Frank-Ocean

Birthday happy hour last week (Photo by Eric) Another year, another birthday. I continue to get older and, oddly enough, wiser. Movies In the Loop - I’m a big fan of Iannucci’s work and this movie doesn’t disappoint. Well, except for the fact that its ending is depressing and mostly based on real life. That part’s a huge bummer. TV The Thick of It - Oh man, the part where Hugh used Glen’s developmentally challenged son in a story to get out of trouble…wow… ...

They’re not a real band, but I think you get the idea. The biggest change in 2012 for me was the rise of Bandcamp and Soundcloud. Sure, I still bought plenty of music from Amazon or Google, but an increasing amount of the stuff I picked up came from the individual himself. I mean, why would I expect the Fez soundtrack to occupy a spot in Amazon’s mp3 store? Thanks to Bandcamp, I can just pick it up almost directly from the artist. ...

French cinema, everyone! (Photo courtesy Screened.com) Went on a date with an art student so I thought it would be most fitting to see a weird, French art flick. It…did not disappoint. Movies Holy Motors - There is no real way to summarize every weird thing that happens in this movie, but it’s about a man who gets in a limousine every day and shows up in makeup and costumes in various places, acts out a scene, and then leaves. You got a little bit of everything, but my favorite was the scene where he killed a man, started to make the man look like him, and then that dead man killed him and assumed his role. That’s the kind of movie this was. It was…odd. ...

Weeping Angel I got to share my favorite episode of Doctor Who with Min today. I’d forgotten how eerie and excellent that episode was. I mean, I literally shouted out loud in fear when one of the angels popped into view. Freaky stuff. Love that ep. Movies Not this week. TV Breaking Bad - I don’t know why I had such a long gap before where I wasn’t watching this, but these past few episodes have been brilliant. Walter White is absolutely fascinating in his almost impotent villainy. I love how addicted he is to power and how much pride he has. Just brilliant stuff. ...

Lincoln Memorial Four score and seven seconds ago I started trying to come up with a clever line to write here. As you can see, I failed. Movies Lincoln - I’ve talked to lots of people about this movie and it’s one I feel better about recommending the more I think about it. Sure, Lincoln himself may or may not have been as epic a figure as the movie makes him out to be (dude is like a god in this picture), but the political intrigue and heist-like nature of the vote makes for good cinema. Now if only it didn’t feel quite so awkward to have all these great white men saving black men… ...