It's time for another Timothée Chalamet appreciation post, complete with an updated ranking of his films, unlike any other you'll see on the internet.
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The Dune Post
Dune: Part Two is now one of my favorite movies ever, but this post is about a lot more than that.
Movie Monday: Interstellar
While the cinematography and sound design are the obvious aspects to applaud in this space-oriented drama, the comic relief provided by the robot TARS and the subtle jabs between characters are what keep the audience from being crushed by the gravity of their reality.
Movie Monday: Sherlock Holmes
Readers (and viewers) need not know anything of Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation to appreciate the timeless relationship of a Holmes and his Watson, which in Johnson’s version is demonstrated in the shortest of dialogues and the sharpest of monologues.
Review: When I Grow Up… by Chen Chen
When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities is an important book for its passion and politics, but just as much so for its playfulness and positivity. With poems like these, poets will surely find themselves inspired to write and be their fullest selves.
Punk’s not poetry, but…let’s talk about blink-182
In preparation for this release from Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus, and Travis Barker, I went back in time (in my mind) and tried to listen to blink-182's complete discography with the ears of each era. In doing so, I made some interesting observations...
Review: Monsters I Have Been by Kenji C. Liu
Kenji C. Liu’s Monsters I Have Been is a wild ride through his denunciation of toxic masculinity and praise of gender fluidity. The method he uses to express these, however, is almost laughable in its strangeness; while shockingly original, it lacks a necessary accessibility in communicating its message(s) to readers.
Review: Looking for the Gulf Motel by Richard Blanco
This book is equal parts about culture, family, and self-discovery, and likely every reader can relate to the struggle with those things. Not every poet can bridge the gap between their own experiences and others, but Blanco does it expertly by incorporating food, speech, music, and the smallest physical details in his poems.
Review: Wade in the Water by Tracy K. Smith
Although the intent of individual poems in this ambitious collection is not always clear, Smith’s found poetry drives home the reality of harms done to the people of this country, especially to black people enslaved by white people.
I’m getting an MFA, and I need your help!
Right now, each semester will cost me just over $9,000, after my $1,000/semester scholarship is subtracted. Each year, two 10-day residencies occur on campus in LA, which will cost me about $2,500 in terms of plane tickets, lodging, transportation, and food (and that's a low estimate).
Caitlin M.S. Buxbaum 