The Bloggomist: Genre Hound
Film Opinion

In celebration of the success of recent films that explore themes related to madness and distorted reality (Shutter Island, Alice in Wonderland), I’d like to recommend a vintage “undiscovered” gem titled Lilith from 1964. The film features a brilliant, haunting performance by Jean Seberg and a strange, subdued turn by a very young Warren Beatty.

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The Bloggomist: Design in the Blood
Design Opinion

I’ll admit it doesn’t happen too often, but today I’m speechless. I usually have to look far and wide for examples of dubious design that should be punishable in a court of law…or at least punishable by ridicule and a loss of face. Sometimes I can pull a good example from a mental checklist of past observations, but not often does a multi-faceted specimen of frivolity fall on my lap so neatly, confirming all along that the realm of celebrity design has reached its peak of pointlessness. In this situation however, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

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Bloggomist: Today’s Dish / Yesterday’s Spam
Political Opinion

Two weeks ago, Canadian authorities were notified by an Xbox live gamer in British Columbia that one of his Modern Warfare 2 teammates had threatened to gun down classmates at his high school. According to Kotaku, the teen had planned to obtain weapons “from a friend in the Marine Corps,” claimed he would shoot a pregnant classmate and his best friend, and “make the headlines so that people would remember him forever.” →

The Bloggomist: The Local Boy
Culture Opinion

I’m blessed with a job that affords me the opportunity to see in-person the people we gawk at on TV.  Some I see randomly, others are consistent visitors.  It’s nothing worth name-dropping; I don’t delude myself–it’s not like they came to see me–I’m just the lucky bystander who happened to cross their path.  I chat with them, show them the collections, bring them pieces, and do my best to not look awkward while I stand by and watch them browse obliviously through the store.  It’s not much, but I still feel lucky.  Those moments are still a world more than most will ever get to experience. →

The Bloggomist: Let Us Now Praise Famous Men
Music Opinion

In the last days of Jay Reatard’s life, there were no signs of impending self-destruction. The 29-year-old garage and punk rock musician seemed to be picking up his life, having recently bought a new home in Tennessee and released a full-length record on New York’s Matador Records. His last Tweets contained little of the vitriol he frequently leveled at antagonists →

The Bloggomist: Genre Hound
Film Opinion

The genre of war film has been sorely lacking in recent years. Rarely do independent films rise to the occasion of rivaling classic studio releases in the war genre. Films like The Best Years of Our Lives, Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line, The Dirty Dozen and Bridge on the River Kwai have traditionally featured big stars and big budgets. 2009 marks a year when two independent studio-based films,  up for Best Picture, represent polar opposites of the spectrum regarding this specific genre →

The Bloggomist: Acorn & Oak Tree
Fashion Opinion

Tonight I’m watching the first round of Olympic women’s figure skating. As these teenage girls, weighed down by pancake makeup and pressure well beyond their years, parade in front of millions in precarious footwear, I can only think how different it is from that other world cultural event going on right now: fashion week. →

The Bloggomist: Why I Love D.C.
Fashion Opinion

Has the stigma about DC’s bland sense of style gone away since Michelle Obama moved to the White House or Robin Givhan’s return to Washington give rise to a focus on DC fashion?

I’ve always felt that style has existed in Washington for decades but there were moments that had the entire country and world keeping a close watch on DC style.   →

The Bloggomist: Design in the Blood
Design Opinion

We live in a branded world. It’s a phenomenon that is both glaringly obvious yet completely unnoticeable at the same time. A good brand experience can command lifetime loyalty, whereas a bad experience can do quite the opposite. If a company puts all its weight behind their brand image and something goes wrong, however trivial, they have much further to fall in the court of public opinion than a low-key competitor.
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The Bloggomist: The Local Boy
Film Opinion

Don’t laugh but one of my guilty pleasures used to be old Louis L’Amour western novels.  My father palmed me one while I was doing homework during high school.  ”Read it,” he told me, grinning.  ”It’s just fun.”  The cheesy looking cover and yellowed edges weren’t doing an convincing, but I figured I might as well humor Ba and just tell him I was bored out of my mind if it didn’t work out.  A day later I was asking if he had anymore. →