What Community? #58: Fully Flared

The rest is available on youtube, too. It's pretty dope. Yes, it's true: I turned 16, not 26, back in May. --RWK [via Mark]

Quick Lit Shit #4: Ontology: The Hermeutics of Facticity

Sure, okay, fine. Use those words like that. At least I found myself laughing instead of simply frustrated. I see what he's doing, yes, but I don't want it; I'd rather read any number of similarly difficult writers, like Gadamer*. That dude is truly playful. And, you know, not a Nazi. (I hate that that colors my understanding of Heidegger but for some reason, oh I don't know, I can't shake it.)

*or Bergson, to pick a contemporary
--RWK

Quick Lit Shit #3: Negative Space

My reading never stops. The times I put it down are just long pauses. --RWK

Quick Lit Shit #2: Cities of Words

Maybe his "best" book. --RWK

Encounter #112: Whatever you like.

Surprising indictment of fantasy from the gooiest song you'd imagine Tip to put out. Admission: I think Tip is too cool, and I'm happy he beat the gun charges. Rap is such a weird place these daze but Tip keeps cranking out these over-produced hook-heavy cinematic swirls of songs so it's no wonder he's still selling. He makes the dream sound sexy. And, yet, he seems more interesting than that reduction: it seems like each of his hits is about a promise out of reach. Or, I simply dig that his flow is smooth. "Be quiet..." --RWK

What Community? #57: Why Halloween will suck this year.

Fuck this. --RWK [via Carlton's web prowling/gchat hood status]

Kanye West: Love Lockdown Video

I dont really get how serious he takes his break-up. Didnt he dump her when they were engaged? she should've made this song maybe.

>>cb,

What Community? #56: Portland getting big already.

Two givens: (1) Pre-season (2) vs Kings.
Two undeniables: (1) Rudy got game (2) Oden will be fine
One no duh enthusiasm: Blazers will be great to watch.
--RWK [via TSB/BS]

What Community? #55: Sad guys.

From this tumblr, via this buddy, to whom we should all wish a happy birthday. --RWK

Encounter #111: Halle Berry is sexy.

The ever-creepy OG lad mag Esquire says "Sexiest", to boot. Hard to argue, really, when Halle here just had a kid and is, you know, 42 years young. This isn't even the "sexiest" picture in the set (my vote goes to the one with Burt). But it's my favorite cuz it's the least about her. It's more about that tank top. You don't get her face, you get Obama's face -- under her boobs, yes -- and even that is wrinkled by the stretch of the fabric. Everything in this image is getting pulled. You gotta love when there's at least one image forcing you to rethink how you're looking, how you're objectifying, how you're such a dumb guy all saliva and wide eyes. Or maybe that was just me and my reaction to this particular image. Also, don't get me wrong: it's still sexy. --RWK

Goats #2

Genius Marketing #35: "The purpose of art"

This is too fucking funny. And, yet, yes, smart -- at least he is. --RWK

Goats #1

Quick Lit Shit #1: Intro, Philosophy the Day After Tomorrow

[I joined Facebook a little over a year ago. Then about six months ago I started using the Visual Bookshelf feature to track what I read. It's kinda great. By now I'm just doing it as it comes but one fine, fine, miserable night I spent a good chunk of time clicking "Already Read" a lot so it would look like I'm an accomplished reader with idiosyncratic (great) taste. After my most recent "Finished Reading" click, my grand total stands at a mind-blowing 101 books. I know, right? Jay-Kay! Well, kinda. The funniest thing is that when I was building up my back catalogue I wasn't reading any books, really. And I read a lot of blogs, too. As I was discussing with Girish via email the other day, it's hard (1) not to read many books at once (there are piles all around my little room) and harder still (2) to click "Finished Reading" on some others. For instance: I've now read through Deleuze's books on cinema but I'm nowhere near done, you know? Nor do I have anything pithy to say, really, since those stubborn and dense books refuse easy consumption; for a taxonomy project, it's not really that forward. Also, he'll just plop you into an argument and you have to play catch up. Of course, that's fun, but it's also work. Hell, there's my pithy thing right there.

So what's this series? I decided to post my little Visual Bookshelf "reviews" here, too. Some make sense; most don't; they're all just riffing. But if you've got anything in return, hit me back. I'm going back to the beginning and (without editing them) will cut and paste the few I've got back there to bring me current over the next few days/weeks/months/whatever cycle works.]

It seems this is perpetually at my side. I find that I would not have benefited from reading this earlier in my experience with Cavell, however delightful it may be, because everything he writes here is so bound up with everything he's written before, and studied before, and thought about since his yesterdays, that to leap into his work here at the end seems waste it, and deprive oneself of a string of developments that are not only intriguing but beneficial to experience in their order, or a slight approximation thereof. (For the record I started with _Claim of Reason_, then hopped between _Pursuits of Happiness_ and _Cities of Words_ before a summer of _The World Viewed_ and _Themes Out of School_ and _A Pitch of Philosophy_ before moving into this for the first time. I've been stuck here since.) --RWK

What Community? #54: I'll play along, sure.

By now, yes, I'm on this bandwagon, too. Easily the best yet. If you can't get enough of this, you should dig what jeem's been blogging recently. --RWK

2002: Some of my favorite things.

After seeing Jia Zhang-Ke's Unknown Pleasures last night, I had to rethink my 2002 list. Not much changed, as I'm loathe to make even that decision about these lists I've started, but there's some difference. For one, the Jia film is firmly in the (at the edge of the) top five. And I bumped up Verbinski's The Ring. I was tempted to throw Morvern Callar up to the top. But I cannot displace my personal affection for the top three quite yet. Ever? Not sure. Give it time. So, yea, a quick run through, from me to you. --RWK

Encounter #110: Morvern Callar

Rewatched this because of an exchange I saw on a friend's facebook wall reminded me of that post Glenn threw up a while back which I thought was going to be the reason for a rediscovery. I dunno. This thing is just too good. And, again, I wonder where Lynne Ramsay's gotten to, what she's been up to, if she'll make another film soon. Once again shows why things like this silly project don't make sense -- as of right now I think this is better than each of the other three films I've listed before it on that 2002 list. But then I think, is it, really? Then, why not? Stupid sentimental attachments keepin those other three ahead of it? The way I rationalize it is that, yes, PDL is more of a "favorite" than Morvern Callar. Although, to be perfectly honest: who the fuck knows? If not me, nobody, I guess, since it's my favorites, but what I'm really trying to say is that maybe this time next year Morvern Callar will once again rise in my estimation and I'll rank it just behind The New World on that Ten Favorites of the 2000s list. This is a mess of gobbledygook. But I needed to spew because I need to go drink some water and finish writing something else, something more, um, serious. ATTN: CB, watch this movie. Then tell me things. Please. --RWK

Encounter #109: Fast Andy, funny guy

A media day mess of BS from the Warriors' youtube page. Funny to see him talk about going to the club with "Buke", and, of course, Jax fooling on his hair gel. Not to mention that hug between him and Nellie. --RWK

Encounter #108: Reach back a little bit.

He looks great here, sounds like a real person, and smart. Listen to his new album. As Carlton said, there's not a great sad song (even "Sometimes" feels good), but the flip side of that is the album just vibes hard until the end. It loves life. I love it. So I'm'a shill it a bit. --RWK

Genius Marketing #34: Hunger

In a way, I'm mad I missed the Telluride opportunity. This looks fantastic, unremitting, scary. But I'm also thankful I missed it because this looks scary, unremitting and dangerous. Also, there's the fact that I got to drink beer in the sun with people I now miss a ton more than I can ever miss missing a movie. --RWK