Author Archives: Blowhard, Esq.

About Blowhard, Esq.

Amateur, dilettante, wannabe.

“Baby Face”

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Barbara Stanwyck and her legs star in this engaging Warner Bros. pre-Code Hollywood work from a story by Daryl Zanuck writing under a pseudonym. A sort of femme fatale Horatio Alger story, Stanwyck plays a teenage tramp pimped … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Sex, Women men and fashion | Tagged art deco, Barbara Stanwyck, Feminism, Pre-Code | 6 Comments

Linkage

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: How Japan keeps Muslims at arm’s length. A short interview with Nassim Taleb. (H/T Paleo Retiree) The Cathedral begins the smearing of Ed Snowden. 25 Things to Know About Sexism & Misogyny in Publishing. The incoherence is … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Books Publishing and Writing, Linkathons, Philosophy and Religion, Politics and Economics | Tagged Ed Snowden, Feminism, Islam, Japan, Nassim Taleb, War on Drugs | 13 Comments

“Going Places” (Les Valseuses)

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Not that we’d ever have such a thing, but if we were to have a UR Litmus Test, this movie would be as good as any. Like it? Great! You’ve found the right place. Don’t like it? … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Bernard Blier, Bertrand Blier, French movies, Gérard Depardieu, sex comedy | 11 Comments

Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Here at UR, we’re all about the pleasures of populist entertainment. Should you ever be unlucky enough to encounter any of us at a party, we can and will absolutely bore you endlessly talking about virtues of … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Food and health, Photography, The Good Life, Travel | Tagged French cooking, Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, MGM Grand | 15 Comments

Cirque du Soleil’s “Zumanity”

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: When was the last time you saw a show whose explicit, avowed purpose was to arouse so you’d go back to your hotel room and fuck? Such is the raison d’être of Cirque du Soleil’s “Zumanity,” the hot hot … Continue reading →

Posted in Performers, Sex, Travel | Tagged cabaret, circus, Cirque du Soleil, Felix Cane, Zumanity | 11 Comments

Linkage

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: A kid saves a classmate from a potential stabbing, but Canadian schools don’t want any heroes. Doctors and hospitals are stuck in the 1800s. Michael Kinsley Political Gaffe of the Day. Marxist literary critic Terry Eagleton thinks … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books Publishing and Writing, Linkathons, Politics and Economics | Tagged Clement Greenberg, Elmore Leonard, Feminism, healthcare, kitsch, North Korea, steven seagal, Terry Eagleton | 7 Comments

The Neon Museum

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: On a recent trip to Las Vegas, I visited the Neon Museum, where the ghosts of the city’s golden age haunt the Nevada desert. It’s a wonderfully photogenic, melancholy place and an essential stop the next time … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Commercial art, Photography, Travel | Tagged Las Vegas, neon, signage, typography | 12 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

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

Linkage

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: So Yahoo! bought Tumblr for $1.1 billion. Like many Tumblr users, my main hope is that Yahoo! won’t ruin the service, i.e. let us keep all of our filthy and disgusting porn. But really, Yahoo! has no … Continue reading →