I did not go and see The Force Awakens; I would assume it's the most likely choice for the yearly family movie-going experience (we started doing that with LOTR and/or the Harry Potters and stuck it out through the Hobbit trilogy). I did buy my dad Guardians of the Galaxy for Christmas— both of my parents loved that…

Watch Westway to the World if you haven't already; it's a great comprehensive history of the band. I'd also recommend Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten— obviously, it's more focused on Strummer, but it really gets across the spirit of the band as a whole.

Sounds like 'Wild Strawberries' would be the way to go, though I'm sure I'll see both eventually. His work really is fantastic— I haven't quite connected with it emotionally in the way I have with some other directors, but I have tremendous respect for it and I want to explore him further.

I mean, it depends on where you go, and at what time. And the people aren't usually blitzed to the gills and obnoxiously singing Christmas carols and vomiting all over the sidewalks. Times Square is pretty much always a nightmare, but I never have any reason to go there. There's a difference between a crowd and a…

I had thought about going to see Spectre yesterday, but then I remembered that yesterday was SantaCon, in which hordes of drunk people in Santa/"sexy"-elf costumes swarm Manhattan. I'm sure it's fun for them, but I've made the mistake of trying to navigate those crowds before. So I stayed home and worked on a few…

Absolutely, especially since she's dealing with Shakespearean dialogue, which is incredibly difficult even for native speakers— not so much the words themselves, but the ability to make the rhythm seem natural. She is really terrific, and the rest of the cast are no slouches either.

Last night, I finally got to see the latest Macbeth, with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard. Holy cow, you guys. The battle sequences reminded me of Fury Road— they had that same reckless energy, though of course to vastly different results. The whole movie is hauntingly gorgeous, and Fassbender is excellent,…

Now, Voyager is probably my favorite "romance"— so sophisticated, so glamorous, but ultimately a little bit silly. The incessant smooshy music doesn't help. But dear god, Paul Henried is gorgeous (and Claude Rains ain't so bad, either).

Re: A Little Life; my feelings about that book could probably occupy an entire book of their own. The short version is: you're in for an unrelentingly grim, exasperating, and ultimately ridiculous slog. I was so upset when I finished it that I returned it to the store. Obviously you can make your own decision, but I…

First of all, I had a great Thanksgiving— it ended up just being me, my best friend, and her roommate. Since all three of us aren't exactly social butterflies, I think we were all kind of relieved. Pop-culturally, while I was making the apple pie, i listened to the following albums: The Ash & Clay by The Milk Carton…

The Pharaohs- Neko Case
Maid Lamenting- Sam Amidon
Hope of a Lifetime- Milk Carton Kids
My Zero- Ezra Furman
Cattle & Cane- The Go-Betweens
Speed to My Side- Rollerskate Skinny
Goodbyes and Endings- The Dodos
Master and a Hound- Gregory Alan Isakov

This may have been mentioned elsewhere, but David Cronenberg's Dune.

I would pay approximately all the money to see that.

So sorry you're going through a rough time. I'm rooting for you. A Spy Among Friends sounds amazing; I've been interested in the Philby story ever since I read about it in Sir Harold Evans' autobiography (which is also great— Evans was the last editor of the Sunday Times before it was bought out by Rupert Murdoch).

Jamie and The Fucker would have been amazing. Either the entire building would go up in flames, or they'd reach some kind of spectacular detente and ride off into the sunset, end-of-Casablanca style.

Friday, after work, I was wandering around, and outside a used bookstore I found a copy of Graham Greene's The Quiet American for $2. I've been meaning to read it for some time, and I had some cash on me, so I went in and bought it. I started reading it on the subway home and fell in love instantly. The dialogue is…

I've just been re-watching TTOI myself; those specials are the high point of the show, in my opinion (much as I love Rebecca Front). They're such an adrenaline rush— really funny, but they also perfectly convey an atmosphere of extreme tension, bordering on panic. My favorite parts: Glenn and Julius Nicholson hiding…

As Dominion went on (yes, I watched every episode, dammit), there was a pretty clear divide between the actors who were still trying to be taken seriously (Tom Wisdom, bless him and his beautiful cheekbones) and the actors who clearly said, "Hell with it; this is ridiculous and I'm just going to have fun" (Carl…

I remember seeing it in the theater and just sitting there as the credits rolled, crying in the dark. When Amy Adams says, "You can't take life straight"— that just killed me.

I once went on a date with a guy who said his favorite directors were Gaspar Noe and Lars Von Trier.