tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196174302024-03-14T00:32:47.920-05:00Archie's Blood Car BlogWriting about film, baseball, photography and candyMike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-4151600109204461572015-01-27T13:46:00.000-06:002015-01-27T13:46:59.186-06:00Top Ten Favorite Movies & Things 2014This marks my third installment of this 'Best of' series. Thank you for reading.<br />
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<u><b>Top Ten Movies - 2014 </b>(in alphabetical order)</u><br />
<i>A is for Alex</i>, <i>The Battered Bastards of Baseball</i>, <i>Force Majeure</i>, <i>Ida</i>, <i>The Immigrant, </i><i>Night Moves</i>, <i>Nightcrawler</i>, <i>Something, Anything</i>, <i>Under the Skin, Whiplash</i><i>.</i><br />
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<b><u>Top Ten Movies - Not from 2014</u></b><br />
<i>Los Angeles Plays Itself</i>, <i>The Mirror</i> (Panahi), <i>Belfast, Maine</i>, <i>Dear Zachary</i>, <i>Minnie and Moskowitz</i>, <i>Ruggles of Red Gap</i>, <i>12:08 East of Bucharest</i>, <i>Cold Mountain</i>, <i>The Lovers on the Bridge</i>, <i>Stranger Than Paradise</i>.<br />
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<b><u>Top Ten Favorite Things of 2014</u></b><br />
1. <a href="http://thearbalestmovie.tumblr.com/">#arbalestmovie</a><br />
Another chapter of Fake Wood Wallpaper began in October of 2014. This one was written by us all, but mostly by our friend Adam Pinney, who sat in the writer/director chair. It marked the first time the original FWW quartet had worked on a film together since...well, kinda Blood Car, but mostly our ancient 48 Hour Film Festival movies. The Arbalest is one of those projects you wait for, you live for, you die (not literally) for. It's a movie that belongs in the universe of cinema and I can't wait for it to come hurtling like a meteor to movie screens around the world.<br />
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2. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City_Royals">The Kansas City Royals</a><br />
With the Atlanta Braves suffering yet another late season collapse, it was high-time to transfer my postseason allegiance to another team gunning for the Fall Classic. It became apparent who I would choose during the winner-take-all Wild Card playoff game between the aforementioned Royals and the ostensibly mightier Oakland Athletics. In, by far, one of the best games of the 2014 postseason, the Royals beat the A's in extra innings and emerged as the underdog to rule all underdogs. After that game, I quietly said, "The Royals winning the World Series is preordained by God." A week after they swept the owner of the AL's best regular season record, I said it a bit louder, "A Royals ring: preordained by God." A week after that, it was the Baltimore Orioles who fell in four straight games and I proclaimed even louder, "Royals-preordained by G-O-D to win it all." <br />
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Well, we all know how the World Series turned out. It almost had the makings of a really memorable game seven win for KC. If only Tim Hudson hadn't beaned Salvador Perez early the game, resulting in him being injured for the final at-bat of the 2014 baseball season. If only...<br />
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Nonetheless, it was a great post-season and a great World Series thanks to Kansas City.<br />
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3. <a href="http://www.future-islands.com/">Future Islands</a> @ Bottletree (Birmingham, AL)<br />
You had to be there.<br />
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4. Playing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennis">Tennis</a><br />
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5. The <a href="http://www.uncsa.edu/filmmaking/movingimagearch.htm">UNCSA Film Archive</a> & <a href="http://riverrunfilm.com/">The RiverRun Film Festival</a><br />
My film Congratulations! played at the RiverRun FF this past April and thanks to the kind programmer Christopher, I got a chance to tour the North Carolina School of the Arts film archive, one of the largest in the country. It was incredible. This is important work. My eyes were opened to how vital film is to cinema history and the sheer quantity of films that have and will go largely unseen. That is awesome and tragic. This year, I plan on sending one of my copies of The Adventure on 35mm to the archive.<br />
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6. <a href="http://www.hotdougs.com/default.htm">Hot Doug's</a> (R.I.P) & hot dogs<br />
My last meal at my favorite restaurant ever was as follows:<br />
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7. <a href="http://www.zipporah.com/">Frederick Wiseman</a><br />
This year I watched <i>Belfast, Maine</i>, <i>Aspen</i>, <i>Deaf</i>, and <i>Law and Order</i>.<br />
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8. <a href="http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/492/dr-gilmer-and-mr-hyde">This American Life #492, "Dr. Gilmer and Mr. Hyde"</a><br />
Listen to it.<br />
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9. <a href="http://www.adultswim.com/videos/your-pretty-face-is-going-to-hell/">Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell: Season 2</a><br />
This year I had the distinct pleasure to work on the first Fake Wood Wallpaper-produced TV series, all for Adult Swim. It was a challenging show, but also very rewarding. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard on a set before. Here's hoping for a third season.<br />
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10. <a href="http://www.hbo.com/treme#/">Treme</a><br />
What a brilliant and beautiful show. Everyone who got this show made deserves a hearty salute. It is more than mere entertainment. It contributes to American culture in the greatest possible way.<br />
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<br />Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-42501518628285362492014-03-02T11:18:00.000-06:002014-03-02T11:18:03.673-06:00Top Ten - 2013This is the 2013 (and second) installment of my Top Ten favorite 'things'. Thanks for reading.<br />
-Mike<br />
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<b>Favorite Movies of 2013:</b> Stories We Tell, Post Tenebras Lux, Her, The Great Beauty, Springbreakers, The Act of Killing, Kid-Thing, I Used to Be Darker, Prisoners, Blue Jasmine.<br />
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<b>Favorite Movies not from 2013:</b> Vertigo (70mm baby!), Zabriskie Point (35mm baby!), Oslo August 31st, El Topo, Child's Play (35mm baby!).<br />
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<b><u>Favorites Things of 2013</u></b><br />
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<b>1. Abbas Kiarostami </b><br />
Every once in a while, you discover a filmmaker whose work changes the way you see the medium. With each film, you feel yourself reaching a new height and being able to see further and more clearly. There is such beauty and sincerity in Kiarostami's films. They are so open and complex and inventive and unique. His awareness of the medium of cinema is woven into his work in such fascinating ways. Every film seems so inspired and purposeful. You can tell he loves humanity and sees through all the grind and bullshit and into the hearts of his subjects and of this life. This may sound odd, but the last time I felt as inspired about a filmmaker was when I saw <i>Funny Games</i> by Michael Haneke. I hate to invoke that film in the same paragraph as Kiarostami, but each filmmaker has inspired me and renewed my faith in movies.<br />
