Junk Journal Week 36

Sunday and Monday a virus took up most of my time and reminded me that I will not live forever. Otherwise, I like to post my weekly media consumption every Sunday.

I will say a few words about some of these items, beginning with books. 

• I have decided to try and read more biographies of artists and books about artists. Lubow’s Diane Arbus book is probably the deepest dive into the life and work of this remarkable photographer. Somehow she focused on freaks but, at least in my opinion, had a sense of warmth in her work. Her relationship with her brother, the poet Howard Nemerov, is worth thinking about.
• I am now about halfway through John Layman’s epic graphic novel series Chew and enjoy it.
• Helen Phillips’ Hum is a well written dystopia about a future filled with AI, smartphones, and ubiquitous advertising. I don’t think I was the ideal reader. I also found myself a little confused at times, in particular, what, exactly, was the hum?
• Vinson Cunningham’s novel is not so much a campaign memoir as a Bildungsroman about a young man who is shaped by ideas and books, particularly the Bible.

Screens:

• The Serpent Queen is a historical drama about Catherine de’ Medici and 16th c. France. Plenty of scheming, sex, violence, religious conflict, and death.
• I watched two Norwegian pictures. Oslo is about the struggles of one man trying to overcome addiction during a brief trip outside a rehab center. The Hypnosis is a satire of app and startup culture.
• Finally, Blake Edwards is a name worth knowing for Peter Gunn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the Pink Panther, his collaboration with the composer Henry Mancini and actress, singer, and wife Julie Andrews. Victor/Victoria is worth your time.