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Frank Miller’s Sin City
As many of you know, Frank Miller’s incredible comic Sin City was recently released as a feature-length mainstream film. Alisa and I saw it on opening night, and my review is the same as most film critics’ reviews. I’ve been reading Sin City since about 1995 or so (when only the first three story arcs were published as graphic novels), and it was everything I wanted it to be and a little bit more at times. Aside from some stiffness in the beginning of the That Yellow Bastard sequence, it was pitch-perfect, making concessions for the medium of film in all the right ways and in very few spots. It’s so close that there are side-by-side comparisons on the web.
As a fervent fan of the comic, watching the film was very satisfying, as some of the most artful moments in the comic were faithfully recreated on screen. Obviously, I enjoy the comic and the movie, along with Miller’s work.
I feel no need to defend Sin City as a good movie or a good comic. But I ran across a review (of sorts) on Be A Design Group’s website, and it really bothered me. I’ll explain.
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Our New Cat
On Friday, Alisa, Becca, and I went to the Philly SPCA and adopted a 3–5 year old cat. Her name, the one we gave her, is Leto (get the backstory on her name at Wikipedia). She’s small and grey and very shy, or perhaps afraid. It’s hard to tell, since she spends most of her time avoiding us or eyeing us up from afar. And apparently that’s the norm, as much as there is a norm.
Well, Alisa and I deal with this situation in very different ways, which makes sense, considering that she was the real motivator for getting a cat in the first place. I pretty much ignore Leto. She skitters by or edges around the couch and I glance up at her and continue doing whatever I’m doing. It’s not as though I don’t want her to hop up next to me and start discussing typesetting, or just sit there and purr. I do. But, I don’t expect it, or need it, and this is the important part. Alisa, on the other hand, radiates intense need, supernova levels of desire and longing for the least bit of acknowledgement, of progress.
And I think Leto knows this.
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Dogblog Is the Internet
My friend Jon, over at his site Flavor Country, is bringing The People some good, good lovin’ in the form of Dogblog. It’s a simple idea: he takes pictures of the tethered dogs of the Bay Area, and divines their thoughts or just ponders their personalities and situation. The result is an unstoppable desire to keep reading and continue laughing for you. Or, as Jon puts it:
As I walk around San Francisco, I encounter dogs tied to things, take their pictures, and offer them up to the world with whatever commentary springs to mind. Enjoy.
People of the world, these are your dogs. Well, at least those in SF. Get over there soon, before everybody else on the internet knows before you do.
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Bacon, Perfect
In Saveur magazine’s February issue, homage is rightly paid to ’The Best Food in the World’, and that food is bacon. I thought I’d take a little time to convey some of my own views on these slices of epicurean heaven.
There are few foods that can so consistently satisfy me and offer so much delicious love in return for so little effort. Few foods can draw my attention completely to the act of savoring their flavor and texture without any adornment. At a diner, a fancy restaurant, or my own kitchen, bacon can be an exultant experience with equal aplomb. It can be thick or thin cut, applewood or hickory smoked, cured, pre-cooked, pan-fried or microwaved. It’s all delicious.
Neiman Ranch bacon, just cooked. -
The “Typographers’ Bible”
Anyone interested in becoming a graphic designer and dealing with typography should buy a copy of Robert Bringhurst’s Elements of Typographic Style when they become a student. They should read it once through after or in the midst of a basic typography course, and leave it by their desk for easy reference. Then, after a year or two, they should pick it back up and read it again (Who knows? Maybe there’ll be a new edition by then. There are already three) and put it back by their desk. Then, when they’re ready again, most likely after they’ve left school and worked for a while, they should read it again. If they’re lucky, they’ll readily understand 60% of it and benefit immensely from the additional 20–30% they’ve picked up since the last time.
But, like most canonical works, Elements mirrors the art it elucidates: a pool that warmly invites the reader to wade and provides depth and enjoyment for those who know how far out they can push themselves, but will appear murky and cold to newcomers unfamiliar with the waters. I’ve recommended this book to roughly 60 design grad students and probably an equivalent number of undergrads and designers. I’ve given it as a gift, and even recommended it to a few non-designers. This method probably left a few stranded swimmers, but until I teach again, with a class of my own, I probably won’t stop.
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Rating the Movies Since 1922, Part 1
There are many bastions of culture and critique where one can go to experience the arts and the measured critical examination of their fruits. One of these rich cultural havens is an institution that’s been viewing and reviewing virtually all of American cinema since 1922. That’s right, it’s the The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). As a champion of objective and even-handed analysis of our nation’s filmmakers, the MPAA has allowed our collective cultural experiences to be measured, assured, and age-appropriate.
In the recent past (around 1997 or so), the MPAA began publishing expanded editions of their concise and authoritative reviews, allowing us to peer through the window of that familiar MPAA rating frame into a mansion of depth and literary finesse. Let’s have a look, shall we?
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Long Weekend in New York City
Alright, so I was planning this big post about our weekend in New York City and Christo & Jeanne-Claude’s The Gates and the great restaurant we were taken to (Artisanal) and the great time we had in Brooklyn with friends and the new MoMa space but instead I’m just going to say this: NYC kicks ass and you should go there. Or live there.
Also, Josh, I swear I’m sending you those Madlib and Madvillain albums. Really. And thanks for finally getting me to listen to old De La Soul. Buhloone Mind State is so good.
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Comment Problems Fixed
If you were trying to comment and couldn’t, well, now you can. Post away!
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Essential Life Lesson #1: Over is Right, Under is Wrong
As part of our ongoing effort here at Current Configuration to make your life not only better, but also 10% more crunchy, we’re offering you this first installment of what will be an ongoing series of Essential Life Lessons. Kicking off this series will be a critical but even-handed examination of a common misunderstanding that occurs in a realm of many misunderstandings: the bathroom.
Put simply, there is a right way to hang the toilet paper, and a wrong way. Read on to determine the status of your own roll.
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Hellbla— I Mean Constantine
Alisa and I saw Constantine last night. This was a particularly tricky movie for me, since I’ve been reading the comic John Constantine: Hellblazer since high school. The first trailer I saw for this flick made it look like revisionist Hollywood dreck. I was very disappointed. First off, Constantine is British and blonde. While these aren’t important per se, when Hollywood votes against a blonde lead, I start to get worried (I smell creative compromise). Also, the action and plot seemed pretty flat. However, the second trailer was much cooler and much more promising (see both here). So, in spite of myself and because of my appreciation for the series, I got excited.
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