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My favorites are <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close-Up_(film)">Close-Up</a>,</i> <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0281534/">ABC Africa</a>, </i>and<i> </i><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life,_and_Nothing_More...">Life and Nothing More...</a>, </i>the last of which I had to watch on VHS from the local library because it's just not available through the normal DVD channels. Criterion, I hope you're listening.<br />
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I also saw:<br />
<i>The Traveler</i><br />
<i>Where is the Friend's Home?</i><br />
<i>Through the Olive Trees</i><br />
<i>The Wind Will Carry Us</i><br />
<i>Shirin</i><br />
<i>Certified Copy</i><br />
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On a side note, if you happen to know if the boy that the director is looking for in <i>Life and Nothing More...</i> is alive or dead, please let me know. I looked in many places online, but I couldn't find out.<br />
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<b>2. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_Jest">Infinite Jest</a></b><br />
I wager this is the best Tennis-Alcoholics Anonymous-Quebec Separatists-Experimental Film novel that's ever been written. I wish I knew more about literature so that I could compare the Incandenza family to all the great literary families of years past, but I think it's safe to assert that there is no family like this one. Football player Incandenza's fear of cockroaches is one of the funniest passages I've ever read. Mario's bizarre Bell & Howell camera apparatus, which seems to echo <i>Peeping Tom</i>, is forever burned into my memory. Hal's coming of age tennis years are a surreal representation of athletic programming. James's experimental films, especially the riotous ten-page long description of the nun film, are feats of parodic genius. The Moms lives on the periphery, but she exudes the heart and love that helps keep the family somewhat conjoined despite their apparent diaspora, even within the confines of the Enfield Tennis Academy. <br />
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And it is not just the story. It is the language and syntax of English that DFW seems to dissect and reinvent for his own purposes. His use of Xing to indicate 'fucking' and 'map' to indicate 'life' is jaw-dropping. Perhaps he thought those words too generic and sought greater or crasser representations of those concepts. The very existence of wordplay of this kind simultaneously scuttles language and apotheosizes it.<br />
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Don Gately - His story is universal. A down-on-his-luck ex-con, recovering alky, Don spends his days overseeing the ne'er do wells of the rehab center where he works. His life consists of meetings, of listening to the rock-bottom stories of addicts and criminals. Some are funny and some are heartbreaking. DFW can disarm with his incredible wit and wizard-like attention to detail. Equally, he can penetrate your psyche (mine, anyway) and reveal feelings you knew you had and never could express. The last time I remember reading a book that I felt referred to specific feelings and events in my life was <i>The Corrections</i>. I remember thinking that that book was about an exaggerated version of my family. Infinite Jest accomplishes this same task, representing an exaggerated version of one's own brain.<br />
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Sometimes I began to think that the very film the U.S.O.U.S. was looking for was the very book I was reading, for it doesn't really end. It just continues on into infinity. And maybe the film that James Incandenza made called Infinite Jest exists only in that it doesn't exist. His experiment was to make a film that doesn't exist. He made a film by not making it.<br />
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And if you like DFW and feel like traveling into the rabbit-hole of the author's mind, this is the ticket. You need no more proof than the line at the end of the first paragraph of the novel:<br />
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<i>I am in here.</i><br />
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P.S. If you're about to dive into the novel, I highly recommend Wiki's incredibly detailed annotations <a href="http://infinitejest.wallacewiki.com/david-foster-wallace/index.php?title=Main_Page">here</a>.<br />
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<b>3. Baseball</b><br />
This was the year that baseball became important for me. It was the year when I watched or listened to nearly every game the Braves played, in addition to a handful of Cubs' games. It was the year that I subscribed purely to the all reasons people love baseball. It is our nation's pastime even if it's not our nation's most popular sport.<br />
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The PED/steroid news is no longer a scandal to me. At the risk of jinxing it, I am a fan for life. It's tragic that many fans are turned away by these disgraceful players, who selfishly and irrevocably tarnished the game. Stiffer penalties would be welcomed by me. These users destroyed the greatness of the game for many people. At times, those fans have cynical blinders on, but they understandably cannot forgive or forget these transgressions. <br />
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I just wish they could hear all the voices of the players who were not users and never will be. They, more than anyone, decry the cheaters and lament the stain placed on their careers by players who oftentimes didn't even wear the same uniform. I wish they could hear the outrage and the sadness in the true ballplayers, the ones who carry the mantle with grace, respect, and purity. Those are the real baseball players.<br />
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<b>4. Chicago PD</b><br />
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<b>5. This Must Be the Place by Talking Heads</b><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9aN93S8nl8">Stop Making Sense</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVrVY540xdc">Music Video</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTiFNQBRwwU">by MGMT</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xiHWKdNZto">by Sean Hayes</a><br />
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<b>6. <a href="http://wethinkalone.com/about/">I Think Alone Email series by Miranda July</a></b><br />
This was just fascinating and lovely. Below is the list. I encourage you, as I did, to play along.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 1: An Email About Money</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 2: An Email That Gives Advice</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 3: An Email That Mentions Barack Obama</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 4: A Business Email</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 5: An Email That Includes A Picture of Something You Want</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 6: An Email To Your Mom</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 7: An Email That Includes A Dream You Had</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 8: An Email That Includes A Picture of Art</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 9: An Email Where You Describe What You’re Working On</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 10: An Email You Decided Not To Send</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 11: An Email That Includes A Picture of Yourself</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 12: An Email With I Love You In It</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 13: An Email With A Link In It</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 14: An Email About Being Sad</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 15: An Email About A Fear</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 16: An Angry Email</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 17: An Email That Includes A Song</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 18: An Email That’s An Apology</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 19: An Email About The Body</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Week 20: An Email About A Problem You’re Having With Your Computer</span><br />
