Beyond Van Gogh was pretty neat. I felt like some of the descriptions and copy was trying a bit too hard to wow the audience, when they should've let the visuals do that. Artwork room itself was lovely and hypnotizing. It was like being inside a dream that sauntered through the artist's life. I liked how it was punctuated by instrumental versions of Vincent and Here Comes the Sun. Having the vocals would've been too much, and the restraint was appreciated. It let you soak up the visuals happening all around you.
And then there were teens and young women who just used it as a selfie opportunity. Snapping a photo in front of something cool is one thing, but the elaborate poses and angles just seemed to take things too far. It goes from being about you having an experience to I'm super interesting, you should subscribe!! Felt like it made a mockery of the artist somehow.
It would've been a borderline meditative and emotional experience otherwise. I don't know why I let those other people decay my capacity for enjoyment in the moment. Maybe because that was my first time in a crowded social setting in more than a year. But who am I to dictate how people experience an experience? Maybe the world is just one huge selfie booth and I'm lagging behind. After all, look at how many self portraits Van Gogh produced.
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Went over to some friends' place for dinner. At one point that evening their oldest cat, Dexter, waltzed into the room and sniffed around the couch and an activity table for the kids. He's black and a bit chunky. When he first came home with my friends those years ago and I was still living with them, I laid down on the floor outside his small cat carrier and had a nap. He came out, crawled onto my chest and went to sleep as well. Ever since then, I've been the only one he'll get into the lap of for cuddles.
Fast forward, to that summer's evening a couple weeks ago. I made eye contact with him and the most extraordinary thing happened: In an instant of widening feline facial expressions I could swear he recognized me. Without breaking eye contact, he jumped down, came to my feet, and hovered in my vicinity for the rest of the visit. It was a happy reunion. It startled me to see just how strong his reaction was to seeing my face. Cats are quiet critters, and it's easy to take for granted what's going on behind the scenes.
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I watched Bo Burnham's Inside. A lot of the discussion online seems to be reduced to "OMG he captures how much lockdown sucks lol!!!!!!" It felt more menacing than that to me, though. It's like he took a drop of modern society, and let it fester in a petri dish of physical isolation. Almost as if to see just how it'll morph and adapt and abstract with just the nutrients of our digital lives. The result is ugly. He makes it funny and catchy, of course, but there's no mistaken that it's a grim take on what makes us all tick.
I think about it often. It's like a pine needle in my sock.
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There is something that lives in the shadow of Neptune, where fuzzy aliens and half-baked urban legends go to dance unsupervised. I dare not send a probe, let alone a five second gaze through a telescope. Let it stay in the far away darkness.
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Doug Demuro has filled a niche. He has a great concept for a show, and clearly has the attention to detail required to execute it. It's brilliant - all standard car reviews only focus on the handling, acceleration, and livability. None of them mention the little details or idiosyncrasies that give a vehicle character.
But despite that and his success and subsequent ballooning subscriber count, why does his show suck so much? The camera work, editing, and general production is generally amateurish. You can tell he's a one man band trying to play something meant for a fifteen piece orchestra.
AND THE WRITING. Or the lack of it, rather. Oh man, what a pain in the ass. He is so repetitive. You can tell he jots down notes about a car and then just freestyles the delivery without much attention towards how shots begin, end, or fit together. It's so frustrating to listen to. I just feel like there's a total lack of journalistic and presentation craft.
Don't get me started on the DougScore. I see what he's going for in concept, but it's so obviously flawed at a rudimentary level.
I guess this is where concept is king - the idea is good, so we'll put up with all the other shortcomings.
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Some of the Best
The Beatles Rock Band intro video hits the spot every time. And into the Spiderverse is brilliant. Did you know the same guy, Alberto Mielgo, worked on both?
Chicken Paprikesh from a local Hungarian restaurant and the Chicken Athena from a local Greek joint (don't forget the Spanikopita).
Reclining on the deck, reading a book, and Mozz jumping up. He rests his head on my chest for a nap, and I keep reading.
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I think social media and targeted online content are the cigarettes of the 21st century. So good. So cathartic. I love taking those 5 minutes out of my day again and again to take a long drag. But deep down we know it has little-to-no benefit compared to the mirage-like benefits.
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