The whirlwind extended family visit last weekend left me with nothing to write about this week (sorry!), but I have big plans for movies and a trip to the ballet this weekend. In the meantime, links of the week!
- I don’t know quite what to make of the new preview for Baz Luhrmann’s Great Gatsby adaptation. My distaste for 3D still makes me cringe at the thought, but I have a ridiculously soft spot for Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!, and now that I think about it, his distinctive earnest extravagance actually might suit Fitzgerald’s classic better than one might expect. The preview has its moments. Who knows?
- Alyssa Rosenberg’s analysis of the gender dynamics at play in the unraveling of ’90s-era neo-soul singer D’Angelo is thoughtful and sad. I haven’t gotten around to reading the GQ profile she links to, but that’s probably worth reading as well.
- Vulture‘s unsentimental analysis of the future of Community in the wake of the firing of creator Dan Harmon almost pulls me back from the brink of despondency over the situation. Kind of. I’m still sad.
- Kim Morgan’s essay on director Wes Anderson reminds me of how much I adore Rushmore and, even more, The Royal Tenenbaums, even if he did fold in on himself a bit after that, and now I’m psyched about Moonrise Kingdom (on the agenda for this weekend—yay!).
- One of the many things to love about New York are the bodega cats. For the uninitiated, bodega cats are quasi-tame felines who live in small convenience stores. The owners are fined if health inspectors discover the cats—they’re against code—but since vermin also provoke fines, many shop owners consider the cats worth the risk. Plus, they’re awfully cute, as this Gothamist slideshow of user-submitted photos attests. (I still miss the bodega kitty who lived near our old apartment in Astoria. She made late-night shop runs a treat.)
Much Review About Nothing 
I’m disappointed that I’ve never seen a bodega cat during my visits to NY. It looks like they could be easy to miss since cats do like to sleep in hidden places. There are some very cute kittie pictures in that link. Also, I was interested in the assessment of “Community” – it’s past and future. I’m going to be optimistic about the upcoming season because there are obviously many people other than Dan Harmon who have contributed to its greatness. (Dan Harmon reminds me of what I’ve read about Steve Jobs – brilliant people are sometimes very difficult to work with.)
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