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<b>7. L'avventura</b><br />
As long as I've loved this film, I don't feel I've properly appreciated Claudia as a character. I've always noticed her torment, but never her youth and exuberance. I carry a pocket-sized version of this movie with me everywhere I go. <br />
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Thank you, Janus Films for rereleasing this greatest movie of all time into theaters on 35mm. I have a long way to go before seeing all of Antonioni's works on 35mm, but this was number one on my list.<br />
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8. <a href="http://www.jaleo.com/las-vegas">Jaleo in Las Vegas</a><br />
Get two orders of these: Bikini De Jamon Iberico, Queso Manchego Y Trufas<br />
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<b>9. <a href="http://www.musicboxtheatre.com/">The Music Box Theatre</a></b><br />
I've spent most of my movie-going hours here during the past year and it is my current favorite place to see a movie.<br />
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<b>10. <a href="http://girlwalkallday.com/">Girl Walk/All Day</a></b><br />
I hope the filmmakers realize the quality of the gift they have bestowed on cinema with this fantastic film. Watching it is the closest I've ever felt to walking on clouds. It's a masterpiece of DIY cinema. While so many films, of all stripes, are crippled by being overly mannered or uninspired, Girl Walk/All Day suffers from no infirmity. The experience of watching it is euphoric and transformative. It is no wonder that the film's heroine only speaks one line and that one line is, "Because I'm happy." This is exactly how you feel watching a film like this. The conclusion electrocutes you into an applause, even if you're sitting at your laptop, as I was.<br />
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This is a film that needed to be made. It has the momentum of a birth. Since whenever the creative inception of the film was, it's been chugging along, growing, and feeding while the world bounds around it. It just so happened that it was born into the black and white world of a dance studio outside of the great New York City. Just the like music, it transforms from a Griffith-esque silent film melodrama into a Wizard of Oz color-fest, full of good, evil, and the everyday people who live under Oz's invisible control. This control forces us to be still, predictable, and arrhythmic. But when our heroine bursts through the streets like a flame, she infects people all around her into a fever of dancing. This movie is simply proof that dancing is the most important activity known to mankind.<br />
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<br />Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-18461689997299440362013-03-26T17:19:00.001-05:002013-03-26T17:27:22.674-05:00Baseball is almost here again.Opening Day of my favorite sport is soon. To celebrate, I share with you some photos of a hallowed ballfield in Iowa. When we arrived, the sky was gray with clouds. One hour into our game, the sun came out. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwSvWNQr9JPJVwGq5m9nMh3_o4p-qblAaODT5rtgwSTCBy0dfBmoqhEXgaK9TsEK2I2gpdqplZZ3Bls1BzTJ-fR5NkarcWNh_wMQrM8aP0p4c3naXq_Oukz3TRo2HK8ab9gk/s1600/IMG_0660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwSvWNQr9JPJVwGq5m9nMh3_o4p-qblAaODT5rtgwSTCBy0dfBmoqhEXgaK9TsEK2I2gpdqplZZ3Bls1BzTJ-fR5NkarcWNh_wMQrM8aP0p4c3naXq_Oukz3TRo2HK8ab9gk/s320/IMG_0660.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The preparation. Rawlings bat not pictured.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhzJY7f0iHd4MVAD90OMuO9880S-xpU2XVU6nLrebhhKzPN8hbe6Q4EkIYsVrDNxfQ3ba1DK3tjE07g_uFjh80Ti_BbbtIKW7AjbQA0OwFgamzqDhGnnVRc7oIjCRQ_FqyKk/s1600/IMG_0662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhzJY7f0iHd4MVAD90OMuO9880S-xpU2XVU6nLrebhhKzPN8hbe6Q4EkIYsVrDNxfQ3ba1DK3tjE07g_uFjh80Ti_BbbtIKW7AjbQA0OwFgamzqDhGnnVRc7oIjCRQ_FqyKk/s320/IMG_0662.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The arrival.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeU9TSwsfcZ3kXsuG0mJu67CtrCT0IP6YD0XAD9ZH7wWayp4_GIiPzTAIcBryxUFgPUO8PpSI5EDiwB9IzJXTZqjfLiwc9vsthyCZkfWOZoB-i_bLuaOrGSTlfYmpn6akeSX4/s1600/IMG_0669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeU9TSwsfcZ3kXsuG0mJu67CtrCT0IP6YD0XAD9ZH7wWayp4_GIiPzTAIcBryxUFgPUO8PpSI5EDiwB9IzJXTZqjfLiwc9vsthyCZkfWOZoB-i_bLuaOrGSTlfYmpn6akeSX4/s320/IMG_0669.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Devin takes the mound.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha64aFwWWhpwmf9Ttdzdt9-v7kWl5KX2_VjBtr64_IzrW-GP5l_BsQgAxwCUkAOzpqgmR2X1mf7CrisW-HqblQEIOZxhyphenhyphenKRf0IFm5ZVxe5v-SKtf8nZIercEL-1CgrsfRXFzE/s1600/IMG_0674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha64aFwWWhpwmf9Ttdzdt9-v7kWl5KX2_VjBtr64_IzrW-GP5l_BsQgAxwCUkAOzpqgmR2X1mf7CrisW-HqblQEIOZxhyphenhyphenKRf0IFm5ZVxe5v-SKtf8nZIercEL-1CgrsfRXFzE/s320/IMG_0674.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sun comes out.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRbCxDNT-hjTvyjh_JxOnrnSdzIDSxW-kFGJ6_sYGl0Nr793PyfdkxthdEl3S4Y8nZTGCh0s47UeGXKyKz62IBanbjAWyNWyqp3vh7QLAx2kl7OOsTnmZk5LtWKwbvBY-_MQ/s1600/IMG_0676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRbCxDNT-hjTvyjh_JxOnrnSdzIDSxW-kFGJ6_sYGl0Nr793PyfdkxthdEl3S4Y8nZTGCh0s47UeGXKyKz62IBanbjAWyNWyqp3vh7QLAx2kl7OOsTnmZk5LtWKwbvBY-_MQ/s320/IMG_0676.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Home.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1T28fA-jhJ2JJp2QwEOp36-7iPsFANypkXPJyVVZUErvOA5hyQcg97Q6O70T_Wdwyc7lkekmB0D6BEBwX-oPUeuRYsUlwzbyssnxdwyU8_ocVvr5jtzjEiTNnDsuW2KV4VWI/s1600/IMG_0678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1T28fA-jhJ2JJp2QwEOp36-7iPsFANypkXPJyVVZUErvOA5hyQcg97Q6O70T_Wdwyc7lkekmB0D6BEBwX-oPUeuRYsUlwzbyssnxdwyU8_ocVvr5jtzjEiTNnDsuW2KV4VWI/s320/IMG_0678.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The grandstands.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MSl-n7L7B4AOIuR8rwwzelOj61kwn-melBqI_9W7ZHn1pBzk6iQKoITZ9MgLSnSByOPsdXdy4WoUCN5pKzOHi4_D9xP7_ihaCfXKpCkZwPkOvKapaHo0h_PUp49O2HDFaQc/s1600/IMG_0687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MSl-n7L7B4AOIuR8rwwzelOj61kwn-melBqI_9W7ZHn1pBzk6iQKoITZ9MgLSnSByOPsdXdy4WoUCN5pKzOHi4_D9xP7_ihaCfXKpCkZwPkOvKapaHo0h_PUp49O2HDFaQc/s320/IMG_0687.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running the bases.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCgRBBL4c7l_waj5-R0nqNy-tiwSQ9ux9LtZo2qNWvSlx8KNhiIUg7MV17SFZ-NiolQJWNCe-8p7ds3CbU0HELQmjGsNt-f8LsbKmY8-zvZF24trZMEBwOaSe0V9e4e4vPfo/s1600/IMG_0692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCgRBBL4c7l_waj5-R0nqNy-tiwSQ9ux9LtZo2qNWvSlx8KNhiIUg7MV17SFZ-NiolQJWNCe-8p7ds3CbU0HELQmjGsNt-f8LsbKmY8-zvZF24trZMEBwOaSe0V9e4e4vPfo/s320/IMG_0692.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On deck.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GkNdh-V3w89_yfhoAnsk6psma3JXdc4QomdJWl7yB1GGxv2qPvXtvxI13ryoA3g5Y5I81qmfhQHCIoI1U4TTZxS-zvnsmzJGr6JVYe9CsQqaluFg4qnTF35K42LPXhc6YWk/s1600/IMG_0700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GkNdh-V3w89_yfhoAnsk6psma3JXdc4QomdJWl7yB1GGxv2qPvXtvxI13ryoA3g5Y5I81qmfhQHCIoI1U4TTZxS-zvnsmzJGr6JVYe9CsQqaluFg4qnTF35K42LPXhc6YWk/s320/IMG_0700.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids at play.