Everybody’s Talkin’ 4 – 4 (Chatter from Other Bloggers)

Point of order: Yesterday’s post – which went up much later in the day than posts usually go up on this space – wondered whether I could have watched the two volumes of NYMPHOMANIAC out-of-order. Now that I’ve seen them, I put to you that yes I could have, and that it would have left me with a very different feeling walking away.

I’ll leave it at that though as there will be lots of NYMPHOMANIAC discussion around these parts in the week to come.

In case you’re new to this space, or in case I’ve never mentioned it before, the photos you see embedded in my weekly ‘Everybody’s Talkin’ posts are my own. They are captured with my DSLR…or, with increasing frequency these days, my iPhone. Once upon a time, it was what I hoped to do for a living, but plans changed. However, I’m still in love with looking at the world through a camera lens, and sharing my point-of-view with the world. I bring this up because I’ve been far too lax about actually picking up my camera in recent months, and I’m hoping that will change. I’d forgotten that even a few moments spent on tinkering can give me something to be proud of – like that photo you see above.

I just need to be more aware, and reach for my toys a bit more often.

Actually, I just need to be a bit more aware.

I’m saying all this in the hopes that putting it out there will keep me accountable. So if the photos you see embedded in coming weeks seem to drift back to more iPhone images than DSLR image, feel free to call “bullshit”.

 

For your listening and reading fulfilment, I give you…

 

I first met Kurt Halfyard in 2008, and first listened to his work on The Row Three Cinecast two years later. If, back then, you’d told me that I would get my ass to Mars Minneapolis before him, I’d have said you were nuts. This week though, he finally got out to the midwest and recorded an episode of the Cinecast face-to-face with Andrew James. If you ask me, he sounds calmer. There must have been some serenity present in that Minnesota snow.

This week, Kate Bradford sounded off with her disappointment in the finale of “How I Met Your Mother“. I feel like she’s completely wrong, but she certainly has some interesting things to say. For what it’s worth, I’m fine with the way the show ended…somewhat sloppy as it was.

Fun Fact: In and around my screenings of NYMPHOMANIAC volumes 1 and 2 at Lightbox last night, my phone kept on chirping with Facebook alerts from Ariel Fisher. Seems as though she’s a fan of the film(s) – as much as one can be of such heavy material – and was happy to see that I was partaking in all the Von Trier-y goodness. I wager I won’t get peppered with IM’s quite as much as I go to see CAPTAIN AMERICA:WINTER SOLDIER this weekend, so I’ll have to keep myself company with Ariel’s review of the latest Marvel offering.

Easily the most shocking and saddening piece of news to drop this week amongst those of us who write about film was the decision by Entertainment Weekly to let go of their lead film critic Owen Gleiberman (a man who influenced my work, for certain). The decision is symptomatic of a growing trend in film criticism, and Colin Biggs wonders where this trend will lead us.

Go figure – it’s been a moviegoing wasteland in Toronto for months, and now it’s an embarrassment of riches. Case-in-point, FINDING VIVIAN MAIER which I’m hoping to catch up with before it leaves Lightbox. Matthew at Black Sheep has already seen this fascinating doc, and posted a very enthusiastic review!

 

Meanwhile, this instalment of the Tweet of The Week comes from someone I do not follow, but who hit the nail on the head regarding something I have felt ever since first joining Twitter two summers ago:

 

Just realized that Twitter is a never-ending episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, and the real world is the kitschy movie.

— Stefan Becket (@stefanjbecket) April 1, 2014

 

Enjoy!