I always try to give the warning: I only listen to about half of what people say only about half of the time. It’s not my fault, though, and I have no ill intentions whatsoever. It’s just the way it is. I’m made this way. I’ve tried to remedy it, I’ve tried to be a more careful listener, but this is who I am.
You understand, right?
The upside of my condition is that I’m seemingly free from having to process the minutia of many things, mostly conversations, and I can focus on the important elements of the situation: the happiness, the anger, the frustration, the hand gestures and vocal intonations, the jubilation, the sadness, or the crusted booger on the upper lip. Whatever feeling is being expressed, and the vulgar humanity associated with it, I’m there. I’m present. I understand. It’s when I have to remember key narrative components like the names of the parties involved, the times of day, the color of the hair, or, especially, follow some sort of timeline, that’s where I falter.
Read More“I created myself. I have taught myself so much.” – Maya Angelou
World renowned author, poet, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou has died at the age of 86. She’s reportedly battled health problems in the past few months, and recently canceled a scheduled an event appearance to be held in her honor.
Read MoreIf there’s one thing I love as much as horror movies, it is an awesome t-shirt. So when those two loves align, I bring out the credit card and make a purchase without hesitation.
Needless to say, this Leatherface t-shirt triggered my nerd lust. I had to buy two copies, one for me and one for a friend who would never forgive me for not getting him one. I ventured to website of artist Eli Neugeboren and a grin overtook my face. I wanted to buy all of his shirts! This guy was Ink & Code material and I knew I had to reach out for a chat. He’s someone I wanted to get to know and certainly someone everyone should also want to get to know. Eli Neugeboren is one to watch.
Read MoreHeathers is the holy grail of teen-angst comedies. It’s dark, funny, endlessly quotable, and more on point than any other film of its kind (sorry Mean Girls). Filmed at the rise, and possible height, of Winona Ryder and Christian Slater’s Hollywood moments, director Michael Lehmann couldn’t have chosen two more perfect people for his stars. Collectively, they delivered a movie unlike anything created before or since. Writer Daniel Waters gave lines for days, ones that live on twenty-one years after the film’s release. He created a perfect, mirrored world where good intentions go to hell and motives are ambiguous at best, devious at worst. Needless to say, Heathers is an untouchable cinematic icon.
Like all beloved cult films, there’s always someone out there who wants to remake the story with their own hands. Sometimes these notions come in the form of a musical. Inspired, retooled, these films make their way to Broadway, both on and off, and incorporate songs and dances that sometimes add to the beloved experience – Young Frankenstein, Hairspray, and Evil Dead comes to mind. Other times, like with Re-Animator or Grey Gardens, the experience is fun, but ultimately unnecessary. Heathers :The Musical falls somewhere in between.
Read MoreLet’s just get it out of the way: Rocky is a milestone in America cinema. It’s a flawlessly realized character study that balances a somber tenderness with moments of humor and a visceral finale with every element seemingly in place. Every frame is marked by an aching sincerity. This sincerity was carried over into the first sequel, but unfortunately largely absent until the sixth entry in the series, 2006’s Rocky Balboa. It is the sequels in between the decades where the legacy of Rocky was constructed around training montages, the Rocky III introduction of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” and the overall cheesiness and jingoism of Rocky IV, losing sight of what made the original film so powerful.
Read More2013 was a great year for film. While it wasn’t an endless barrage of awesome, there were some that outshone the rest in big ways.
The Ink and Code’s Top Films of 2013
(This list is later than most, but I refuse to apologize)
Read Moreby Randall Lotowycz
The first time Penny was pinched, she was on the men’s floor in a crowded department store mere days before Christmas. Dozens, if not hundreds, of shoppers were buzzing by her, heading to the registers or some clothing rack. She was looking for a particular type of tie for her boyfriend, Morris. It didn’t need to be a specific brand, pattern, or color; Penny was in fact searching for a tie of a specific length and width to suit her boyfriend’s occasionally obsessive-compulsive tendencies. He preferred his ties to stop precisely at the middle of his belt buckle when tied in a Windsor knot and insisted that the widest part of the tie be no wider than 2 3/4 inches.
Read MoreDavid Foster Wallace once said, “The person I’m highest on right now is George Saunders.”
At twenty-nine years old with no steady income other than the .10 cents a word I get from my freelancing gigs, I am shocked that I am able to afford a better drugdealer than the late David Foster Wallace’s.
Don’t let my bad pun fool you. George Saunders is indeed worthy of a good high. Just this past summer he gave the commencement speech for the Syracuse University class of 2013 where he famously said: “So here’s something I know to be true, although it’s a little corny, and I don’t quite know what to do with it: What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness. Those moments when another human being was there, in front of me, suffering, and I responded…sensibly. Reservedly. Mildly. I’d say as a goal in life, you could do worse than: Try to be kinder.”
Read MoreWhat’s in a throwing game? Or rather, more specifically, what’s in a dart game? The player launches sharp sticks at a cork-board in an attempt to hit the bullseye for points. Winner takes glory. Sometimes, the game is played drunkenly. Often times, I would say. But what makes darts fun? Unique? Weird?
A good friend and collaborator here at The Ink and Code just might have some answers for you, valued reader.
Read MoreThis year’s Fantastic Fest had some incredible entries. From thrillers to horror films to documentaries, it was pretty much the best time one could have in the dark aside from…well, you know. This was my first time there, and will be an ongoing tradition from this year on. I loved every God damn second of it, and I was heavy-hearted to see it end.
We saw an impressive eleven films in four days, and yet we barely scratched the surface. There were so many films and, sadly, so little time.
The best film of those eleven was inarguably Grand Piano. The film stars Elijah Wood in a career turning performance as a famed pianist being terrorized onstage during the night of his much-anticipated comeback. Frodo no more, this is the role that’s going to put Wood back on the marquee. Thankfully, though, he might be too cool for crappy mega-mainstream films. He was at Fantastic Fest not only looking stylish, but just hanging with fans and drinking beer like he was one of us. Because really, I think he is one of us – a movie lover through and through. he even got tattooed at the closing party! I have a newfound love for this guy.
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