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejg5sdk9-ELCg3Hy40N7li0VOtP_FAhzeHw3NncNgwZnRZBmHz2gVJYHo8PrjovOC3mwIp8ah9rULwniDPUG5hfZCloJnRgNBRgaWR7jcjigDVJ5HL-QfyyxJbW1GhuoeDF0/s1600/IMG_0704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejg5sdk9-ELCg3Hy40N7li0VOtP_FAhzeHw3NncNgwZnRZBmHz2gVJYHo8PrjovOC3mwIp8ah9rULwniDPUG5hfZCloJnRgNBRgaWR7jcjigDVJ5HL-QfyyxJbW1GhuoeDF0/s320/IMG_0704.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corn.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieH9GEuLfI9gjomJuN3QQXxMRoDmwjFXpAkmKB-hJFbrNspuRWL4GuEWoyo-sTJdcqJlIhLxuX8kQMM9jdFCHr56MEtlGgkJWdu5UHAM4EAcjZFbcS5SAXI24upLTzkduzaeM/s1600/IMG_0695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieH9GEuLfI9gjomJuN3QQXxMRoDmwjFXpAkmKB-hJFbrNspuRWL4GuEWoyo-sTJdcqJlIhLxuX8kQMM9jdFCHr56MEtlGgkJWdu5UHAM4EAcjZFbcS5SAXI24upLTzkduzaeM/s320/IMG_0695.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glory be.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-58238214454419858852013-03-19T20:57:00.003-05:002013-03-19T20:58:11.285-05:00Remembering HannahToday, I read <a href="http://lareviewofbooks.org/article.php?id=1513">this article</a> from the <a href="http://lareviewofbooks.org/index.php">Los Angeles Review of Books</a>, which is calling our attention to the publication of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Short-Ride-Remembering-Barry-Hannah/dp/0980194482">A Short Ride, Remembering Barry Hannah</a> by <a href="http://www.voxpress.org/">VOX Press</a>. Since it is a collection of essays remembering the author, I thought I would share my own encounter.<br />
<br />
First of all, I have never met <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Hannah">Barry Hannah</a>. I've heard his voice on NPR courtesy of Fresh Air with Terry Gross, but alas, I've never met the man. I actually visited Oxford, Mississippi in the late oughts of 2000, but never thought to trek over to his classroom or favorite watering hole. Sadly, or appropriately, I was too busy chasing a tail. At any rate, I'm the proud owner of <i>Geronimo Rex</i>, <i>Bats out of Hell</i>, <i>Ray</i>, <i>Yonder Stands Your Orphan,</i> and as of last fall, one of my most treasured of books, <i>Airships</i>. It's just enough books that, when put together on the same shelf, they look damn good. The spines are vivid colors like a set of kids' markers. If you don't know the short story collection <i>Airships</i>, learn it. It will stab you in the heart. It will electrocute you. You'll leave your kids it's so raw and good and omnipotent. You'll want to smoke whatever Hannah was smoking or drink whatever he liked to drink or you'll just want to be his craggily old self.<br />
<br />
I was turned onto <i>Airships</i> by Pearl McHaney, my college American Literature professor. I picked it up at the library and read it right away. I remember Mrs. McHaney as a pretty woman in her mid-to-late forties who wore long print dresses in earth tones with flowers. Her glasses were small, round, and brown and she seemed like a bit of a hippie. She is tied for first when it comes to my favorite teacher of all time. Paul McKown, my high school history and political science teacher, holds the other part of that tie. Notice the coincidental 'Mc' in their surnames. Mrs. McHaney had literature in her soul. How or why she arrived at that school at that time I do not know, but I was glad she did. Some class sessions were just spent writing in a journal. When helping me with a paper I wrote once, she said something that I will always remember: "Make every sentence sing." This was not a creative writing class. We wrote critical essays. And she said that. My actual singing voice sounds like a garbage truck, but I've tried my darnedest to abide by her guidance with everything I write.<br />
<br />
Last autumn, I saw <i>Airships</i> at a used bookstore <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=davis+theater+chicago&fb=1&gl=us&hq=davis+theater&hnear=0x880e2c3cd0f4cbed:0xafe0a6ad09c0c000,Chicago,+IL&cid=0,0,13759818689379539828&ei=txJJUZRJkOOLAoT2gaAE&sqi=2&ved=0CLIBEPwSMAA">in between</a> the Davis Theater and Quake Collectibles in Lincoln Square in Chicago. I picked it up and everything I remembered about that book came rushing back to me. I nearly fell over. With no hesitation I bought it, saying to myself, "I need to own this book." I NEED to own this book. You NEED to read that book.<br />
<br />
<i>Airships </i>by Barry HannahMike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-89365271212625748532012-12-31T20:19:00.000-06:002013-03-19T20:59:27.411-05:00Top Ten Movies of 2012 - Not from 2012In alphabetical order, here are my favorites from the cinema past.<br />
<br />
<i>Blue</i> (Krzysztof Kieslowski, France, 1993)<br />
<br />
<i>Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia </i>(Sam Peckinpah, USA/Mexico, 1974)<br />
<br />
<i>Chuck & Buck</i> (Miguel Arteta, USA, 2000) - If you ever feel like you are missing a chapter in American independent cinema, this might be the film you need to see. This movie was made for one reason - Mike White had something he needed to say. In today's flooded indie market, I wish more films would channel such purpose.<br />
<br />
<i>Identification of a Woman</i> (Michelangelo Antonioni, Italy, 1982) - As anyone who knows me will tell you, Antonioni is my guy. He is in top form with this film.<br />
<br />
<i>Juvenile Court</i> (Frederick Wiseman, USA, 1973) - "If you love me, you'll come and get me."<br />
<br />
<i>Make Way for Tomorrow</i> (Leo McCarey, USA, 1937) - I first read about this movie in my film history textbook in college. Ozu's <i>Tokyo Story</i> is said to be based on this film. It was not available on any format at that time. I later saw it on Jonathan Rosenbaum's alternative Top 100 Best American Films list, which he created in response to the AFI Top 100 films list. I've been waiting nearly a decade to see this film and thanks to the Criterion Collection, we all can now. It is every bit as good as the history books say.<br />
<br />
<i>Possession</i> (Andrzej Zulawski, Poland/Germany, 1981) See my previous blog post.<br />
<br />
<i>The Reenactment </i>(Lucian Pintilie, Romania, 1968) - Billed as the greatest Romanian film of all time (like USA's <i>Citizen Kane</i> or France's <i>The Rules of the Game</i>), it's the story of two young men who are sentenced by the government to recreate the drunken brawl for which they were arrested. The recreation is filmed and will be released as a PSA to promote sobriety. It takes place over the course of one day at one location. Write your Congressman, or better yet, write Criterion and have them rush this movie to the presses. It is brilliant.<br />
<br />
<i>Rocky</i> (John G. Avildsen, USA, 1976)<br />
<br />
<i>Under the Sun of Satan</i> (Maurice Pialat, France, 1987)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Honorable Mention: <i>Ryan's Daughter, Little Fugitive, Les Anges du Peche, Drive, Blonde Venus, Videodrome.</i>Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-78752007130853122162012-12-14T10:32:00.000-06:002013-03-19T20:59:39.478-05:002012 Top Ten<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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2012 Top Ten</div>
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For my Top Ten list this year, I thought I would take a
different approach. Instead of
confining my choices to movies, I
opened up the categories to include anything and everything. </div>
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1. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082933/">Possession</a> (dir. Andrzej Zulawski; Starring Isabelle Adjani & Sam Neill) – It figures that my number one would
still be a movie. Well, this was a
momentous movie for me. I saw it
twice in two days at the Siskel Center.
