Chris Barsanti's Blog, page 63
April 18, 2020
Screening Room: Still a Big World Out There
I reviewed two great new documentaries for Eyes Wide Open: Good documentaries tell you a story; the great ones open your eyes. But even the most mediocre nonfiction movies serve a purpose: They provide a snapshot in time for what people in a particular place were doing, thinking, and planning. Or, to use another metaphor,
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April 17, 2020
Reader’s Corner: Trading for Books
A Vancouver resident had too much sugar (the 10kg bag was all Costco had) and was interested in letting somebody else partake. Meanwhile, a friend of Christopher Brayshaw, the owner of the Pulp Fiction bookstore, needed some sugar for baking. Answer? They worked out a trade: two kilograms of sugar, for one brand new book
April 16, 2020
Screening Room: 20 Years of IFC Films
Given the extra time that so many of us have on our hands right now to catch up on movies, the issue tends to be narrowing down our choices. IFC Films just had their 20th anniversary and wouldnt you know, theres a 30-day free trial of their streaming service. My survey article at Slant runs
April 14, 2020
Reader’s Corner: Sometimes You Need that New Louise Erdrich Book
Novelist Ann Patchett wrote in The Guardian about what its like at the bookstore she co-operates in Nashville after closing the doors but trying to do their best keeping up with orders: I understand now that were a part of our community as never before, and that our community is the world. When a friend of
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April 13, 2020
Reader’s Corner: Keep City Lights Open
A lot of businesses are closing down during the shelter-in-place order. Among them is San Franciscos storied City Lights Bookstore. Very simply put, its one of the finest book emporiums in the country, if not the world. Its hard enough keeping a low-margin indie store open in the Bay Area these days, much less post-pandemic.
April 12, 2020
Writer’s Desk: Snoopy’s Rules
In the 2002 collection, Snoopys Guide to the Writing Life, a stellar line-up of scribes from Ray Bradbury to William F. Buckley, Jr. responded to a Peanuts strip featuring Snoopy writing. One of the contributors was Charles M. Schulzs son Barnaby Conrad, who provided these six rules for writing: 1. Try to pick the most intriguing
April 9, 2020
Scene of the Day: Albatross
The glories of live theater:
April 5, 2020
Writer’s Desk: Fast, Cheap, and Good
Jim Jarmusch once told me Fast, Cheap, and Good pick two. If its fast and cheap it wont be good. If its cheap and good it wont be fast. If its fast and good it wont be cheap. Fast, cheap and good pick (2) words to live by. -Tom Waits Do with that what you
April 3, 2020
Screening Room: ‘Slay the Dragon’
The new documentary Slay the Dragon is a timely reminder of the importance of decennial elections because years like this one are when census results can be leveraged by gerrymandering politicians to redraw districts in anti-democratic ways. My review of Slay the Dragon, which opens On Demand today, ran at PopMatters: Directors Chris Durrance and
April 2, 2020
Scene of the Day: Ah, Tuscany
Remember walking around cities? Remember trying to get through throngs of tourists? Heres a lengthy walking tour of some cities in Tuscany. Runs a few hours: (h/t: Open Culture)
