big media list
happy campers – this film, written and directed by the writer of the classic (in my book at least) ‘heathers’ combines some of the intelligence, wit, and realistic cultural commentary of heathers with the hijinx and sexuality of ‘wet hot american summer’. despite it’s departure from being a total farse and it’s attempts at philosophizing, it turns out to still be much funnier than ‘wet hot american summer’ and the not so much serious as real undertones are appreciated. this one must have gone straight to video but it’s real good.
the thermals – the pop hooks and garagey influences invoke the better aspects of the strokes but this is more rocking and less cheesy. for some reason, the vocals and lyrical phrasing reminds me a little of the more up-temp neutral milk hotel songs. it’s going to be my hot summer jam.
quicksilver – book one of neal stephenson’s ‘the baroque cycle’ it puts the reader in a seemingly well-researched world that sits between that created in stephenson’s earlier work ‘cryptonomicon’ and colonial america. i don’t usually enjoy period pieces but this novel seems to rely less on the novelty of the past as the opportunity it offers to contemplate the novelty of the present and it’s science that we take for granted. all this scientific and mathematical history coupled with some social commentary or philosophizing and enough adventure to appeal to a lot of my literary desires. it’s thick but i’m sure i’ll get through it quick.