Now, I don’t want to oversell the movie. In previous years, the only movies I remember watching
back-to-back were Haneke’s <i>Code Unknown</i>
and Wong Kar-Wai’s <i>Fallen Angels</i>. I don’t consider these the greatest
films ever made, but there was something about each one that made me want to
revisit them immediately. For <i>Code Unknown</i>, I wanted to deconstruct it
and reassemble it myself, like a Milton Bradley puzzle. With <i>Fallen Angels</i>, I wanted to hear “Only
You” play again as the characters sped towards me on a motorcycle. <i> Possession</i> was no different. After my initial shock and awe, I desperately wanted to
decipher all the clues inside the movie.
God, sexuality, infidelity, a divided Germany, bodily fluids, marriage,
squid – it was making some statements.
That second viewing may not have answered all my questions, but it was
worth it. I have seen few movies
like Possession. It somehow
combines <i>The Cranes are Flying</i>, <i>Wings of Desire</i>, <i>The Evil Dead</i>, and <i>A Woman Under
the Influence</i>. Someday, I hope
to make a movie in that spirit. You can track the movie's (on 35mm) location on Twitter by following <a href="https://twitter.com/BleedingLightFG">@BleedingLightFG</a>.</div>
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2. <a href="http://themoth.org/">The Moth</a> – This is a live storytelling event that has a
more well-known podcast. If you live in Chicago, it’s
every last Tuesday of the month at Martyr’s on N. Lincoln. Admission is $8. I’ve been twice now and I can see myself
becoming a regular. The stories
I’ve heard can be touching or funny, crazy or quotidian, raunchy or vengeful. Before you hear each story, remember it was probably told to someone’s
best friend or co-worker or parent before you.
It’s like stepping into the telephone receiver of someone you do not
know and happening upon a riveting five-minute story. I'm reminded of the judge in <i>Three Colors: Red</i> eavesdropping on all his neighbors. Like the subway, The Moth levels the playing field between us all. There are no movies here, no TV shows,
no record deals, or lottery tickets. It’s an AA meeting for story addicts, and all of
humanity is encompassed. It reminds me that every person I walk by on the street is passing down stories somewhere, at some time.</div>
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3. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico">New Mexico</a> –
I struggle with believing in signs in life. My friend Jen says I should listen to the signs. Believing in that means you believe in
fate, I think. And I don’t think I
believe in fate. Anyway, if I did
believe in signs, I’d consider relocating to New Mexico for a time. Work took me there for about a week in
September and I stayed in a small resort out in the desert outside Albuquerque,
home of the minor league baseball team the Isotopes. A mountain was to the south, a river in its shadow. A pair of coyotes traveled past me
while I was out for a walk one day.
They hopped in the tall grasses like kangaroos. I loved the trip - sign number one. The next sign was when I read <a href="http://www.rebeccasolnit.com/">Rebecca Solnit</a>’s <i>A Field Guide to Getting Lost</i>,
which I adored. These are personal essays she writes, like Hannah from <i>Girls</i>, only Solnit's are not mean to be funny. In one essay, she mentions traveling in the desert in the American
southwest. Everything I had just
seen came back to me: the heat, the dry grasses, the snakes, the cottonwoods,
the dry air, the open spaces and worn down walking trails. She changed my mind about being lost. Sign number two. Thirdly, New Mexico features
prominently in the book <i>Brave New World</i>. Imagine that! John, the book’s Savage, hails from there. The last science fiction book I read
was probably some Robert H. Heinlein novel in high school. I don’t read it much because I’m not
much interested in Delta-Minuses and Malthusian belts. But beyond all the silly contrivances
of future civilization is a probing book about freedom and civilization, in
thought and in action. New Mexico
is home to the ‘Savage Reservation’, a vacation spot for the civilized elite to see what the
world used to look like – a place of Native Americans, adobe houses,
polytheism, corn dances, strange tongues, and living off the land. The Savage, despite thinking he wants
all that civilization has to offer, finds that he preferred his old way of
life. In the book’s conclusion, he
turns in one direction, then another, in a perfect, sad metaphor for the two
worlds he has seen. Sign number three.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoJLa_lyoc_hXJhnozTbU62-enUPN0y9VS9MZA8A2QwDeC890grNtOB4LL3QXB0BtnQegel24EabOFM9pSzV_X2I5-3Tj_lxERrKmwAIX1D-R58HDGLqvOkGXcGLMtvPKh6I/s1600/IMG_0611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoJLa_lyoc_hXJhnozTbU62-enUPN0y9VS9MZA8A2QwDeC890grNtOB4LL3QXB0BtnQegel24EabOFM9pSzV_X2I5-3Tj_lxERrKmwAIX1D-R58HDGLqvOkGXcGLMtvPKh6I/s320/IMG_0611.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_Li2oPh7mp9ZNMMttxC6bBAfJTi5A14zy6CSqUC58qTnnoTU8xyqfXy2dtB-wlQ5X4uVeuNGh1eb4EW9JCgYadbTD0gEH5t-EiVhY2fdbBLnYAH6ld_k2Ocpib5Yt21LI-E/s1600/IMG_0616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_Li2oPh7mp9ZNMMttxC6bBAfJTi5A14zy6CSqUC58qTnnoTU8xyqfXy2dtB-wlQ5X4uVeuNGh1eb4EW9JCgYadbTD0gEH5t-EiVhY2fdbBLnYAH6ld_k2Ocpib5Yt21LI-E/s320/IMG_0616.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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4. The San Francisco Giants – I might catch hell from my
good friend Devin (a Detroit native), but to any Braves fan, they were our last
hope at payback for that ignominious loss during the great game’s first one-off
Wild Card playoff matchup between my beloved Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals. Down
three games to one, the Giants fought to take the series back to Frisco and humiliate a team that had seemed unstoppable in the
post-season since their historic, mind-blowing win over the Rangers in the 2011
World Series. I’m sorry, St.
