August 26, 2006
LISTEN, WATCH, READ:
This has worked surprisingly well, so maybe we'll try it every few weeks: how about some discussion and recommendations?
Here are three questions about what you've found especially good to read, listen to, or watch recently--the less well-known your discovery the better since I'm really just fishing for ideas (we'll phrase the questions for maximum hippness, but don't fret if you still use a Betamax and an 8-track player):
My favorite recent discovery for my iPod is:
Zoysia (The Bottle Rockets)
Mike Daley recommended them and they are a terrific, The Band-like, band.
And, if you just want to grab a couple MP3s for your iPod, try Satellite & Mr. Grieves by TV on the Radio.
My favorite recent discovery at Netflix is:
Here's one that's hard to watch, but necessary: The Grey Zone
and one that's easy to enjoy: The World's Fastest Indian
I can't overstate how difficult it is to watch the Grey Zone, which tells the story of the Sonderkommandos at Auschwitz, Jews who were co-opted to assist in the gassing and disposal of fellow victims before being killed themselves after a few months work. The 12th of 13 cycles of Sonderkommandos revolted and did some considerable damage to the facilities, but their story is still bleak. Perhaps no other film has ever captured the extreme arbitrariness of the way death lurked at every moment in the camps and this reates a tension in every scene that is almost unbearable. It's a movie of extraordinary power, but genuinely disturbing.
World's Fastest Indian, on the other hand, is the immensely amiable truish story of New Zealand motorcycle enthusiast, Burt Munro, who improbably set speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats beginning in his early 60s, on a bike he'd pretty much rebuilt in his garage. Anthony Hopkins plays Munro as a kind of Candide who actually does live in the best of all possible worlds.
Together the two movies are bookends of the best and worst of humanity.
My favorite recent book discovery is:
Feeding the Monster (Seth Mnookin)
No one needs another triumphalist text about how the Sox finally won a World Series--but Mr. Mnookin has written something quite different, a book about how business considerations and personality conflicts shape the odd melanges we end up seeing on the diamond. Buster Olney's Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty makes an excellent companion piece.
Posted by Orrin Judd at August 26, 2006 12:04 AMI'll second the motion (heh!) on The World's Fastest Indian. It's a true story/specialty film starring Anthony Hopkins as a New Zealander who travels to the salt flats in Bonneville to set the world land speed record. I am big fan of LSR racing in general, and they actually had era-correct cars racing in the film! Very well done & entertaining.
Posted by: Bruce Cleaver at August 25, 2006 10:52 AMFor example, the film had Mickey Thompson's Challenger and Dr. Nathan Ostich's Flying Caduceus, which they must've pulled from museums. My jaw hit the ground.
Posted by: Bruce Cleaver at August 25, 2006 10:56 AMWhat I'm reading right now:
A History of the American People by Paul Johnson.
What I'm listening to:
Not much new. Mostly Johnny Cash
What I'm watching:
Deep Space Nine DVDs, which is a pretty conservative show given that it's Star Trek and all. I just got "Trial at Nuremburg" and "Freaks" from Netflix.
My next comic book purchase:
I just heard about "Archie Meets The Punisher" and I really have to pick that one up.
Music:
The soundtrack to the film About a Boy by Badly Drawn Boy. A gentle sort of folk-rock sound mixed with some nicely composed instrumentals. With the exception of one track it’s a great album to listen to straight through, especially at work.
Movie:
Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe. Dumb title and bad acting (except for Robert Morley) but it’s worth watching for the cooking scenes alone.
Books (I’m reading right now):
Non-fiction -- The Discarded Image, C.S. Lewis. I’ve never read this one before, great so far, looks to be heavily influenced by one of my all-time favorite books, Saving the Appearances by Lewis’s friend Owen Barfield.
Fiction -- A Dangerous Fortune, Ken Follett. First Follett book I have read, it’s entertaining enough.
Shelton:
If you like architecture, and cathedrals in particular, you might try 'Pillars of the Earth' by the same author.
Posted by: Fred Jacobsen (San Fran) at August 25, 2006 12:53 PMrecently heard:
James Hunter (thanks for the recommendation awhile back, oj). Sam Cooke-ish retro r&b. He can do it both nice and smooth and nice and rough.
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds. I've been reading raves about this album from record geeks and musicians I respect since I was a lad in the 70s, but I have never actually listened to the whole thing. Some beautiful songs and arrangements if you can get past the beach boys whiney surferboy voices.
