The telos of this website, its abiding purpose, is a record of the things that I have read and watched. For the reasons undergirding this project see comments on cultural consumption.
9/1
— James Lee Patrick, “10^6 to 1”, Secret History of Science Fiction [hereafter SHSF]
— George Saunders, “93990”, SHSF
Again, genre bending.
9/2
— Under The Skin (2013)
Directed by Jonathan Glazer, written by Glazer and Walter Campbell, based on the 2000 novel by Michel Faber; starring Scarlett Johansson et al.
For a while I’d heard people talk with deep approbation of this film, and considering that it was made by Glazer, whose Sexy Beast I love, it’s surprising that I hadn’t seen it. There are a few resonances with the latter, I will admit. But that film is primarily driven by Ben Kingsley and, secondly, Ray Winstone. It’s a character driven film. Whereas Under the Skin resolutely is not.
But it’s a pretty interesting film, albeit contemplative and not disposed to the narrative excesses. I suspect the ending is the weakest part. And yet parts of that ending were really necessary.
This is the kind of film that makes me feel bad for Scarlett Johansson … but she did choose to become the Black Widow. A decision she probably regrets … all the way to the bank.
— The Overstory, 20 pp.
9/3
— The Overstory, 35 pp.
9/7
— The Big Lebowski (1998), first hour
Directed, written, produced and co-edited by Joel and Ethan Coen; starring Jeff Bridges, David Huddleston, John Goodman, Sam Elliott, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tara Reid, David Thewlis, Peter Stormare, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Jon Polito and Ben Gazzara.
I haven’t written about this film, as far as I know, but it’s kind of a formative moment in the Ashley Vaught story. I saw it at the Westcott Theatre in Syracuse, New York back in 1998, with a couple of friends. They were too high brow, and I don’t think enjoyed it as much as I did. Whereas I love a good bawdy laugh (did you see the Deliverance joke above?)
— Bullitt (1968)
Directed by Peter Yates (who made a number of interesting films, including The Hot Rock [1972]; The Friends of Eddie Coyle [1973], which is a late Robert Mitchum film that is really, really good; Breaking Away [1979], with Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, and Jackie Earle Haley!); written by by Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleiner based on the 1963 crime novel Mute Witness by Robert L. Fish; starring Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.), Jacqueline Bisset, Don Gordon, Robert Duvall (as a cabbie! I was like, “What’s he doing in this movie?!”), Simon Oakland, and Norman Fell (future fame in Three’s Company).
Has the most well-known chase scene, arguably bar none, choreographed (and driven) by Bill Hickman, who I’ve written about elsewhere. Otherwise …
Watch for the car chase, then turn off.
— NYRB on Rachel Kushner‘s new book and ventures capitalism’s conservativism
9/8
— Homicide, 1.4
9/9
— Georg Lukács, Theory of the Novel, 30 pp.
Ever wonder why all of these brilliant people are Hungarians? Ever heard of the Austro-Hungarian empire? One of my dissertation advisors was Hungarian (Miklos Vetö).
Oh man, “transcendental loci”? Yes fucking please!
— Curzio Malaparte, The Kremlin Ball, Foreward by Jenny McPhee, 10 pp.
Picked up this and Lukács because of the Kushner article in the NYRB. This dude’s last name is a play off of Bonaparte. Brilliant.
— Earth Time, 15 pp.
— Michael Chabon, “The Martian Agent, A Planetary Romance”, SHSF
Land sloops.
9/11
— Mary McHugh, “Frankenstein’s Daughter”, SHSF
So many of these stories are not “sci-fi” but as you may know that is the logos of this collection. And I have no disagreements with this.
9/12
— Cornered (1945)
Directed by Edward Dmytryk, and written by John Paxton with uncredited help from Ben Hecht. starring Dick Powell and Walter Slezak.
Do not understand Dick Powell, as an noir actor. He was in Dymtryk’s Murder, My Sweet as well. To me he’s unshakably the boy next door, dad character.
It is interesting how Girard (Powell) bungles through every possible encounter, eventually undercutting his own motivation by admitting that he barely knew his wife; as well, the fact that Jarnac is this phantom character, even hidden in the shadows until the final scene.
— Kremlin Ball, 20 pp.
9/13
— Homicide, 1.5-7
9/14
— NYRB on Francine Prose’s memoir
— Runaway Jury (2003)
Directed by Gary Fleder, adapted by Brian Koppelman, David Levien, Rick Cleveland, and Matthew Chapman from John Grisham‘s 1996 novel of the same name; starring John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman and Rachel Weisz.
So incredibly timely, and yet … in 2003 we were beginning two different wars, neither of which would amount to anything other than the senseless loss of life. Similarly, forgettable.
— Steven Millhauser, “The Wizard of West Orange”, SHSF. Finished the Secret History of Science Fiction.
This story is about Edison and the invention of something called the haptograph, which is supposed to recreate skin sensations. But it quickly points out that these do not have to be recreations and that there is a great space of possibility in what such a device could do.