Here's what I watched and read last week..
MOVIES
Point Break (1991), directed by Kathryn Bigelow, is a very good film involving Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves), an undercover FBI agent, investigating a series of bank robberies in Los Angeles. It is a great action film, involving some incredible sequences. But I think what I enjoy the most is seeing Los Angeles on screen back in the 1990s. The movie is currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.
Zero Focus (1961), directed by YoshitarÅ Nomura, is another good Japanese noir. I’ve watched several Japanese noir films on the Criterion Channel and this is the first with a lead female protagonist. I particularly enjoyed the flashbacks in the final part of the film.
D.O.A. (1988), directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel. I caught this one on the Criterion Channel. It is a neo-noir that visually looks amazing. The story, however, is not very good. But it’s worth checking out for its cinematography.
Rude Boy (1980) is part documentary and part fiction. The best parts of the film are the performances by The Clash. It is currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.
TV
I am now caught up on Bob’s Burgers. So far, this has been one of their best seasons. I love all the Gen X references.
BOOKS
Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King (2026) by Caroline Bicks is an excellent new book on King’s early work. Bicks had the opportunity to go through King’s archive and unearth early drafts of his work. Her book is a close analysis of Pet Sematary, ‘Salem’s Lot, Carrie, The Shining, and selected stories from Night Shift. Bicks compares various versions of King’s works and explains how the changes affect the trajectory, tone and feel of the story. Since King typed these stories in the 1970s, there are notes and exchanges with the editors in the margins. The notes in the margins are significant for archivists. I also enjoyed the comparisons between Shakespeare and King, especially her observations on Macbeth and Carrie. If you love King, this is a must-read. And it is accessible. And thank God academia is starting to take King’s work seriously. I say this as someone who is in the field.
No comments:
Post a Comment