Wonder, Hope, and Love: Further thoughts on The Tree of Life

[Read my initial thoughts here]  The Tree of Life is a film that elevates the soul. It reminds me of Whitman, Thoreau’s “Walden,” Faulkner’s “The Bear,” Rick Bass’ short stories, and Fellini’s 8 ½ (especially with the obvious hattip Malick gives the great Italian filmmaker at the end); all of these are works of art that are, in some way, about nostalgia, how we remember things, and how we can try to make sense of God and the world we live in through our connection to nature. I greatly...

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Record Club #2 -- Brand New

Understanding my love for The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me (the album name was based on the troubled singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston and the well-known psychological problems he faced/s) might be a little clearer when studied in the larger Brand New context. It’s also going to be a bit of a journey so hang with me. When I was in college, emo was all the rage. Now, one of the most criminal misnomers in all of music was labeling things emo that didn’t truly represent emo. There was, I assure...

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Initial Reaction: The Tree of Life

"Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes." -- Walt Whitman, Song of Myself   "That very day two of them were going to a village named Emma'us, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him[...]So they drew near to the village to which they...

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I Saw the Devil

My first piece for Edward Copeland on Film is up now. It's on the fantastic South Korean film I Saw the Devil. Here's the first paragraph: Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE For my money, some of the best films being released today are those coming out of Korea. And one of the very best at making those films is Kim Ji-woon. Whether it’s the ghost story...

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New Music!

Since the Record Club #2 is coming up in a couple weeks, I wanted to get warmed up by reviewing some new music (and by new I mean albums released so far this year). Don't forget about June 27; you should make sure you've listened to Brand New's The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, and then come back here for what I hope will be a spirited discussion. Anyone can join, all you have to do is click the little banner on the right and email Ed that you want to be included in the email list for reminders about future Record Clubs. Anywho, onto the...

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