Kenneth Lonergan isn’t the most prolific writer-director (three films in 17 years) but he has few peers when it comes to documenting the sweetness and sorrow of ordinary people.
Lonergan’s marvelous You Can Count On Me (2000) was my second favorite film of that year, a lovely character study that introduced the world (or me, at least) to Mark Ruffalo. I haven’t seen 2011’s Margaret, in either its abridged or full-length form, but I’ve read great things.
No film this year is burdened with higher expectations than La La Land. First off, the latest film by Whiplash writer-director Damien Chazelle has to live up to its predecessor. It has been named the best of the year by several national publications and designated the Oscar Best Picture front-runner. Some have even called the musical a perfect antidote for the election of Donald Trump.
That’s a lot to live up to. And La La Land, mostly, pulls it off.
The end of 2016 (mercifully) approaches, and I will soon count down my favorite songs of the year. I found it to be a pretty average year for new music, with a couple of major exceptions, but I should be able to scrounge up 10 finalists.
In the meantime, I will dedicate this week to some of my favorite 2016 movies. I have still yet to see several films on my wish list, so I’m not calling this list an official countdown, but rather a chance to mention a handful of movies that made an impression on me this year.
It’s one of my favorite things, when a special occasion falls on a Random Weekend!
Today is my parents’ wedding anniversary, so I hope when I spin the dial I turn up something romantic — a celebration of love that endures over time.
Or we could end up with something by Ozzy Osbourne. That’s the beauty of this game! So here it goes: Mom and Dad, your anniversary song is…
I guess the Random iTunes Fairy got a hankering for Ben Folds after yesterday’s post.
Here is an early demo version of the track ‘Boxing,’ which later found a spot as the final track on Ben Folds Five’s brilliant debut album.
This track was included on the 3-disc album The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective, which contains a bunch of goodies every Ben Folds fan should want.
Meet Me In Montauk 