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Lyric
I can’t remember which philosopher observed that life is a series of back and forth movements, from positions of risk to positions of relative safety. This is true not only on an hour-to-hour level—driving a car, then sleeping in a cozy bed—but in a larger sense... read more
Found in: Music, FeaturesThe Fog of War
Paste's J. Robert Parks interviews filmmaker Errol Morris on his Academy Award-winning documentary The Fog of War and explores the film's portrayal of former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, Vietnam, WWII and the Cuban Missile Crisis... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsNaked Lunch
“Exterminate all rational thought.” The work of William Burroughs could well be said to follow this edict, dodging all traditional aspects of narrative and decorum. It’s also a phrase spoken by the protagonist early of this remarkable film adaptation of Burroughs’ most notorious novel. Strangely, what makes the film so compelling is just how rationally director David Cronenberg handles his source material. And the great irony is this—never has such a wealth of insight into the mind of William Burroughs been available, until now. Much has been made of how unfilmable a novel Naked Lunch really is. In a documentary... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsWhale Rider
Whale Rider tells the story of a young girl, Paikea, who lives in New Zealand with a stern grandfather who, apparently, needs to get modern. Every scene tells us this and gives us an opportunity to tsk-tsk his staunch rejection of his granddaughter who he believes, despite her lineage, can’t inherit the leadership of this Maori village because of her gender. She’ll need to convince her grandfather she can lead just as well as the boys can, and she’ll need to do it before the end of the movie. But just when you think you have the film pegged, its... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsThe Triplets of Belleville
The Triplets of Belleville—an animated film that hearkens back to the glory days of silent cinema with a story that’s both brilliant and wickedly funny—is one of the most inventive and enchanting movies you’ll see this year. It captures the spirit of both Jacques Tati and children’s picture books. The former is embodied by the hilarious jokes that spring up out of the simplest devices. A hand grenade thrown into a swamp, a dog and a piece of chewing gum and a whistle in a grandmother’s mouth are all used to sublime effect. Triplets captures the way silent comedy used... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsMy Architect: A Son's Journey
In The Ballad of Ramblin’ Jack, a documentary released in 2000, Aiyana Elliott tells the life story of her folk-singing father, Jack Elliott. When she wishes aloud that her father had done more parenting than rambling, the musicians from Jack’s past say, well, yes but then we wouldn’t have the music of Ramblin’ Jack and might not have the music of Bob Dylan. In My Architect, Nathaniel Kahn seems to be searching for someone who’ll say something similar about his father, architect Louis Kahn, but the hypothetical scenario is more complex in Kahn’s tale. As an illegitimate child, he wouldn’t... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsCrimson Gold
Iranian director Jafar Panahi burst onto the world cinema scene in the mid-’90s with The White Balloon. What appeared to be a simplistic tale about a young girl trying to buy a goldfish for New Year’s was revealed to be much more—a moving meditation on a changing Iran, driven home by an extraordinary freeze-frame ending. His next two features, The Mirror and The Circle, both garnered critical acclaim but couldn’t match the subtlety of his debut. Crimson Gold, which won major prizes at both the Cannes and Chicago film festivals, is a move in the right direction but is still... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsFog of War
For those who lived through the ’60s, the name Robert McNamara provokes an entire range of emotions and experiences. But even those too young to remember the former U.S. Secretary of Defense will find Errol Morris’ amazing new film, The Fog of War, an incredibly relevant portrait of a man who helped shape the 20th century. The primary thrust of the movie is a series of interviews Morris did with McNamara beginning in May 2001 and continuing through the winter of 2002-03. They used Morris’ famous Interroton device, a movie camera that also allows an interviewee to look at a... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsDave Matthews
Dave Matthews is trying to get to the bathroom. When he stood up a few minutes ago, the door was only 20 paces away. Now it’s about 15, but with each step someone recognizes him and stops to shake his hand... read more
Found in: Music, FeaturesFrom the Cradle
Even if Ellis Hooks' music weren’t so utterly compelling and unusual, his story might warrant novelistic treatment by Walter Mosley or James Baldwin—or at least might personify some folk tale that traveled up north from the mysterious South via the underground railroad... read more
Found in: Music, Features
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