a thousand authors
While writing about the 1979 movie Alien and what it can teach us about extractive capitalism, I noted that movies can be more nuanced, profound and comprehensi...
Category: art
desperately seeking sounds
After nearly two years of working on an audio drama, I’ve come to wonder if I should have spent more time thinking about the audio part and less on the dr...
playhouse
Nearly two years ago, for the birthday of our oldest, I made a playhouse. I designed it using Sketchup, which allowed me to adjust the sizing and layout, while ...
candid camera
I’ve been taking selfies for the gram. in reverse chronological order: 7. Jan 11, 2019 live in the moment 6. Jan 7, 2019 rock paper scissors 5. Jan 2, 201...
Moohairies
A song from 1998, inspired by julio iglesias and the walking scenes from “Hopscotch”. this was the first Pepito song, done with Reason, SoundEdit 16...
War Games, Fail-Safe, Dr. Strangelove
In 1998, there were two movies about a natural catastrophe: Armageddon & Deep Impact. In 2006, there were two movies about magicians living outside the real...
Underground
Magicians show you things you don’t know you’re seeing. Prosecutors tell you things you don’t realize you’re hearing. Movies use a similar ploy: they make you f...
Invasions
One of the charms of Star Wars was the contrast of robots and serfs, space ships and lords. High technology and feudalism. If you follow US politics (don’t, it’...
Pleasure and power
Casamigos, Doritos marketing collateral, 2018 A consistent theme in the marketing of Mexico’s grastronomic culture is the erasure of Mexicans. When Mexica...
Motherhood and the workplace
The movie Arrival (2016) and the movie Alien (1979) are contrasting takes on motherhood and women in the workplace. In Arrival, a successful professional woman ...
The industry of memory
On The Sympathizer: Charlie Rose: You talk about the industry of memory. What’s that? Viet Thanh Nguyen: Well, we like to think that our memories are all ...
bathrooms, blades
the lobster (2015), se7en (1995)
down whence it came
The unconscious in Edward Albee’s writing process by Larissa MacFarquhar: When the idea presents itself to him, he will turn it over in his mind once or t...
visionary leadership
when you see what’s coming before everyone else does: from the excellent Attack the Block
secret lover
Renee Magritte, “The Lovers” Max Pinckers, “Will They Sing Like Raindrops or Leave Me Thirsty”
the nadir in “midnight run”
In the first image, the protagonist is defeated. He faces away from us, towards the past. The road ahead of him is indirect and would take him away from us. He ...
Aliens, terminators, replicants
Namwali Serpell: At its best, science fiction operates as the articulation of outlandish metaphors, even puns.
“Se Vale Soñar” by Juan Cierro
My own hasty translation of the lyrics: I wish that when it rained instead of water, cocaine fell that beer would run along with tequila through the rivers and ...
Authenticity
Julio Perez: Authentic is just an earlier interpretation.