Notable New Books I Read in 2012, pt. 1

The holiday season was too busy for me to compile this sort of list, especially with a move to a new home thrown in, an event that always makes one ambivalent about book ownership anyhow. “Isn’t time to invest in a Kindle?” was the crack my younger economist friend made as we filled . . . . Continue Reading »

Carl’s Rock Songbook #63: ALMOST FAMOUS, Pt. 5

Having written one , two , three , four ALMOST FAMOUS-driven posts and now this one, I obviously do think it is an excellent film. Its one weakness is a certain complacency, underlined by its ending. I don’t have a problem with happy endings per se, but the one it provides really is too easy. . . . . Continue Reading »

Whit Stillman Makes Virtue Fun

Everything’s been coming up Whit Stillman for me lately. Re-watched Barcelona, for various reasons found myself reading both Jane Austen and Lionel Trilling, and then my wife gave me the scripts of Barcelona and Metropolitan for my birthday. Here’s a reflection a couples years ago about . . . . Continue Reading »