Louis, you are a great team, but during this post-season, I cursed your name
more times than I can remember. </div>
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5. Cooking – All those years I blindly passed by my mother
cooking dinner for us kids; all those times I blindly consumed nut bread, mac
and cheese, sugar cookies, chili and biscuits, chicken and rice; all those
Thanksgivings that I played Legos or vacantly watched football; all those
times, I wish I had stopped once and said, “Mom, show me how to do that.” Better late than never.</div>
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6. <a href="http://www.hotdougs.com/">Hot Doug’s (Sausage Superstore)</a> – Working on Joe
Swanberg’s <i>Drinking Buddies</i>, I discovered this gem on N. California, just a short walk from Revolution Brewing.
I make exceptions for my vegetarianism once a while: a Cuban sandwich in Miami, handmade
tagliatelle with duck, and of course, hot dogs. Dr. Seuss once said in an interview that he wanted to write
a story about hot dogs. Sadly, he
never had a chance to. What poetry
that would have been.</div>
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7. <a href="http://www.juvenile-in-justice.com/">Juvenile-in-Justice</a>, Photographs by Richard Ross – I saw
this exhibit at Roosevelt University in Chicago and to see it in person is
preferable to the online resource, which is surprisingly comprehensive. However, you don’t get the size and the
detail of the photos online. In
person, you can lean in close. I
almost leant into the photos themselves. I wish I could have. You can pick up details, like the names
of books the kids have on their desks, the graffiti on the walls of the cell,
the rust and dirt of the ceilings, or the frigidity of the cinderblock walls.</div>
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8. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/catbutthole">Mrs.</a><span id="goog_1961105033"></span><span id="goog_1961105034"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a> – Founded by Sara Gaare, Ryan Asher, Susan Glynn,
and Mary Catherine Curran in 2012, this sketch comedy group is less than a year old. I’ve attended two of
their shows and I think they have something special, a je-ne-sais-quoi. There is chemistry, intelligence, and
above all, comedy. Their next show
is at Chicago Sketchfest in January 2013.
What a perfect inauguration for the new year.</div>
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9. <a href="http://www.facets.org/">Facets Chicago</a> – On any given week, on any given day in
Chicago, you have great movie-going at your fingertips. I’m chronically overwhelmed with
choices. In order to maximize my
consumption of these events, I became a member of Facets this year. It’s my first video store membership in
years; it’s also a cinematheque.
At any rate, I’m afforded year-round access to hard to find movie
rentals (Maurice Pialat’s <i>Police</i> on VHS, Antonioni’s epic China doc on DVD,
etc.) and exotic film screenings (Lucien Pintile’s <i>Reenacment</i>). I daresay Facets proves that video
stores are still relevant and necessary to any film community.</div>
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10. Beer – My
dad brews it. My friend Eddie
peddles it. Nearly everyone drinks
it. I never used to like the taste
up until about two years ago, but I’ve turned an important corner of late. It’s generally my first drink of choice
at a bar. It’s nice to know that
my palette can still evolve, that I can still learn. Lately, winter has drawn me to the darker brews and here I
might stay for a while.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-80227723533690829382012-09-28T14:38:00.003-05:002012-09-28T14:38:42.918-05:00Inspiration on Bulletin Board<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiyGGcRnC81psU_4IHf_PvmbPeXypaTvhZ99X1gDZzuwl6p8A8bxtmpdtZi43N27YogAv_6qSKt0eFKeox73Q7ZqHwnhD8t9mRETm49p1oCsrBbidzHFXA9DY7KTVcnCBX0I/s1600/IMG_0168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiyGGcRnC81psU_4IHf_PvmbPeXypaTvhZ99X1gDZzuwl6p8A8bxtmpdtZi43N27YogAv_6qSKt0eFKeox73Q7ZqHwnhD8t9mRETm49p1oCsrBbidzHFXA9DY7KTVcnCBX0I/s320/IMG_0168.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Recently, I moved. Everywhere I go, this comes with me.</div>
Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-5543485019298777382012-06-09T16:35:00.002-05:002012-06-09T16:35:51.238-05:00Maurice Pialat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5ugZIcr8kTAltKfcx4sFcURelkeWszhVlgGtTpyT-Wppdehwf0W8tx90nir4mzYagK1ph_PQngp-Mglrs8qLPjnMNfYkW7_HRpzNiFjUxurMk0xALlj2nIu3XZU475XPLJg/s1600/IMG_0604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5ugZIcr8kTAltKfcx4sFcURelkeWszhVlgGtTpyT-Wppdehwf0W8tx90nir4mzYagK1ph_PQngp-Mglrs8qLPjnMNfYkW7_HRpzNiFjUxurMk0xALlj2nIu3XZU475XPLJg/s320/IMG_0604.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I've been watching quite a few Maurice Pialat films lately and <i>Passe ton Bac d'abord </i>struck a chord with me. Thank you to <a href="http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/">Masters of Cinema and Eureka</a> for putting out a nice DVD with a great booklet that features an essay by <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/evillights">Craig Keller</a>. Thanks to <a href="http://www.joeswanberg.com/">Joe Swanberg</a> for letting me borrow it. Here is Craig's final paragraph in that essay. I am a sucker for this kind of stuff.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>And that's the cinema. Films play back the same way every time. We return to them over and over again, even when they reveal unpleasant truths - or pose insolent questions the answers to which it's up to us to formulate (not regurgitate), to construct with our own battered material. The movies are mentors: we keep coming back out of admiration for their moxie. They're a conversation, a sitting for a self-examination. The 'characters' don't have a destiny because they don't need one. We do. For better or for worse, we are the cinema.</i></div>
<div>
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<div>
Well said, Craig.<br /><br /></div>Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-89838118163052538522012-03-07T10:41:00.000-06:002012-03-07T14:14:21.028-06:00My favorite movies of 2011...in pictures.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dks4gekb2CQ3ZQDlm15VqpBbFvvsHg3ASklOk5iKXV4BqCPQiZDJKKbV3LrIGe-PaCrp_bPp1B78jKu7h0OFqHSqhqMgOGqI4R7U7G5kVd073zmn_uejnXn2qNhUcwrNghE/s1600/TopMovies2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dks4gekb2CQ3ZQDlm15VqpBbFvvsHg3ASklOk5iKXV4BqCPQiZDJKKbV3LrIGe-PaCrp_bPp1B78jKu7h0OFqHSqhqMgOGqI4R7U7G5kVd073zmn_uejnXn2qNhUcwrNghE/s400/TopMovies2011.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite movies of 2011.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-44028339400492466902012-01-05T20:24:00.000-06:002012-01-15T14:20:08.886-06:00David Foster Wallace Discusses Skittles Blenders<i>David Foster Wallace was an avid candy lover. These essays were found in a drawer underneath the final manuscript of The Pale King along with a personal note to his longtime editor. It concisely states, "When will candy be discussed on the same level as religion or ethics? Isn't it worthy?"</i> <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlxrGhlhhzLF2FQVvcvEnImH7COLjK4hm2E-SkeTRCcZAsW4sH4wGX9QXH8iSaK23cEef1sCpp27o_A8feYfYej1RGZ_A7EdiKIUONu6x4N8ytfgzd3vqSKSH72EqBvfeE7c/s1600/dfwSkittlesBlenders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlxrGhlhhzLF2FQVvcvEnImH7COLjK4hm2E-SkeTRCcZAsW4sH4wGX9QXH8iSaK23cEef1sCpp27o_A8feYfYej1RGZ_A7EdiKIUONu6x4N8ytfgzd3vqSKSH72EqBvfeE7c/s400/dfwSkittlesBlenders.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I am in the passenger's seat of my companion's 2001 Honda Accord driving down Interstate 57 towards Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. This interstate is one of the many concrete afterthoughts of the US Highway System, beginning (or ending) near Chicago and dying just inside the border of Missouri where it literally shrivels into state route 60 and spends its retirement snaking through the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain_National_Forest">Mark Twain National Forest</a>(1), the namesake of which probably saw the forests at one time but never the sign bearing his name. I've been scheduled to appear at a Literary Arts Festival and my companion is visiting a friend at one of southern Illinois's many wineries.<br />
