The Big Picture continues to demonstrate its excellence with photo essays covering the Iranian election. Part I: Iran’s Presidential Election. Part II: Iran’s Disputed Election. Part III: Iran’s Continued Election Turmoil.
… and how he kissed me under the Moorish wall and I thought well as well him as another and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes.Ulysses by James Joyce (1922)
“The Sports Guy” discusses this year’s NBA Finals, basketball history, and sports journalism with Avi Zenilman at The New Yorker online.
… and, for a moment, caught the world and stopped it, as though something sudden and perfect had come to earth in a furious glowing for him and for him alone, and only he could watch and listen. And only he would be there, waiting, when the light was finally gone.— “Fireworks” by Richard Ford (1984)
The newly minted presidency of Barack Obama has ushered in a new era in Washington. We have elected of a post-partisan, black president who transcends the old wars of the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. Gone are the affiliations of the Vietnam War and Watergate. Missing are the allegiances of the Cold War and the Baby Boom counterculture of the 1960s. 2009 is a seeming turning point in American society where we stop looking back and rehash old battles, and we start looking forward to a better future.
With the premiere of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien last night, another American institution entered the 21st century. Mr. O’Brien took his place behind the desk of the preeminent late night show on television, relieving Jay Leno of seventeen years of service. Throughout his tenure Mr. Leno cast himself as everyone’s favorite uncle. He would take you fishing, buy you a Coke. Never threatening, but never quite interesting or memorable. His centrist humor played well for an aging middle America stuck in a three network era.
Mr. O’Brien is sharp and thoughtful. His taste is tailored to the coasts rather than the plains. To an older audience he may seem indecipherable for his quick, nonsensical characterizations and dances. But for many young, savvy Americans he is an indication of legitimacy and acceptance. Like Johnny Carson for my grandfather’s generation, David Letterman for my father’s, Mr. O’Brien is a voice for my generation.
I look forward to the years and decades ahead of watching him night after night. Those late evenings after having too much to drink; those worried, sleepless hours; those nights when watching Conan is the only medicine for a restless newborn; those times you share with the person next to you in bed after a long, hard day.
The New York Times publishes an unreleased photo of “Tank Man” from the Tiananmen Square protests twenty years ago.
Aurora Borealis? At this time of year? At this time of day? In this part of the country? Localized entirely within your kitchen?— 22 Short Films About Springfield (1996)
Recently on Charlie Rose, J.J. Abrams declared the end of the cinematic spectacle. Between photorealistic computer generated imagery and the deadening of audience senses, he claims we have become immune to the possibilities and of the movie-going experience.
Pixar, on the other hand, has, in the past few years, declared the strength and beauty of the cinematic spectacle. Ratatouille (2007) showed the romance of Paris and the revealed the magnificence of the kitchen. WALL·E (2008) made a planet of trash and debris seem mysterious, even mythical. And now Up (2009) gives us an epic view of the world.
Beyond the stunning panoramas of South America and the glorious shots from the clouds of the world below, Up gives us a breathtaking and haunting look at life and time. At the beginning Carl, our protagonist, and Ellie meet at age six, drawn together by their love for adventure.
What follows in the film is among Pixar’s finest work. We see a portrait of their lives together: marriage, discovering they cannot have children, growing old together. But between these milestones, we see a pastiche of the mo ments life is made of: painting a mailbox, dancing in the living room, a picnic beneath a walnut tree.
We see the span of a life unfold. We watch Carl and Ellie wrinkle and stiffen, and we witness Carl’s loss of Ellie to sickness. Harrowing and beautiful, it is a spectacle.
