This site is updated Thursday at noon with a new article about an artistic pursuit generally considered to be beneath consideration. James Schellenberg probes science-fiction, Carol Borden draws out the best in comics, Chris Szego dallies with romance, and Ian Driscoll stares deeply into the screen.
While the writers have considerable enthusiasm for their subjects, they don't let it numb their critical faculties. Tossing away the shield of journalistic objectivity and refusing the shovel of fannish boosterism, they write in the hopes of starting honest and intelligent discussions about these oft-enjoyed but rarely examined artforms. Click here for the writer's bios and their individual takes on the gutter.
Recent Features
Squeeze Play
Romance
and sports don’t mix. That’s the conventional wisdom, anyway.
It’s one of those weird rules, hidden and unarticulated, that seem
to underly any given genre. It’s a tenet that gets passed down to
new writers, not as gospel so much as in the form of a mild warning.
It’s not that books about athletes are uninteresting, the wisdom
would have it; it’s that they’re unsellable. Readers won’t
care about them, so editors won’t buy them.
Unlessyou’re Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Then all bets are off.
It's a big office, and dark, which makes it feel
even larger, cavernous. The theme from Dr. Who (Delia Derbyshire’s 1963
version) reverberates in the space, buzzing up your spine like a telegraph
signal.
We live in a time of film adaptations
of comic books massive and tiny, from Iron Man
and The Dark Knight to
Wanted and the upcoming Surrogates. But I don't need to see any more. I have seen Detroit Metal
City and it is a testament to
awesomeness.
With Wu Jing, Simon Yam and Sammo Hung all grim, Fatal Move looks like an SPL reunion, with Johnnie To regulars like Wong Tin-lam and Lam Su-et dropping by. Scroll down a bit for the trailer. Does Donnie feel left out?
Playing Viva Pinata, Darren Zenko faces the Red Ring of Death, and wins. (thanks, gentleman jim!)
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You knew evangelist and Queer icon Tammy Faye Bakker used to have a puppet show, right? And her puppets weren't muppets, they were scary, shellac-headed hand puppets. Way Out Junk has Oops! There Comes a Smile, a collection of Tammy Faye's puppet songs and stories.
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How about a little more of Kim Ji-Woon's The Good, The Bad and the Weird, my favorite Western, weird or not, in a while. Look at Jung Woo-Sung ride! (And watch out for some horse-tripping).
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Some say The Burrowers is like The Searchers. Kinda is. The Burrowers is also a weird western and it hit me hard. Here's the trailer.
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View all Notes here. Seen something shiny? Gutter-talk worth hearing? Let us know!
Romance
and sports don’t mix. That’s the conventional wisdom, anyway.
It’s one of those weird rules, hidden and unarticulated, that seem
to underly any given genre. It’s a tenet that gets passed down to
new writers, not as gospel so much as in the form of a mild warning.
It’s not that books about athletes are uninteresting, the wisdom
would have it; it’s that they’re unsellable. Readers won’t
care about them, so editors won’t buy them.
