The whole shelf
Posts
Everything on the blog, grouped by subject.
Movies
Open sectionWhy the First Iron Man Still WorksBefore the universe became the attraction, one sharp character and a box of scraps were enough.
The Best Scene in Iron Man Has No Armor in ItA quiet conversation on a rooftop explains the whole movie.
Arrival and the Shape of UnderstandingA science-fiction film where listening is the most consequential form of action.
Heat and the City Between ThemMichael Mann turns Los Angeles into the distance separating two men who understand each other.
Movies Where the City Becomes a CharacterFive films that understand streets, rooms, and transit systems as more than backgrounds.
The Pleasure of a Good RewatchKnowing what happens can make room for everything happening around it.
Books
Open sectionReading Without Trying to FinishA book can be valuable even when it does not become a completed task.
A Small Shelf of Science FictionFive novels that use impossible ideas to ask recognizably human questions.
The Second-Hand Bookshop TestThe best shelves make you curious about subjects you did not know you wanted.
Journal
Open sectionIn Praise of an Ordinary NotebookThe notebook I use most is the one I am least afraid to spoil.
Listening to an Album All the Way ThroughA sequence of songs can create an attention that shuffle never asks for.
What I Keep on the TableA small inventory of the objects that survive every attempt to clear the surface.