elliott Smith - PitselehHere, a favourite of mine.

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:22:00 +0000

Elliott Smith - Pitseleh

Here, a favourite of mine.

First there was the book by investigative reporter Kurt...

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:33:00 +0000

First there was the book by investigative reporter Kurt Eichenwald, then This American Life’s one-hour episode, The Fix Is In, and, nine years later, the film by Steven Soderbergh…Well, actually, first came the facts, since this is a true story. And what a great story this is.

I haven’t seen the film yet and will probably never read the book, but I strongly recommend listening to The Fix Is In. Mark Whitacre, the corporate whistle-blower-turned-FBI-informant at the heart of the story, is a fascinating guy: funny, gutsy and completely delusional (turns out he’s bipolar). It really takes a crook to catch a crook.

Grizzly Bear - Ready Able / video directed by Allison...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:24:00 +0000

Grizzly Bear - Ready Able / video directed by Allison Schulnik

(via headunderwater)

“Surreal mix of sadness, repulsion, and a kind of otherworldly beauty” — Stereogum. Yeah, totally. The more I watch this, the more I find that the otherworldly beauty overpowers the repulsion. “Ready, Able” is my favourite song on the album; could it have anything to do with my liking this video in the first place? Probably.

Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995) by Todd SolondzThis is the bit...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:42:00 +0000

Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995) by Todd Solondz

This is the bit when dickhead Steve Rogers is singing the title song and Dawn is head-dancing to it. I don’t care what anybody says but in this scene, she’s the coolest kid on the planet. It’s not easy being Dawn.

Memory Tapes - Green KnightIs that a basketball dribbling we can...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:08:00 +0000

Memory Tapes - Green Knight

Is that a basketball dribbling we can hear in there? And also the screeching sound that shoes make on the basketball court? Whatever that is, I love that sound effect. And this track is my favourite on Seek Magic.

Other cool songs from the album already posted by fellow tumblers:
Swimming Field via mmddyyyy
Plain Material via thenotes
Bicycle via Britticisms