Category Archives: arts

divided by two common languages

Me: “Hamachi sashimi.” Cashier: “It depends on what kind of fish, sir.”

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lines on paper

Jonny Crossbones is an adventure in the style of Tintin. Strange Maps is a new blog of obscure and hypothetical geography. Linked from a comment there is a Regional Map of North America’s Place-Based Food Traditions, showing Maple Syrup Nation, … Continue reading

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life, art, not entirely disjoint

This morning in Berkeley I saw a Smith College sweatshirt whose wearer could have stepped out of Questionable Content.

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movies recently rented

In Cold Blood (dir. Richard Brooks, 1967). Didn’t grab me; perhaps another time. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (dir. Stanley Kramer). In 1967 I suppose the subject matter was enough to carry it, but now the script is rather thin. … Continue reading

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a metaphoric diode?

In Ranma ½, Sparkling Generation Valkyrie Yuuki, Abstract Gender and Misfile, a boy finds himself magically transformed into a girl. In both The Wotch and El Goonish Shive, the cast includes a boy who sometimes becomes a girl for a … Continue reading

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ever wonder what a Toon funeral is like?

scene cut from Who Framed Roger Rabbit

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a perfect caper

Today I watched Inside Man, my first Spike Lee joint since She’s Gotta Have It (1986) and, even more surprisingly, my first Denzel Washington ever. It’s swell. My housemate said after the opening shot, “Clive Owen is so great I’ll … Continue reading

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