b.rox

Simon Dorfman has posted a video interview with yours truly at PeopleOfNewOrleans.com.

Simon Dorfman has launched PeopleOfNewOrleans.com. Check out his self-interview for an idea of what the project is about.

It’s been eight months since Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. Xy and I made a little (two minute) video to mark the occasion, as we did at the five and six month marks. You can watch it here:

Eight Months Post-Katrina on Vimeo
Or, if you have Quicktime 7, you can download a higher-quality [...]

Many ages ago, in my pre-Katrina life, I had embarked on an cinematic odyssey via Netflix, to see all the movies I’d always wanted to see but never had — in alphabetical order. Many people have thought this was an odd way to proceed, but it provides a nice mix. I’d get bored if I [...]

Well, ROX #93 is finished at last. You can watch it online if you so desire.

Jason Berry has published a video about the current state of New Orleans which is so much better than my little efforts, it puts me to shame. Seriously. It’s obvious that a lot more work and thought went into this. So check it out.
Also, Michael’s ten-year-old daughter made a video about post-Katrina New Orleans. It’s [...]

Six months after the storm. People are taking stock. Me too.
I’d describe my mood as one of tightly bridled optimism. I’m not sure if that puts me in the minority or the majority. There’s all kinds of polls flying around, mostly worthless because the Katrina diaspora and the lack of functioning landlines in New Orleans [...]

We woke up this morning to the sound of major demolition. Sure enough, they’re tearing down Physicians Hospital, just like we heard they would.
I don’t mourn the passage of these buildings too much. They were in pretty sad shape pre-Katrina, abandoned for years. I’m not sure if they were salvageable.
My boss and I came by [...]

If you’re from New Orleans, or if you care about the city, I wouldn’t advise you to watch this allegedly funny video. No, it’s not funny. It’s just plain hateful. If you watch it, it’s going to make you angry. So don’t.

Xy and I made a little video to mark five months since Katrina. It’s kind of like our own miniature state of the union address.

I was sad to hear this morning that The West Wing has been cancelled.
This was the only broadcast television series that I thoroughly enjoyed. I thought the writing and acting was brilliant. And I only tuned in for the last two seasons, when the quality had supposedly fallen off.
I am also thoroughly sheepish about my [...]

Xy and I wanted to see Munich on Christmas Day. It’s only showing at one theater locally, so we drove out to Clearview Mall for the first time ever — but the movie sold out just as we got there. Xy bought tickets for The Producers instead. Then she changed her mind and traded them [...]

As I write this I’m sitting in the Prytania movie theater in Uptown New Orleans for what is surely the most awesome premiere I’ve ever attended. We are waiting to see Waiting, and there’s a live jazz band out front and three — count em — open bars, two outside the theater and one inside, [...]

Here’s a video clip [QuickTime, 17MB] of our evacuation from New Orleans.

Strange — there were only six movies on our list that started with “N.”
Good:

Night and Fog — 1955. Short and brutal documentary about the Holocaust. Why hasn’t the narration been translated into multiple languages?
Nashville — 1975. I’ve come to the conclusion that Robert Altman’s flicks just don’t translate to the small screen very well. I [...]

I already posted my thoughts on the seven “Man” films. Here’s the rest of the letter M. This letter was plagued by an abundance of technical problems.
Note: Of course, I loved Microcosmos and The Maltese Falcon and Magnolia and Midnight Cowboy and Minority Report and Manufacturing Consent and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and my [...]

Our friend’s sister is getting married in a hurry, because the groom has to ship off to Iraq. They had a videographer lined up, but because they had to change the date and fast-forward everything, that fell through.
So they asked me. Yikes! I’ve videotaped two weddings, one of which qualified as a complete disaster. It’s [...]

We’ve still got a lot of movies that start with “M” on our list, but we’ve muddled our way through the manly films — that is, films that start with the word “man.”
Bestest:

The Man in the White Suit — 1951. Brilliant.

Quite good:

A Man for All Seasons — 1966. The King has big shoulder pads.
The Man [...]

Figured out last night how to drive all the guests from our house. Just play Man with the Movie Camera. Jeez.

We watched 27 movies beginning with the letter L.
Most excellent:

Life is Beautiful — 1997.

Good:

The Last Hurrah — 1958. Romanticizes the old-school political boss, which is a bit hard to swallow, but still it’s an excellent film.
The Last Samurai — 2003. Very good, but should have been great.
The Last Seduction — 1994. Lots of twists and [...]