Well, you made an excellent choice for a first live performance. I saw Jude Law on Broadway in 2009, and while he was very good, the rest of the cast was kind of disappointing. I have quite a sentimental connection to Hamlet— when I was growing up, I did a theater camp every summer at the university in my hometown.…

Thursday night, my friend and I saw a broadcast from the National Theatre in London of Benedict Cumberbatch in Hamlet. I really enjoyed it. Cumberbatch had a much more frenetic take on the character than a lot of actors; you really got a sense of someone whose life is falling apart. The production design was gorgeous—…

As a dog who wears sunglasses, I heartily endorse this film.

When I was a junior in high school, they used to have marathons of this show on Tuesday afternoons. Every other night of the week, I had dance classes (my studio was getting ready to travel to China that spring), but Tuesday afternoons, I'd come home from school, get a snack, snuggle up on the couch with my dogs, and…

Darn it, it was starting to actually be kind of good, as opposed to just "enjoyably ridiculous." Mr. Protagonist was occasionally exhibiting signs of a personality! Also I thought it was really a great twist that David Whele seemed to (spoilers?) regain his humanity just as Riesen permanently tossed his aside. And all…

A TV miniseries adaptation of Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy— three seasons, six episodes per. It has two kickass female heroines and a well-laid-out, logical mythology. Oh, and talking animals, zombie-like beings, and a giant Wall that keeps evil magic at bay. Honestly, I'd be fairly happy with a decent adaptation, big…

I can see that, honestly. I didn't go because I'm a huge fan of his or anything; it was just that my friend managed to get the tickets and I thought "Hey, why not?" In terms of late-night hosts, I prefer Conan and Colbert (in or out of character). I did have a good time, though.

This week was so crammed with pop-culture stuff I'm not even sure where to start. My friend and I managed to finagle tickets to two TV tapings (alliteration!)— The Daily Show With Trevor Noah and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon— Noah on Tuesday, Fallon on Thursday. Both were great fun, and it was interesting to…

This is sad news. The friendship that developed between Harry and Coop was one of the best elements of the show, largely due to the chemistry between MacLachlan and Ontkean. There's a moment in S2, I can't remember which episode, but Harry's in his office and he hears Coop coming, and Ontkean kind of turns his head…

Friday, I bought Kurt Vile's newest album; I'm reviewing it for another website (actually should be working on that right now, but I wanted to give myself a little break). It took several listens before it clicked for me— not because I didn't like it or it isn't good, but it's just not as accessible as, say, Smoke…

In the 4th grade, our teacher read Goblet of Fire to us, and absolutely insisted on pronouncing "Hermione" as "Herr-moyn" throughout, because some people in the class vociferously insisted that it was pronounced that way. This despite the fact that there is an actual scene in that very book where the correct…

That's a really interesting connection; I wouldn't have thought of it myself but now I can totally see it. That movie is one of my favorite "problem children"; it's so close to being great and it just never quite comes together, but it has a wonderful story and the cinematography is beautiful.

My favorite quote on Catcher in the Rye comes courtesy of William Faulkner: "Yes, it was a good book. It was a tragic story of a young man that tried to enter the human race, and every time he tried it, it wasn't there." Though I would agree with you that at the end, we get the sense that he'll turn out all right.
Child…

I love Sons and Lovers; it's my favorite Lawrence and one of my favorite books (though I'm wary of choosing any book as my No. 1, all-time etc. because there's still so much I haven't read). He's like Hardy in his ability to not only capture all the people's emotions, but also to make the landscape and the setting…

I'd have to watch it again to be sure. It just seemed to fit so well with the rest of his social dysfunction that I didn't even think about the rig.

That certainly helps. It's also just generally one of the most beautiful, romantic movies I've ever seen.

Friday night, I went to a screening of Taxi Driver at the Museum of Modern Art. I'd seen it several times before, but never on a big screen, and not for a few years. God, what a great movie. That opening sequence of shots— the car rolling out of the steam, cutting to his eyes in the mirror, and then the streetlights…

I've seen Wings but not Paris; I intend to remedy this soon, because I love Harry Dean Stanton. But yes, Wings is a must-see.

It's not bleeped on Hulu, which is where I've been watching it. But that's good news!

That very well could be. (And it's a much more charitable assumption than mine. The incident just reminded me of when I was in high school, hanging out at an older boy's house with some friends, watching Animal House, and one of the other girls said, "Wow, this is, like, such an old movie!")