Short Takes
December 31, 2010
Another Year: A film about adults, for adults
December brings “screeners” — DVDs of new films that the producers and studios consider award-worthy. This year’s crop is a stone bore; only “The Fighter” has grabbed us. Go out to a film? Same story. With one exception so far: Mike Leigh’s “Another Year.” It seems almost like a throwaway: a happy couple in their 60s, their less happy friends and family, their “dark horse” of a son. But we watched it as if it were the car chase in “The French Connection,” and, days later, scenes still flash us back. It’s the only grown-up film for grownups out there, which may explain why it was beloved at Cannes, on “ten best” lists here and beloved by those who are lucky enough to live in cities where it’s playing.
December 31, 2010
John Weidman’s Quietly Outsized Talent
John Weidman and I were friendly at college, and we live in the same city, but we’ve taken different paths — he writes musicals with Stephen Sondheim, I stick to print — and we’ve rarely seen one another in four decades. So I was delighted when Harvard Magazine asked me to write a short profile about John. Here it is.
December 28, 2010
The Periodical Room: Paris and Better Living by e-mail
If you’re a Francophile or are looking for the ideal gift for someone who is, consider the gift of a year’s subscription to Bonjour Paris. Launched in 1995, BP’s archives include more than 7000 articles; the site has a Q & A section and its staff will do research for premium subscribers. For a limited time, subscriptions are $25 instead of $34.95. A subscription gives you access to many discounted offers in addition to BP’s premium content. To take advantage of this offer, subscribe here and enter the code 1700605FED.Closer to home, Richard Sandaus has launched Better. Cheaper. Slower. It’s a daily newsletter, lovingly created by an exceptionally wise man — who is smart enough to offer just one crisp life-enhancing suggestion a day. At $10 a year, it’s a total bargain. To subscribe, click here.December 25, 2010
Darren Criss and Chris Colfer: ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’
I don’t watch “Glee,” but my wife and daughter do, and my wife drags me in to watch any scene that involves the gay kid. We shake our heads at how enlightened the show is. Who’d a thunk it? Here is a duet, traditionally male-female, now sung by two males — on Fox, no less. Welcome to America, 2011.
December 21, 2010
Just do it
If you’ve ever been tempted to roll blind dice with me, do it now — the Kanye West CD, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," is that good. It inspires the kitchen sink of adjectives — symphonic and synthesized, eloquent and vulgar, self-lacerating and gloriously ego-driven, menacing and titanic, studded with guest stars and resoundingly solo. But it is also the most unified, orchestral piece of music I’ve heard this year; it’s an old-fashioned album. (And haunting — play it a few times, and you’ll find yourself humming the melodies.) Late at night, behind alcohol or a sativa booster, you’ll find it trippy, exalted, and, yes, very very sexy. Can rap be beautiful? This CD is proof it can be gorgeous. [To buy the CD from Amazon, click here.To download the MP3, click here.]
