Spasmo by Ennio Morricone - CD (8/10)

Posted on

Another solid giallo score from Morricone. There are three main themes here: “Bambole”, “Spasmo”, and “Stress Infinito”. The first is mellow and dreamy. The second darker and more mysterious. Finally, the third is about weird sounds and experimentation. If you don’t mind the repetition this is a pretty good CD.

Every Man Got Dreaming by Sandoz - CD (8/10)

Posted on

When not using the Sandoz moniker to make intense dub reggae albums, Richard H. Kirk’s side project sounds much like his other solo work. There are African rhythms sampled here and there, but, for the most part, this is smooth, not-quite-dancy electronica. I’m not really willing to make the commitment to get into contemporary EDM. Only collecting post-Cabaret Voltaire projects is enough for me to make a claim as to having a large electronic music collection.

Hairspray (7/10)

Posted on

We watched this movie because my kid was in a local production of the musical version and I wanted her to see the original. I thought it was quite good although it can’t compare with John Waters’ earlier movies. Yet, even though it’s pretty mainstream, there was still quite a bit of demented stuff lingering throughout.

My Young Auntie (7/10)

Posted on

A bright and colorful comedic kung-fu movie about a young widow who was tasked with protecting a family fortune from a greedy brother. The joke is that the young girl is treated as though she is an elderly matron as she discovers the excitement of early twentieth century China. The fights were so-so despite Gordon Liu in a wig and the “jokes” didn’t quite nail it for me.

The Duke of Burgundy (7/10)

Posted on

The only reason I knew that this movie existed was a YouTube review of the soundtrack by Sean Rowley. The music is by a group called Cat’s Eyes and it has a cool Julee Cruise vibe throughout. The film itself a slow, arty story about two women in a sort of S&M relationship. Sounds sexy right? Well, there are far more close-ups of bugs than any actual skin on the screen and I wasn’t really sure if all this was supposed to be a joke. I don’t want to sound judgmental, when someone longs to be a “human toilet” I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Sure, whatever floats your boat but all I know is that I don’t want them preparing any meals for me.

The Greasy Strangler (8/10)

Posted on

Although I was entertained for the most part, it’s hard not to see that this movie desperately wants to be a John Waters film. It (fortunately) isn’t as shocklingly gross as a Waters movie, but it also lacks a bit of the heart of Waters. These are just nasty characters with no humanity (or clothes). All the while it’s just trying oh so hard to be a cult film. Still, it’s quite funny in the exploitative way of a Tim & Eric sketch.

Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (8/10)

Posted on

Another big book about risk from Taleb filled with math, anecdotes, history and Fat Tony. This time it’s all in service of his idea of anti-fragility: systems that are improved by stress and disorder. Again, there’s a lot in this book that is over my head but I found myself highlighting and picking up quite a bit. He would argue that reading (and re-reading) difficult books increases one’s anti-fragility and makes you better. So there.