Surprise is one of the most important things to me in art. When you reach a certain point in your life, you’ve become more or less familiar with most of the standard structure of narrative art forms, and while you can certainly appreciate it when something is simply done with …
A long time ago, back when the invasion of Iraq was as fresh as a spring rain and hadn’t yet curdled into the biggest waste of life, wealth, and moral authority in this country’s history, I found myself reading an editorial in the Wall Street Journal that was strongly against the war. …
Ladies and gentlemen, in keeping with our recent attempt to take this blog back to its roots, we are pleased to present the greatest guest columnist this site has ever had. We are honored more than we can express by the opportunity to present to you these exclusive excerpts from …
Heroism is a tricky thing. It’s difficult to define to the point that it’s almost entirely personal; it’s a thorny enough social concept that we spend endless hours debating what we mean by it in both fiction and reality. Some people don’t like the very idea, finding it too troublesome …
And believe me, it wasn’t just the other women. If it had been only that, I could have handled it. A girl comes to expect things like that from certain men, especially from an ‘artistic’ type. There was also the drinking. The temper. The strangers barging in at three in …
I don’t know who Bomani Jones is, because he is involved in sports media, and generally speaking, I would rather bathe in hydrofluoric acid than listen to sports talk radio. However, he had some things to say about l’affaire du Donald Sterling that were so sensible and righteous that they should have …
“Heil Hitler,” cutting through the air, bringing a chill to the summer night. I knew the voice, the curling insinuating sneer in it; there was no mistaking its owner. But I didn’t need to hear the voice to know it was Hessler. He was the only one that the men …
In the history of pornographic cinema, has the score of any film so perfectly mirrored the plot than in Adolfo Gotobed’s classic Push in the Bush? Performed by Pacoima’s own master craftsman of the bass sequencer, Lenny Stratocanticle, who met the director at one of Gregory Dark’s legendary wrap parties …
Dear Mr. Rafaelli, It is with great disappointment that I write to you today, a disappointment that I’m sure will be echoed and enhanced by your reaction to the bad news. And the news is bad indeed, because it entails (for me) a loss of nearly a year of my …
“Takin’ off the shirt, boss.” “You’re new.” “Yeah, they sent me up today. Christ, it’s hot. I’m really working up a good sweat. How does my hair look?” “Uh…okay, I guess. What are you in for?” “Nothing.” “Huh. Tell me about it. I’m totally fucking innocent, but I had this …
If there are two great bugaboos of the American conservative weltanschauung, they are the idea that socialism might ever possibly accomplish something unachievable by unfettered capitalism, and the idea that black people might actually be good for something other than forced labor. These terrors have manifested themselves in a number of …
The character of Hannibal Lecter has had a difficult journey over the years. The charming, terrifying psychiatrist and serial killer has made his creator, Thomas Harris, very rich, and has become what is known in our media-savvy age as a ‘franchise’, but the artistic merit of that franchise is a …
LOCAL MAN FRUSTRATED BY IMPLAUSIBLE MASTURBATION FANTASIES CLEVELAND (AP) — Local writer Jim Hennings, 36, blames a case of writer’s block on his inability to masturbate for the last six days, claiming that he is unable to formulate a suitably plausible fantasy scenario. “I’ve been blocked before,” admits Hennings, whose credits …
Dearest Ranjit, Greetings from America! How are you? How is your family? How is your uncle Jayanta? You should really speak to him about seeing a physician, as I am told that the gout can develop into something rather serious and unpleasant. Do you remember how poorly it turned out …
Scarlett Johansson is, and I mean to do her no disservice by saying so, more a movie star than an actress. She is one of those rare individuals in Hollywood who has attained a status so iconic that whether or not she actually delivers a good performance or a bad …
