Happy Friday! This week was a strange one for me. No movie night, lots of weird sleeping hours and working hours. I did very little in terms of entertainment, and if you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that movies are my bread and butter here. That said, I do still have a pulse, so I have a few items you may find interesting.
Podcast: Cinepunx. Starring hosts Liam O’Donnell and Joshua Alvarez, Cinepunx is a thoughtful, relatable, and enjoyable podcast about film. Though they share well thought-out critical opinions, they are not afraid to be total sweethearts and their chemistry as lifelong friends comes through loud and clear. Cinepunx is a delight of a show, and will introduce you to more interesting movies and music than you can keep up with. Each episode is a double-feature, and I can say that even if you haven’t seen or don’t plan on seeing the film they’re discussing, the show is still a treat. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Cinepunx writing on their website and working on a show on their network (Weird, Obscure, and Possibly Unsafe, coming back in the Fall hopefully), and I can say that their genuine kindness is not an act. If you dig what I write on this site, then, check out this cool show!
Music: Nine Inch Nails, Pretty Hate Machine (1989). A few weeks ago, Annamarie and I went to a flea market in Pheonixville and picked up some vinyl. This was her pick. Initially I balked. Why would I pick up NIN on vinyl when there was so much other real music available… jazz ensembles, folk, classical… stuff that would really benefit from hi-fi sound? I was dead wrong. Pretty Hate Machine is a fantastic, sonically complex, near-perfect record, and Nine Inch Nails is a band that I’ve been sleeping on for way too long. Something about the industrial sound always struck me as cold and formulaic, but listening to this record all the way through really changed my mind. Heartily recommended.
YouTube: 25 Minute Zazen Meditation | Path to the inner center with Zen-Master. If you’ve ever been curious about meditation, this is a pretty good video to get you started. In this video, Zen Master Hinnerk Polenski (Ethan Hawke lookalike) guides you from start to finish through a full 25-minute Zazen session. Sometimes it’s helpful to have a guide!
That’s it for this week. I hope you’ve found something interesting here, and I hope you (yes you) have a fantastic weekend. Cheers!
Jacob N. Given 