That might be so. I keep forgetting that it was a Malick movie with Brad Pitt to me, and something else to other folks, even at the Film Forum where I saw it.

Does it? I think Tree of Life, like Malick, is more of a known quantity, so it's not winning or losing more fans particularly, whereas I've found Refn more divisive lately, and with people I've talked to, Drive's shine fading a bit. I myself liked both, but as a fan of the Pusher trilogy and Valhalla Rising, Drive and…

As more of a political polemicist, Moore invites partisan reads more given his topics, and for my part he doesn't make things up, he just displays no standards when its arguments for his side. Being a liberal myself, I still remember being confused when a story went around about George Bush kicking puppies when he was…

Hmmm, I took the review as saying the book did no real analysis of his NRA period, and didn't cover his past beyond a cursory one either, and the story of how he changed. "Eliot shows little editorial judgment, giving something revealing, like
Heston’s civil rights activism, the same attention and space as his
obscure…

I walked out of the theater loving it and while without being confused why people might not like it, totally confused when other people in the theater audience were loudly proclaiming it was the worst movie they've ever seen. I don't know how American it is to have that reaction, but it was certainly hated more than…

My, I love that dinosaur grace moment. It's so ridiculous it worked in every way with me. That said, I haven't had the right mood to watch it again myself. I will say that I love the cosmos moments as well, as even in their creation (colored water I think) reflects something organic that the determination required for…

I was reading the first Knausgaard MY STRUGGLE book—which I loved, but have been unable to continue—around the time that I saw TREE OF LIFE. They do it in different ways, but what I was particularly struck by in their depictions of youth is the present-tenseness of being a child. There's a kind of tunnel vision with…

The recent New Yorker piece about the Trump Organization deal in Azerbaijan is chilling. The venality and callousness and comfort with it required to make that deal somehow manages to lower my expectations yet again.

It was overhyped, but it was news. I'm wary of the idea that Trump leaked it himself though. That'd show a style of gamesmanship that I don't think he or his circle in power have displayed. They seemed limited to bluster and denial to a fault. I mean, look at the Sessions thing, if he'd said I forgot, but as Senator…

My sister and I recently talked about AFTER LIFE, and she called it sentimental. Which it is, but that's probably when I recognized how much I like it in Kore-eda's work. It's developed as you say, (especially since I just rewatched MARBOROSI, which I still don't like), where it's more focused and dramatic but still…

Looking forward to this, just kinda skimmed the review honestly to go in clean, but last friday I watched MARBOROSI for the second time. The first time was more than fifteen years ago, and I actively hated it. I accidentally watched another Koreeda movie (AFTER LIFE), which I loved, and have enjoyed all of the others…

I enjoy the Telltale games, and one thing I found is that I only enjoy them when they tell me—even if they're lying—that a decision will be remembered or consequential. I can probably be trained to play a game the David Cage way (though probably not with a David Cage game)—but at least for a while, I need the prompts…

So this review gets at why I think Planescape Torment was so good and why normal thinking about these games is so different than what I want. Tides still sounds good to me, at least in part because I tend to not replay (in particular long games), because the experience of play is paramount, and that needs to feel…

I'm glad you brought in the wider context regarding the whitewashing criticism—I think what happens when it's talked about is that is the whole cultural context that people are reacting to, but discussion tends to be specific. Here's why this show shouldn't change vs. please change this show because of everything…

I think the reasons are pretty banal and natural for why it's a blind spot in comics coverage, but also easier to avoid than it seems. One of the divides in book publishing is between children's and adult—so unless you care, a reader of one or the other doesn't necessarily know what's up with the other since they can…

She has a memoir called Spinning coming out from First Second later this year. She seems poised to take off real soon.

Yeah, it's from How to be Happy. It's a lovely book.

The YA bookword exists in a place filled with success and acclaim, but weirdly invisible to comics coverage. So here, they can pretend they don't all live in Raina Telgemeir's shadow.

But the creators have a stronger understanding of the movies and tropes and how they worked, and worked off only what was necessary. The linear plot for example, it's not great shakes but a few good action sequences and it's a decent movie. Heavy Rain's fascination with movies is with mood, that plot even if you…

I think Whedon has always cast to fit the roles he's building and for chemistry between the cast and crew, and more than sometimes the acting itself can be shaky. Fan favorites in fan favorite roles may not always translate to breakout stars. I say that only because he has enough shows that you can kind of see it.…