Culture
The Novel Cure
Every time I finish a novel in which I have invested a lot of time and emotion, I feel a bit unmoored. What other worlds are out there now that this one is gone? It’s like the characters in that world died and will be grieved. Some even after
It Could Have Been You
Last week I made it to an art exhibit I had been anticipating since its announcement: The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt. Having read the book of Esther several times, I was familiar with the subject material, but I learned quite a bit about how the book
Walden on an iPad
I was reading some thoughts on Walden the other day, and I realized I hadn’t engaged with one of my favorite philosophical works in some time. I first encountered Thoreau and the transcendentalists as a teenager. Their emphasis on nonconformity seemed really punk at the time. Wasn’t Jello
A Frog And Toad Kind of Life
Sometimes a slower pace is what we need.
Of Human Bondage
Breaking bread with the dead in film and books.
Perfect Days
I finally got around to watching Wim Wenders Perfect Days, in which it must be said that the city of Tokyo is as much a character as any of the actors. The beautiful, future-forward and unusual toilets which protagonist Hirayama has to clean for his meager living make many appearances.
Cultural Stasis
Perhaps the perfect film to exemplify a certain mid 80s aesthetic, Rocky IV contrasts with the flatness of contemporary culture.
The Perfect Villain
Ben Mendelsohn's portrayal of Orson Krennic gives Star Wars its most realistic bad guy.
The Perfect Villain
Ben Mendelsohn's portrayal of Orson Krennic gives Star Wars its most realistic bad guy.
Flow
On animals and companionship.