Books

Neil Gaiman's Sandman series

Anything by Ross Thomas, John Steakley, or David Wiltse

Lynda Weinman's coloring web graphics.2, deconstructing web graphics.2, designing web graphics.2)

Combat in the Erogenous Zone

Susan Sontag's On Photography

Stephen Donaldson's Thomas Covenant stories

Sidney Lanier and T.S. Eliot

The Tao of Pooh

Reviving Ophelia

Alan Moore's Watchmen and V for Vendetta

Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash and The Diamond Age

 

Movies I've Liked

I see a lot of movies. The following are the ones I've seen in the last couple of months that I liked enough to mention.

Orlando

Six String Samurai

Matrix

The Brothers McMullen

Fifth Element

Moview I've Hated

Your mileage may vary, but I thought these were awful...

Wild Wild West

Highlander II

Actors I'll Watch in Pretty Much Anything

Russell Crowe

Edward Norton

Bruce Willis

Al Pacino

Jeremy Irons

Gabriel Byrne

Tommy Lee Jones

 Maxine Bahns

Rachael Leigh Cook

Mira Sorvino

Anne Parillaud

Tilda Swinton

I used to go to a lot of movies when I was in school. The Dartmouth Film Society used to run a film series where you could go to three or four really good movies a week for about $20. When I moved to Boston, I lived within walking distance of a couple of nice old theaters, so on rainy days, I could hand over a couple of bucks and watch samurai triple-features, Fred Astaire retrospectives, or animation showcases.

I don't go to movies nearly as much these days. I don't get the same sense of Drama in the 20-screen mall megaplexes that seem to be taking over. Walking into the Nickelodeon or the West Newton Theater, I felt like I was going to the movies: getting the good popcorn, walking up to the balcony, easing down in the red velour seats - it was like entering another time, a sacred space. The megaplexes don't come close.

What I Listen To

I know music is supposed to be a Really Important Thing, but I've always regarded it more as background. Music can set a mood and it can enrich an experience, but it can't usually be, in itself, the experience. Live music in intimate settings, such as Ryles or the other jazz clubs in Cambridge, can be wonderful. I usually get bored at bigtime concerts.

Driving Music: WFNX is one of the better music radio stations for the North of Boston area. I used to listen to WBRU before we moved, but it doesn't come in any more.

Working Music: Anything with a strong bass line - Rage Against The Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Massive Attack. The WaxTrax Black Box compilation is interesting, if a bit dated.