The mall, 'The Brutalist,' Redd Kross + more
Plus: A new book club pick
I was just on the phone with Amtrak, and before we hung up, the customer service woman told me,
“You enjoy the rest of your day on purpose, my dear.”
Not only did that lady magically save me $31, I dig that “on purpose” garnish at the finish. After reading this, go seek some intentional pleasure:
the brutalist
Last weekend I saw The Brutalist on the big screen, because I’m pretty sure that’s the only way to see a 215-minute film about architecture. I liked it very much, not just for its emotional highs/lows and Adrien Brody’s wondrous, undiscovered fruit of a face, but because of its colossal ambition.
I’m easily seduced by ambition, this is true. One reason I love living in New York is that, as my friend Keith Carter says, even if I’m sitting around doing nothing, I’m surrounded by people who are busy doing something, striving to be meaningful and interesting in this tough gray world.
The Brutalist doesn’t just wanna be a movie, it wants to be THE movie. It’s got big story, big buildings, the coolest credits, a glam intermission. It made me want to go home and try at something, which is more than I expect or need from any film.
the room next door
For more brutalist euphoria, go see The Room Next Door, Pedro Almodóvar’s film starring Tilda Swinton as a woman with cancer who whisks her friend Julianne Moore to the sexiest house on Earth:
Good lord, those windows make my toes curl! Turns out the real house is in Spain, not upstate New York.
The movie is a feast for the eyes, as an old bearded critic might say, with gripping moments like this…
That may cause your mind to wander to other picturesque things, like this…
It took me a bit to see this film because, let’s be honest, the premise sounds like a downer and a half — and while glazed with melodrama, I’ll tell you one moment near the end made me laugh out loud. It’s currently in theaters and will probably start streaming by the time I finish this newsletter.
jasper mall
The other night Amazon Prime said Whitney, You Might Be Interested In a documentary about a declining shopping mall, and it was right. Directed by Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb, Jasper Mall (2020) tells the story of a once-popular mall in Jasper, Alabama, that’s struggling to stay afloat. Anchor stores like Kmart and JCPenney have left. The man running the joint is a former zookeeper who now mostly hangs with mall-walkers and domino players. It reminds me of the mall of my youth, which was once THE place to be on a Friday night … but now most young (and old) folks would rather cozy up to screens at home.
Jasper Mall was made by the same guys who made a doc I absolutely love, 2008’s The Rock-afire Explosion. (And yes, it’s about the animatronic pizza band — you can watch it on YouTube.)
redd kross
Redd Kross makes rad music, but they also have an incredible, decades-long story that began in the late ‘70s when young brothers Jeff and Steve McDonald formed a band that — for their first show — opened for Black Flag. (At the time, Steve was still in middle school.)
Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story is a thrilling look at the band’s ups and downs (drugs, etc.), pop-culture obsessions (The Partridge Family, etc.) and refusal to give up or be anything other than who they are. It’s now playing in select cities — I saw it in New York last week, and it was probably the coolest damn movie audience I’ve ever been a part of. If you were there and wanna be best friends, text me.
Redd Kross also has a new career-spanning book, Now You’re One of Us: The Incredible Story of Redd Kross.
timothée chalamet sings obscure bob dylan tunes on ‘snl’
If he’d picked “Mr. Tambourine Man,” it would’ve been dead on arrival. And while I probably won’t watch these performances again, I do wanna see more stuff like this — a show where, like, Nicolas Cage can stage experimental theater and the Jonas Brothers can perform a four-song Dinosaur Jr. tribute. Late-night hosts used to welcome such experiments, but now they only seem to care if their chances of going viral greatly exceed their chances of failing spectacularly.
Anyway, I’m suspicious of anyone who’s afraid to get weird sometimes, so shout-out to Chalamet and his whispering mustache.
pulp candy
On Sunday we gathered on Zoom to discuss THE NAME OF THIS BAND IS R.E.M., and it was such a blast! Thanks to everyone who showed up with their thoughts and semi-secret stories about the band. (One takeaway, though not a surprise: Mike Mills is a saint.)
Now it’s time to reveal our February book club pick: CATCHING THE BIG FISH by David Lynch! Please join me in reading/rereading this over the next few weeks. While I appreciated the book when it came out in 2006, I think I need it more now, given the state of the world and my mind. Stay tuned for details on our Zoom discussion, etc.
links, etc.
“I wake up in the morning, have coffee and write. After that I go to my easel and paint. It’s a rhythm that keeps me feeling alive. It eliminates any notion of age. You’re not old, you’re not young, you’re in the moment.” — 88-year-old writer and painter Frederic Tuten
Here’s a trailer for The Wedding Banquet with Bowen Yang and Lily Gladstone, a remake/update of the ‘90s Ang Lee film.
I know someone else out there is going to be VERY EXCITED that Seasons 3 and 4 of Maude are streaming for free via Pluto TV!
L.A. friends: Cartoonist Nathan Gelgud and his family are looking for a place to live after being displaced by the wildfires. If you can help, reach out on Instagram. Another way to help: Pick up one of his shirts or totes on Etsy.
And let us all raise a glass to the incomparable Marianne Faithfull:
If you read this far, a) thank you; and b) please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Shout-outs to recent paid subscribers, including Bill K. and Audra W.!
meet you at the orange julius,
on purpose,
whit
the carpet | the blinds | the drapes
