Monthly Archives: May 2013

“Before Midnight”

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Fenster

(Welcome Marginal Revolution readers. Feel free to browse. This is an eclectic blog and you might find something to catch your interest.) Fenster writes: Film may be better at war-war than jaw-jaw, but if you love words as I do you are … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Before Midnight, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Richard Linklater | 13 Comments

“Ask the Dust”

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Written and directed by Robert Towne from the novel by John Fante, you’d never know from watching this film that the source material was one of Charles Bukowski’s primary influences. Set in Depression-era Los Angeles, Fante’s novel … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Charles Bukowski, Colin Farrell, Great Depression, John Fante, Los Angeles, Robert Towne, Salma Hayek | 5 Comments

Taking Down Krugman

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Epaminondas

epiminondas writes: “The Republican party is still defined by a coalition of Church people, Chamber of Commerce people, and Military people. And as anyone who has so much as flipped through an issue of Reason or The American Conservative can … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Economics | 1 Comment

“Marked for Death”

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: Steven Seagal movie from 1990, and — not that I’m a scholar of Seagal’s work, mind you — one of his best, IMHO. It’s slickly directed (by Dwight H. Little), amusingly designed (by Robb Wilson King), and … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Action Movies, aikido, basil wallace, steven seagal | 2 Comments

Of Kings, Coinage, and Castration

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: I recently watched the first two seasons of “Monarchy,” a BBC series covering the history of the English kings and queens going back to the late Roman period. Despite the ridiculously affected speech of narrator David … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Personal reflections, Politics and Economics | Tagged BBC, Ben Bernanke, David Starkey, England, Henry II, history, inflation, Lew Rockwell, Monarchy, Paul Krugman | 7 Comments

Letter from China: In-flight Rhetoric

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Fenster

Fenster writes: Sponsored rhetoric will always reflect the interests, and interest, of the sponsor. We get that automatically in the Era of Spin, that you can’t much trust any statement on its face, and that your brain has to automatically … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Economics, Travel | Tagged Air China, China, in-flight magazines, labor | 2 Comments

A Day at the Ballpark

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Went to a Dodger game this weekend for the first time in many years. A few random observations: The most annoying thing was the constant music/sound efx to keep the crowd amped up. There was dance music … Continue reading →

Posted in Photography, Sports | Tagged Baseball, Beethoven's Fifth, Dodgers, Dostoevsky, Los Angeles, Mexican nationalism, Sportscrap, Vin Scully | 16 Comments

Cocktail Du Jour

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: The “Wry Lemon” cocktail at Greenwich Village’s great Cornelia Street Café: Templeton Rye, Cynar, lemon juice, simple syrup, and Dutchess Colonial bitters. The drink is special to the Cornelia Street Café but it’s so excellent, and in … Continue reading →

Posted in Food and health, The Good Life | Tagged cocktails, cornelia street cafe, Greenwich Village | 6 Comments

Lloyd Fonvielle on “A.I.”

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Fenster

Fenster writes: A thank you to Lloyd Fonvielle for writing a wonderful and insightful piece on Spielberg’s A.I. Thanks for the piece itself, which is an excellent read, and for sparing me the trouble of writing at too much length … Continue reading →

Posted in Computers, Movies | Tagged A.I., Kubrick, Spielberg | 7 Comments

“Rust and Bone”

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: This movie might have been something had director Jacques Audiard bothered to give it a shape and some conciseness. I love Marion Cotillard; she reminds me a bit of Nadia Sibirskaia, though there’s a smidge of … Continue reading →