<br />
For this ride I've packed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skittles_(confectionery)">Skittles</a> Blenders, a new candy in a neon-yellow package which glows in the opaque black canvas of my messenger bag. I like to have something to munch on during the three and a half hour trek from Bloomington and the sugar rush sustains my conversational duties as passenger. This is a new release from Skittles and for this edition(2) they've engineered different fruits (and an alcoholic drink) together in hopes of breaking new flavor ground in the ongoing confectionary war being waged adjacent to America's checkouts, about eye-level with America's toddlers. Comic books call these crossovers and the history in that medium is legendary. Examples include <i>Archie meets the Punisher</i>(3), <i>Robocop vs. Terminator</i> and <i>Superman vs. Muhammad Ali</i>. This is a baby step for the Skittles brand in what hopefully will jumpstart a dynamic and revolutionary movement in candies. Imagine the media explosion to follow the unveiling of Skittles Twix, Almond Joy Double Bubble or Twizzlers versus Kit Kats(4). <br />
<br />
This first Skittle I taste is Mango Lemonade. It tastes more like peach lemonade than mango lemonade and is about the color of the peach crayon. The makers were clearly intending for the sour taste of lemonade to carry the flavor burden but it overpowers any attempt at complexity. This is not a good start. Next is Watermelon Green Apple Freeze, which is probably the most complex and successful of the Blenders. When your teeth break through the candy coating, it clearly tastes of watermelon(5); and yet, the tartness of the green apple doesn't surface until the after-taste. In some cases, it happens slightly before that. Tart green apples and refreshing watermelons epitomize what the Blenders seem to be aiming for - a proper marriage of two flavors with irreconcilable differences. It's a smooth combination. Why they've tacked the word 'freeze' onto the name is both baffling and disconcerting. Nothing is cold or frozen about the flavor and neither apples nor watermelons are regularly frozen, at least not in any kitchen I've ever visited. Skittles is clearly hoping to capitalize on the trendiness of the word 'freeze', which evokes the frozen gas station drinks commonly known as slushies(6).<br />
<br />
This brings us to Skittle Blender number three of five: Cherry Tropicolada. It's worth acknowledging because they've successfully combined these two flavors into one, but it has one fatal flaw: excess cleverness. It's too clever by half(7). This portmanteau of tropical and colada would probably find favor with Louis Carroll. I imagine they brainstormed the name before they had a Skittle for it. Cherry Tropicolada fails mainly because four flavors, not two, are being combined into one. A pina colada is pineapple juice, cream of coconut and rum. Rum is absent from the ingredients list though it could be found under the blanket of 'Artificial Flavors'. Nevertheless, you have cherry, pineapple juice and coconut all blended together in a hard candy. These all sound like tasty morsels, but united they fail. Pina colada does not have as storied a candy flavor history as cherry or strawberry or even coconut, so it might be ahead of its time. Or maybe it is just more successful in a tropical climate. But then why not have a real, slushy pina colada?<br />
<br />
Melon Berry Burst - Like most berry-flavored consumables, manufacturers just seem to toss in arbitrary quantities of different berries and then hope for the best. This laziness is often represented by clusters of berries and a few melons happily coexisting on the labels of said consumables. Advertising can be a misleading fairy tale. It's like a high school photograph where the cool kids (read: berries) stand in front while the oversized and overweight melon kids are pushed to the edges or the back, nearly falling off the picture - always second fiddle to the vibrant sweetness and tartness of berries. To pour salt on the wound, melons are really not even properly represented in the color of the Skittle. Outside on the packaging, melon berry burst is purple; inside, the actual Skittle is blue. Both colors are primarily found in berries. It's hard not to imagine some parallel with the civil rights struggle here, but I won't bore you or my companion with that.<br />
<br />
Strawberry Lime Blast - This is definitely heavy on the lime and light on the strawberry. Again, I'm puzzled as to what this alleged blast is. Is it supposed to happen TO me? Am I supposed to physically feel blown off my feet or ejected from the seat of the car? Is it referring to the process by which the Skittle was made? Maybe it's a reference to the personification of the Skittle as a brash and loud candy. Or perhaps it refers to the collective act of the Skittles Blender brand coming onto the confection stage? And how is it different than the burst of Melon Berry? How can one Skittle be a burst and the other be a blast and one be a freeze and one a lemonade and one a tropicolada? Is each Skittle a different species? As I become frustrated, I pour the rest of the bag into my cupped hand and throw them back into my mouth. My cheeks bulge. I chew and chew and chew and chew. I guess now it's a blastburstfreezelemonadecolada. <br />
<br />
<br />
1. Mark Twain National Park seems to have been christened in 1938 to preserve the remaining forests in Missouri from logging, timbering and excessive wood consumption.<br />
2. Past editions of Skittles include Wild Berry, Tropical Skittles, Crazy Cores, Skittles Sours and the poorly reviewed and rarely consumed Chocolate Skittles.<br />
3. In this crossover, The Punisher is asked to go undercover in Riverdale to apprehend a drug dealer WITHOUT using lethal means. Please refer to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_Meets_the_Punisher">Wikipedia entry</a> for complete plot synopsis.<br />
4. This final battle would be presented by Dark Horse comics, whereby Twizzlers resemble Wellsian Tripods and land on Earth hoping to exterminate candykind. The Kit Kats, taking the form of flying battering rams, counter attack and a gooey, chocolatey-licorice battle is waged. Soon enough, the Twizzlers locate the manufacturing center of the Kit Kats and melt the chocolate with their heat rays. An underground Kit Kat resistance forms, but they have a difficult time keeping the chocolate from melting and eventually become extinct.<br />
5. I do not mean actual watermelon, but the flavor of watermelon as conceived by the flavor scientsits in the candy industry.<br />
6. Over the past decade, there has been a quiet and steady march by gas station drink producers toward renaming their frozen drinks freezes in lieu of slushies, e.g. Coke Freeze. The word 'slushy' (or slushie) evokes a cheapness associated with beverages sold at gas stations, historically a proving ground for drinks that in any other setting would be considered radioactive. Slush, to anyone living in a region that sees significant snow, makes you think of the thick, brownish-black liquid in the area where the crosswalk meets the gutter. Ironically, this is the same color as a Coke Freeze. Now, the word 'freeze' conjures a much more natural image: water freezing, the Arctic, the transparence of ice, etc. Additionally, 'freeze' is monosyllabic where 'slushie' is on the hefty side of two syllables. This rebranding movement is also sad because 'slushie' is one of the more nifty autonyms.<br />
