Micah Nathan's Blog, page 5
February 10, 2012
Seriously.
Oh, what sort of twaddling madness is this? http://nerdapproved.com/movies/han-ne... George Lucas explains—in a semi-coherent manner—that Greedo had always shot first. Han was never supposed to be a "cold-blooded killer." Hence, the fan outrage at Lucas' tweaking of the infamous cantina scene is misplaced. Nope. I don't believe him. I don't want to believe him, because [...]
February 9, 2012
Viewer Mail
Hi Mr. Nathan, I notice you talk alot about D&D. Do you still play it? How did it help you become a writer (if it did)? Thanks for your time. Sincerely, G. A. What a polite young man you are, G.A. Allow me to burst the bubble: I don't play D&D anymore, and haven't participated [...]
January 30, 2012
Thoughts on Sherlock
My good friend Brian Jenkins claimed there's a correlation between number of episodes in a series and the quality of that series. He's right. Mostly. (Wolf Lake notwithstanding.) So what of Sherlock, which only has three episodes per season? It's a watchable show, a touch too slick at times, not as intellectual as it could [...]
January 25, 2012
Viewer Request
Someone asked, so here it is. My first–and last–entry in the "Al Qaeda is now freelancing for Zagat Restaurant Guide" failed internet meme. I thought it would catch on. It did not. Renowned restaurant guide Zagat just announced Al Qaeda will be a part-time contributor. From their review of Goldblatt's Deli in Upper West: Infidels [...]
January 10, 2012
The Stories of John Cheever
Non-fiction > Recommendation > Post Road Magazine The Stories of John Cheever It was almost something—anything—by Borges and then a brief flirtation with Capote, but I returned to my original love, my well-trod, easy love: The Stories of John Cheever. I say "easy" because so many writers have cited Cheever's work as canonical, but I'm [...]
January 8, 2012
And So I Ask Why
We were in Buffalo for two whole weeks, a nostalgia-laden trip sprinkled with just enough of the new: a photo shoot with the awesome Katie Ambrose, dinner at some excellent restaurants, and various wintry evenings around the fire. I discovered Settlers of Catan. I finished a book by Camus. I didn't write a lick. I [...]
December 15, 2011
A Word or Three.
Some excellent news: Phil Noto will be contributing his considerable talent to JTB, and while my tone may seem sedate, it's only because I usually avoid exclamation points. I am, in a word, thrilled. I've been a long-time fan of Phil's work–from his covers to his comics–and I can't wait to see what he cooks [...]
December 4, 2011
Yahoo! (the exclamation & the site)
Shadowgun made Yahoo!'s (now that's some odd grammatical structure) "best-looking iPhone games." Yeah, yeah, tell me something I don't know. But still…I'm proud of this little guy. Here's the Yahoo! slideshow. A Memory This morning, while shaving (my face) I remembered my second-favorite scheme from college. I used to strategize the sexiest "entrance" for girls [...]
November 26, 2011
Hellboy, you turkey.
How was your Thanksgiving? We did it proper-like here in Boston–dinner at a friend's house, complete with a 25 lbs. home-brined turkey and the usual culinary excellence I've come to expect from Dave and Kara. Which brings me to Hellboy; not those lousy movies, but Mignola's graphic novels. (The movies are lousy, with none of [...]
November 23, 2011
One easy piece.
Last week I pitched my retrospective on Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" to a well-known film journal. The first paragraph: Which brings me to Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut," a film I stubbornly defended for years, never having enjoyed it all that much yet insisting its meandering pace was atmospheric brilliance, it's performances purposefully off-rhythm, and it's [...]
