PicoBlog

In a 2002 commentary for a re-release of Citizen Kane (1941), Roger Ebert made the observation that the film probably has as many, if not more, special effects shots than Star Wars (1977). Even if that’s not true (I couldn’t find anything confirming or denying it), it definitely has more special effects shots than you would think. You’ll always hear “deep focus photography” talked about when you hear about Citizen Kane, but what does that really mean?

In mid-October I boarded a plane in Ternate bound for Lombok, via the cities of Makassar and Surabaya. My journey across Wallacea — from its southwesternmost point on Lombok, to its northeasternmost island, Morotai — was complete. After more than five months on the road, I was finally headed home. In the course of my journey I’ve seen many things, but it was perhaps fitting for it to end in the Spice Islands, destination for traders, explorers and colonizers for over two millennia.

~ LOVE & MURDER ~ 30ml Campari 20ml green Chartreuse 10ml gin (or vodka) 15ml lime juice Pinch of salt (optional) Place all of the above in a shaker. Add the ice. And then shake it all up. Double-strain into a chilled coupe. Some L&M notes: 1. The Love & Murder is in cocktail terms, a babe-in-arms. It was invented by Nick Bennett of Porchlight, NYC, in 2021 where it is still on the menu, price: $18.

~ VERMOUTH & SODA ~ 60ml vermouth 10-20ml liqueur/syrup Squeeze of citrus ~60-120ml soda Pour the vermouth into a wine glass. Or any glass, really, doesn’t matter. Squeeze in a wedge of citrus and drop it in. Add liqueur or syrup to taste (please note, you’ll need more liqueur than you would syrup). Top with soda, not too much. Some Vermouth & Soda Notes: 1) This is a much looser recipe than I’ve ever given before.

Yes, I know. I owe you more French Revolution – the Thermidorian Reaction in particular. It’s coming, it’s coming! I got distracted by an amazing new book about noteworthy trends during the forty years before the Revolution finally kicked off — nothing comes out of nowhere – and I’ll report on that, too. Meanwhile, I got sucked down the rabbit hole — no! Wrong direction! I got swept up into the sky during the migratory bird migration phenomenon on Pelee Island, in the middle of Lake Erie – the southernmost inhabited bit of Canada.

Run Time: 1h 21m Star Rating: ★★★★★ “I was ready to leave a long time ago, I just didn’t know it then.” —Joan Berkman The Squid and the Whale is a creation of Noah Baumbach and Wes Anderson. The film follows the Berkman family as they navigate an unhappy marriage. Bernard Berkman, the patriarch, is supposed to be the all-round artiste, but since meeting her husband, Joan Berkman has found arguably more success.

The next installment of Ask Ugly, my monthly beauty advice column for the Guardian, is here —featuring the long-awaited results of The Pubic Hair Poll, answered by 14,000+ people. Read On The Guardian A preview: Dear Ugly,  I am a 30-something, straight, cisgender woman that is recently divorced. I’ve started dating again and I already feel completely lost when it comes to how I should be “styling” my pubic hair.

This is Mechanical Mischief, a column on mechanical issues with tabletop (and video) games and what the potential solutions are. There is a widespread desire to avoid explicit mechanics on a number of things in tabletop communities. The broad community believes that mechanisation will undercut DM discretion, make running games harder and lead to rules lawyers who backbite against the group. They are not entirely wrong. It is something that arose during 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons’ reign, and it is covered partially in the System Scorn article on 3.

Ep5 of Cultureshock (on Hulu) is a deep dive on Chris Rock's “Bring the Pain” and how it changed comedy. W. Kamau Bell directed and it’s really well done (and even features Oprah). Here’s a clip: In the doc, Rock talks about what he learned from watching Martin Lawrence crush: “It’s not enough to just tell a joke, you have to sell a joke.” It’s not enough to just tell a joke, you have to sell a joke.