7. 'Too clever by half' is a chiefly British expression which refers to something whose excessive cleverness has undermined the result that the cleverness was intended to achieve.Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-2805215090676075052011-12-28T17:25:00.002-06:002011-12-28T17:25:21.925-06:00Volume 6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-753-L108PGA/TvulB3KLs8I/AAAAAAAAA0Q/Leh6JLddWRw/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-753-L108PGA/TvulB3KLs8I/AAAAAAAAA0Q/Leh6JLddWRw/s320/IMG_0011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In 2011, I reached volume 6.</span></div>
<br />Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-17404050643433724432011-10-10T19:03:00.000-05:002011-10-10T19:03:55.497-05:00Light Study No. 1<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="248" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/30341341?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="440"></iframe>Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-62094780275207890612011-09-03T15:01:00.000-05:002011-09-03T15:01:15.245-05:00A Rodin from Tower One - 9/11 Remembrance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVF2YPAw5AHxdc-LQmhsuwQWtUyk0Q8QGQnAsx8FWQCMLmHbja0syvfgwpLOkaNvOL9LQPNGnbKLm35TO0PjwILFMFcNGc0kijBKip7weBk4-Cn1V-j9B3STb4i8tWttvd6I/s1600/dbpix-rodin-cantor-articleInline.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVF2YPAw5AHxdc-LQmhsuwQWtUyk0Q8QGQnAsx8FWQCMLmHbja0syvfgwpLOkaNvOL9LQPNGnbKLm35TO0PjwILFMFcNGc0kijBKip7weBk4-Cn1V-j9B3STb4i8tWttvd6I/s1600/dbpix-rodin-cantor-articleInline.jpeg" /></a></div>
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Photo by Michael Falco (NYT)<br />
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Read the <a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/09/03/the-survivor-who-saw-the-future-for-cantor-fitzgerald/?hp">story</a>.Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-62569867591255130002011-09-02T09:16:00.002-05:002011-09-02T09:18:56.080-05:00Tumbling Woman: 9/11 Remembrance<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdiRdNw8p9G2eWmZjezQ_mV_uaKW2oUv0T6V3QBboXMMrzkpya9-skeS5m0bUhz9iKqF_32tqFA3cdbD0DRuxjU6FD3QjjTjI1fNHZ638bDtnkP9LsB1dAKUTGfwEVRZKcEY/s1600/001_large.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdiRdNw8p9G2eWmZjezQ_mV_uaKW2oUv0T6V3QBboXMMrzkpya9-skeS5m0bUhz9iKqF_32tqFA3cdbD0DRuxjU6FD3QjjTjI1fNHZ638bDtnkP9LsB1dAKUTGfwEVRZKcEY/s320/001_large.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647766222033209346" /></a>
<br />Read this news <a href="http://www.ericfischl.com/public_works/tumbling_woman/html/tumbling_woman.html">story</a>.
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<br /></div><div>About the <a href="http://www.ericfischl.com/index.html">artist</a>.</div>Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-52866215867324851112011-06-13T09:43:00.001-05:002011-06-13T09:43:35.241-05:00Viral Fundraising Video No. 25 - The Grand Canyon<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24992814" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/24992814">Viral Fundraising Video No. 25 - The Grand Canyon</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1454017">mike brune</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-82103134801221689002011-06-12T11:47:00.001-05:002011-06-12T11:47:34.828-05:00Viral Fundraising Mashup Video No. 2 - Congratulations!<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24444836" width="400" height="226" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/24444836">Viral Fundraising Video Mash-up No. 2 - by Jean Baugnon</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1454017">mike brune</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-75070974553780817772011-06-12T11:46:00.003-05:002011-06-12T11:46:45.097-05:00Viral Fundraising Video No. 24 - Congratulations!<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24528594" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/24528594">Viral Fundraising Video No. 24 - Parking Garages</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1454017">mike brune</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-38824402536398555792011-06-12T11:46:00.001-05:002011-06-12T11:46:12.617-05:00Viral Fundraising Video No. 23 - Congratulations!<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24527957" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/24527957">Viral Fundraising Video No. 23 - Thrift Store Special Report</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1454017">mike brune</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-18995108605877194902011-06-12T11:44:00.001-05:002011-06-12T11:44:46.458-05:00Viral Fundraising Video No. 22 - Congratulations!<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24527301" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/24527301">Viral Fundraising Video No. 22 - Driveways</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1454017">mike brune</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-31972091166885902892011-06-12T11:42:00.003-05:002011-06-12T11:42:49.194-05:00Viral Fundraising Video No. 21 - Congratulations!<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24512669" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/24512669">Viral Fundraising Video No. 21 - Harakiri</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1454017">mike brune</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-74321634502080516132011-06-12T11:42:00.001-05:002011-06-12T11:42:22.170-05:00Viral Fundraising Video No. 20 - Congratulations!<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24446417" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/24446417">Viral Fundraising Video No. 20 - Movies</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1454017">mike brune</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-63615547150904055232011-06-12T11:41:00.001-05:002011-06-12T11:41:43.782-05:00Viral Fundraising Video No. 19 - Congratulations!<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24425938" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/24425938">Viral Fundraising Video No. 19 - Television</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1454017">mike brune</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-78148488497231582922011-06-12T11:40:00.000-05:002011-06-12T11:41:16.051-05:00Viral Fundraising Video No. 18 - Congratulations!<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24424974" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/24424974">Viral Fundraising Video No. 18 - Corporations</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1454017">mike brune</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-30450546467640944122011-05-31T17:53:00.001-05:002011-05-31T17:53:46.277-05:00Congratulations! - Thank you for donating Video No. 2<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24462537" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/24462537">Week 2 Thank You Video - Congratulations!</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1454017">mike brune</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19617430.post-90499998437907999602011-05-31T17:52:00.002-05:002011-05-31T17:52:57.860-05:00Viral Fundraising Video No. 17 - Congratulations!<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24365194" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/24365194">Viral Fundraising Video No. 17 - Endodontics</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1454017">mike brune</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Mike Brunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13887858716941435990noreply@blogger.com0