Raconteurs: Jacky White's more pop-driven band is a guilty pleasure.
recently read:
Reckless Driver - Lisa Vice. Picked this up at a church sale a few years ago. An Indiana white trash family's chaotic breakdown, told from the point of view of a 6-to-11 year Lana Franklin. Vey sad (and sometimes funny) but not completely bleak. Lana is as memorable a character as Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird.
recently viewed:
White Stripes Live under Blackpool Lights. I'd always like the stripes, but after seeing this video, I love 'em. Meg isn't the greatest technical drummer, Jacky is no Guitar God showboat, but man do they get the job done.
And I third the emotion the Fastest Indian movie. Took my kids to see it at the local cheap theater. It had the audience cheering and applauding.
Posted by: ted welter at August 25, 2006 2:12 PMFavorite recent book discovery: "The Witness of St. Ansgar's," by Francis W. Nielsen
Current music: Not all that current. I don't have an MP3 player. But I do like the Cowboy Junkies album, "The Trinity Sessions"
Posted by: Patrick O'Hannigan at August 25, 2006 2:13 PMMy favorite recent discovery for my [iTunes] is: "Hope on Fire" by Vienna Teng. A hard-rocking statement on what to do when you're confronted by a choice between the right thing and the easy thing:
Gotta fight gotta strike
'Cause there's no turning away
From what you don't want to know
Gotta see gotta be
If they're all going astray
Don't let them take you in tow
My favorite recent discovery at [Blockbuster] is: Band of Brothers.
My favorite recent book discovery is: Death Traps by Belton Y. Cooper. An account of armoured combat in Western Europe 1944-45, by the 3rd Armored Division's ordnance maintenance officer.
Orrin:
Put "The Venture Bros" on your Netflix queue. Most of Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" cartoons suck but this is the exception to the rule. Funniest thing I've seen since the Golden Age of The Simpsons.
if aeschylus made a movie:
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
best movie I've seen since O Brother Where Art Thou
Posted by: Palmcroft at August 25, 2006 4:56 PMmusic - Keith Jarrett - The Koln (Cologne) concert (1975)
reading - james pettifer -the turkish labyrinth
Posted by: mike at August 25, 2006 5:04 PMMike Morley,
In my opinion, "Band of Brothers" is the best WWII epic ever made.
Reading Grant's Memoirs. Good, but liked Sherman's better.
Getting ready to jump into Paul Johnson's works. Read and really enjoyed his "History of the American People". Assume his other works are just as good.
Merle Haggard
Posted by: jdkelly at August 25, 2006 5:53 PMMusic: Just listening to old stuff while the next Iron Maiden album arrives. Currently got Lacuna Coil in the CD player.
Movies: Midway in Assault On Precint 13, the John Carpenter movie. After that I've got V for Vendetta.
Books: Ten Lessons In Clarity and Grace by Joesph M Williams
Comic book: Last one I read was Grimjack: Killer Instinct by Ostrander and Truman. Going to be getting Batman: City of Crime by David Lapham next.
Posted by: Ali Choudhury at August 25, 2006 6:35 PMReading - Dark Star by Alan Furst. It was recommended here and is very good.
Music - nothing new or special.
Watching - Just finished the first dvd of "Scrubs" and it's a lot of fun. I'm waiting for the second season of "Lost" to come out next month. I recently finished the last of the "Foyle's War" dvds, again recommended here. I love them.
Posted by: patrick h at August 25, 2006 9:28 PMoj,
Thanks for the mention.
Now listening, again, to Neko Case "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood", you know this one.
Just finished reading "Agincourt Henry V and the Battle that Saved England". Now reading your recommended 13th Century Welsh/English trilogy by Penman.
"The Closer", I recorded the first season so don't need buy/rent DVD's, but if you've not been watching TNT's "The Closer" you do need to buy/rent the DVD's of the first season. As an alternative, any of USA's "Monk" series or the current BBC America series "Lost on Mars".
Mike
Watching: Brotherhood has that first season Soprano's feel. Bryan - I think the Venture Brother's second season has been geting too weird, but the first one was great.
Reading: King Dork by Frank Portman.
Listing: Frank Black and the Catholics - Frank Black and the Catholics.
Posted by: Mike Beversluis at August 26, 2006 9:51 AMFrank Black & the Catholics:
Michael,
You then have to acquire/buy Frank Black's "Fast Man Raider Man", really great listening!
It's really hard for me to realize he's from the "Pixies", a group I loathed.