Author Archives: williamjcobb

NY Times Review of "Life During Wartime"

Sounds good to me: http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/07/23/movies/23life.html?hpw=&pagewanted=2

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A New Todd Solondz film! "Life During Wartime"

To note that summertime is a wasteland of stupidfilm is an understatement, but to read in the NY Times this morning that Todd Solondz has a new film coming out, well, that puts a smile on my face. Happiness (1998) … Continue reading

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On Rick Moody's new novel, "The Four Fingers of Death"

So I’m reviewing Rick Moody’s new novel, The Four Fingers of Death, which, after a rocky start, is turning out to be a fun read. A couple quick observations: It’s 700 plus pages, as in Infinite Jest long long long. … Continue reading

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The Influence of the Beatles on Impressionable Children

Here’s Rocky Raccoon in the wild.

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Fireworks, Lightning, Stardust

At the annual fireworks show over Lake Deweese in Custer County, Colorado, a terrific lightning show unfolded behind the mountains, with constant lightning & thunder for over two hours. The storm clouds were low and above them, a perfectly clear … Continue reading

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On Custer's Penis and Sitting Bull's Bloody Arms

So I feel Richard Brautigan’s (1935-1984, R.I.P.) ghost hovering over me this cool Colorado morning, on this July 4th, while reading about a battle in Montana in 1876, perhaps a mythic, blood-stained centennial. He lived and wrote late in his … Continue reading

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Summer of the Beatles and the Caterpillars

So this summer I’ve been turning my daughter on to the Beatles, meanwhile rediscovering how great they were, taking me back. I was a child when “Let It Be” was on the AM radio airwaves and I remember it as … Continue reading

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On Nathaniel Philbrick's "The Last Stand," in Memory of George Armstrong Custer

Writing a book about Custer’s Last Stand is a bit tricky, considering you have stiff competition from Evan S. Connell’s masterpiece Son of the Morning Star (1986), but Nathaniel Philbrick’s new book, The Last Stand, just published, is an immediate … Continue reading

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Review of Nic Pizzolatto's "Galveston," a Knockout Crime Novel

I was camping in the mountains west of Cottonwood Pass, Colorado this weekend, but on Sunday the following review of mine appeared in the Dallas Morning News: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/books/stories/DN-bk_galveston_0620gd.ART.State.Bulldog.2951729.html Galveston is a terrific book, and whenever I get a chance I’m … Continue reading

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Daniel Woodrell's "Winter's Bone" Film Out and About

I’ve blogged before about Daniel Woodrell’s novel Winter’s Bone (2006): There’s a review today in the NY Times of the film version, which sounds good, gets glowing praise: http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/movies/11winter.html?hpw. And being an indie film, this review is just the kind of … Continue reading

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