2012 | favorite thing EVER

Dec 20, 2012 Posted by kormantic

13 Decemberween Traditions

In no particular order, 13 holiday traditions here at Favorite Thing Ever: 13) Stuff Layin’ Around Christmas. As you may have surmised, Matt and I have a lot of enthusiasms. For a lot of things. As such, in the course of a year, we buy each other a fair number of presents. Books, video games, build-your-own-dinosaur lamps, that kind of stuff. So we... read more

Dec 12, 2012 Posted by matt

Elf, and the case for Secular Christmas

For me, Christmas has always been entirely secular. And yes, I get that it has “Christ” right in the name. Most of the Christmas traditions I practice (tree decorating, gift giving) actually predate Christianity, but I’m not Pagan either. And although I have some pretty significant bones to pick with religion in general, I will tell you... read more

Nov 27, 2012 Posted by kormantic

1980s YA: SO RADICAL!

YA was hardcore in 1983, yo. I bought my original copy of The Grounding of Group Six at Barnes and Noble in Boston when I was 10 – the huge one on Boylston that looked like a... read more

Apr 4, 2012 Posted by penni

Chrystal: Sucks to be her

Twenty years after the car accident that severely injured his wife and killed their young son, Joe (Billy Bob Thornton) returns home. He spent those twenty years in prison because he was drunk and running from the law when he wrecked the car. He was also growing some dank weed, and that’s why the cops were after him in the first place. Ray McKinnon wrote,... read more

Mar 14, 2012 Posted by kormantic

What time is it? (Adventure Time!)

What time is it? It’s Adventure Time! Come on, grab your friends! And a handy view screen with a solid cable connection. I can’t actually recommend that you buy the DVDs currently available, because for some weird reason, they don’t sell entire seasons? Who knows why. Happily, you can see episodes on Cartoon Network. The cartoon has huge, strong... read more

Mar 12, 2012 Posted by penni

Taxi Driver: Jodie Foster has a big hat

Taxi Driver was released in 1976. I saw it for the first time in about 1996. My second viewing was last Friday night. The film was on a cable channel, with all the swears and no commercials. I know I’m not telling anyone about a movie they’ve never heard of. Taxi Driver launched the careers of legends and is referenced in countless films and TV shows.... read more

Mar 7, 2012 Posted by Nate

Fantasy Characters Behaving Politely

The problem with most popular fantasy is that it’s all reactions to Tolkien, either following staunchly in his footsteps (like David Eddings) or trying to deconstruct the heroic fantasy archetype (like Terry Pratchett). It’s a rare fantasy novel that ignores ol’ J. R. R. altogether. But Susanna Clarke’s first novel draws far more from Pride and... read more

Mar 5, 2012 Posted by melodie

Devour: Devil got my woman

The other day, after I’d said a few words to a friend of mine about how much I liked a movie I’d just seen, she said I see things in movies that nobody else sees, find emotional depth in them that’s imperceptible to most people. I think this was a nice way of saying, “Melodie, you are weird, intense and delusional about your gross... read more