I finally picked up the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation of War and Peace, and I'm really excited for it. I read the serviceable Constance Garnett translation when I first read the novel in high school, because I didn't know any better. When I reread the Maude translation for a Tolstoy college course several years…

It's so dry too, the whole Jesus exchange with Matt's straight faced comment that "the beard's looking good though," and Kevin diving for his neck on cue, just pitch perfect.

I was just guessing Christine, or someone using her, asserted her maternal custody

That's the thing. Sunset Song was a minor, flawed work, the editing was off, and the change in perspective to the husband at the end was just jarring, but it was still memorable and kind of thrilling because of the well executed craft, I just streamed it a few days ago, and probably wouldn't have seen it if it wasn't…

I'm not defending JW. As far as I'm concerned, Christianity, in all its forms, is an ongoing crime against humanity, and from what little I know, the JW are particularly bizarre. Denial of medical care, though, is best handled as a legal criminal matter, persecuting or outlawing a minority for their beliefs never…

The Russian Supreme Court is hearing arguments right now to outlaw it and declare it an extremist organisation.

Never Get Sober.

I saw what I guess now is the February cut of this. A title that I thought was perfectly evocative of the spare chilly mood of the film, not at all generic. The Blackcoat's Daughter weighs it down in a specific kind of way that doesn't seem helpful to me, but given IATPTTLITH, which was a tedious, serious drag,…

I found those a little ironic with the nostaglic mention of home fermented kvass by Alexei.
(Also, in thinking about it, it's kind of surprising that during this great craft brew revolution, kvass hasn't bubbled up in great variety as like a trendy summer quaff or cocktail base the way, say, radler has, always a new…

Yeah, that was something. While they certainly bonded over Nina, and he clearly respected Oleg taking a stand on the whole not trusting the USSR with germ warfare thing, that was still a huge step up in risk for an enemy he barely knows. Stan may have already committed career suicide by being viewed as an independent…

Some of the greatest b/w cinematography and set design of all-time, but I still remain, on this recent TCM March Malice re-viewing, underwhelmed by the story, and horror, if I don't read this as Eleanor's nervous breakdown, in which case, it's fucking terrifying.

I didn't want to laugh out loud, repeatedly, at a mute man, in a dress, dark shades, a wigged helmet, and noise-cancelling headphones who is called to testify by his incompetent lawyer in his own defense at a murder trial, but, what can you do.

When I started the first episode a few days ago, I didn't think I'd find this show ranked just behind the HBO holy trinity (Sopranos, Wire, Deadwood,) Mad Men, and Breaking Bad on my all-time list, pending season 3 of course, but wow, this show is really something special. The masterful blend of mysterious…

Great show, I'm really digging it. I blew this off a few years ago because I had no interest in Lost and this premise sounded just as strained, but I decided to give it a shot with S3 coming up, and boy howdy do I love it. I can't believe this show is so divisive, it's objectively outstanding TV. Justin Theroux and…

I think it was it bad idea to cast Pete Holmes as the insufferable "Pete Holmes" character, he can't act for shit and his face punchability rates a full five out of five Danos.

"[T]he company has noticed that people will rate something like a documentary very highly but only watch it once, and then they’ll rate something like a goofy comedy much lower and then watch it over and over again."

28 Days Later… is an all time favorite, top 3 horror for sure, I also really liked Sunshine despite the needless addition of the sun crazy psycho predecessor as an extra obstacle, (I mean, trying to launch a nuke to restart the sun for your dying planet while you know the crippled ship cannot return home, these aren't…

AA Dowd is not a useful? critic. He's a hack, inconsequential, just sayin'…

Tom Hardy?

A point of correction; while this film certainly has an admirable, organic, feminist viewpoint in many respects, her unhappiness stems from a great deal more than sexism, and the following statement is just wrong and poorly observed: