Early Morning Viewing
by Giampaolo Bianconi
I’ve been plagued by jet lag for the past few days, waking up around 4 wide-eyed and unable to roll over and talk in my sleep for hours (like I’d like to). It’s a nice, icy blue time of day–good to catch up on some reading, but even better to do some lonely home viewing. Here are a few of the things I’ve been enjoying at unlikely hours.
1. Breaking Bad — Okay, maybe you shouldn’t watch this at 4 AM: its tone is downright apocalyptic; and it’s more melodramatic than AMC’s other amazing offering, Mad Men. But Breaking Bad is not only engrossing and addicting, it’s pointed and truly modern in a way that fills a void left by The Wire and The Sopranos. The Season 3 premiere might be the best “the way we live now” ever.
2. By Brakhage — I’ve been revisiting these in preparation for the day when I buy Volume Two. Watching Brakhage without the flicker of the projector can be bizarre, but on DVD in the deserted morning it seems perfect: just let yourself zoom in, frame by frame, and watch everything pass and flow. But don’t look at it like a painting: it’s a film.
3. JFK — Why, yes, a healthy dose of epic conspiracy theory before the sun rises is more enjoyable than at night with friends. Paranoia is better in the dawn? Maybe. Don DeLillo in the evening, by the fire; Oliver Stone in the morning, with coffee. Back and to the left.
4. The Silent World — You’ve seen The Life Aquatic. Now spring for the real thing: Jacques Cousteau and Louis Malle collaborated on this Oscar winning documentary which seems timelier now more than ever. All the DVD collections of Cousteau’s explorations are also highly recommended.
5. Guy Maddin — All of Guy Maddin’s bizarre and beautiful films are made better by early morning confusion and lightheadedness, especially Archangel and the amazing Careful.
Tryptophan Trips
by Giampaolo Bianconi
My Thanksgiving.
It’s Thanksgiving–and I know, I know, you’ve got so many things to do–but here are some things to make your down-time that much sweeter.
1. The Top Ten Book Covers of the 00s. If you’re design inclined, it’s easy to chuck the maxim “never judge a book by its cover.” I do it all the time. It’s great to see some of the best covers of the decade in one place. Also the Book Cover Archive Blog just got added to my Googler Reader.
2. Speaking of Google, the great historian Robert Darnton has just written about “Google and the New Digital Future” for the New York Review of Books. It touches on the reasons why soon most books won’t even need covers.
3.Don DeLillo has a new story in this week’s New Yorker.
4. Look at this photo of Lauren Bacall before you eat. Think about it while you eat. Return to it after you eat.
5. Richard Brody talks about Pedo Almodóvar’s new film (thankfully staring Penelope Cruz), Broken Embraces. You can watch the trailer here.
6. You might want to consider following the turkey with a Camel.