Unlikely Words » 4 stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 6

aaron cohen — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:40:43 +0000

I watched this entire season hours after having all 4 of my impacted wisdom teeth removed. I remember enjoying it, but can't remember any plot specifics at all. So much so, that when I watched the premier of season 7, I went back to see if I had actually watched season 5 instead of 6.

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Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story by Chuck Klosterman

aaron cohen — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:00:20 +0000

Hearing how Chuck Klosterman's voice sounds on Bill Simmons' podcasts makes it a little more awesome to read this book. I thought the premise tying this book together was unnecessary, as Spin could have just sent Klosterman on a road trip. It's worth reading even if I don't know whether to pronounce Klosterman as Close-terman or Claws-terman.

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Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

aaron cohen — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:41:14 +0000

This was a great collection of short stories. Although the stories all had different plots, there were strong themes tying them all together. I liked the first story and those towards the end. ###Possibly related posts:Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story by Chuck Klosterman David Sedaris, When You Are Engulfed In Flames [...] ### Possibly related posts:

The Last Pale Light In The West – Ben Nichols (2008)

aaron cohen — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 01:29:13 +0000

Based on the book Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, The Last Pale Light In The West is a solo effort by Ben Nichols of Lucero. It's weird, an EP based on a book, but every song, even the my least favorite, is great. 4 stars, instead of 5, because all of the songs sort of sound the same, which ends up being fine, actually, but might rub some of you the wrong way.

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In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien

aaron cohen — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:59:08 +0000

Everything seems to be out there in the open in this book, and yet, I couldn't help shaking a general feeling of uneasiness. I think this was the first of Tim O'Brien's books I read not set in Vietnam (though you could say it was) and the first I read about a soldier after coming home. Easy to read, but not a beach book.

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Californication Seaon 2 (2008)

aaron cohen — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:51:49 +0000

Another solid outing from this show that doesn't do too much. There's something to be said for just being entertaining without constantly disappointing your viewers with gimmicks. I liked Lou Ashby's character the best, such a lovable scamp. ###Possibly related posts:Californication Season 1 (2007) Pineapple Express (2008) Weeds Season 4 (2008) ### Possibly related posts:

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin

aaron cohen — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 20:44:32 +0000

It might be just me, but I really struggled through the first 125-odd pages of this book until Lincoln got elected (sorry for the spoiler. He dies at the end. Damn it, again!). Kearns has obviously written the book from the perspective that Lincoln always made the right decision, and thus didn't include any decisions he got wrong. That said, Lincoln sure seemed to make a hell of a lot of decisions correctly.

Bonus links:
Lincoln Memorials in NYC, 16 hour audiobook of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates and superpower Lincoln biopic coming in 2011 from Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner, Liam Neeson, and Sally Field, with music by John Williams.

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Lucero, The Paradise – Boston, MA 4/16/09 Review

aaron cohen — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:34:36 +0000

After only seeing Lucero in divier venues (The Middle East, The Living Room, and a dingy boat riding around the Boston Harbor), I was interested to see what they did in a classier venue, like the Paradise. While the sold-out crowd was into it from the get go - singing along and finger pointing - the band started out a little stiff. Whether it was playing some new songs or the newer arrangements to older standards or the apparent complete sobriety, something wasn't clicking on stage for the first couple songs. The situation turned around quickly, though, and after the audience carried the band out of gate, they were treated to the Lucero performance they were expecting. [I don't know if there's ever been a more vanilla opening paragraph, blech. Writing about things dispassionately sucks!]

The band was joined on stage by a slide guitarist and keyboardist (and at one point towards the end, some random bald guy from the audience singing a Replacements cover) adding extra heft to the songs and all told, Lucero played for two and a half hours, which is NUTS. It got sloppy towards the end of the night, which is hard to avoid when 2 of the members are drinking straight from bottles of Jameson, but this was still the most polished performance I've seen - Ben only forgetting the words to one song and mixing around the verse order of another - and really, what did you expect?

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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

aaron cohen — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:40:20 +0000

Not deserving of Oscar nominations for anything other than make up and cinematography, if Button wins any of the bigger awards, we'll know once and for all the Academy is full of shit. I didn't not like the movie and truthfully, I enjoyed it. Everyone who watches it probably sticks to the end to see how a man aging backwards dies.

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Generation Kill (2008)

aaron cohen — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:48:50 +0000

You could tell Generation Kill was written by the guys who did the Wire because of the military specific jargon. Also, because I wanted to watch it all at once and when it was over, I wanted desperately to see more. Of course, being as hard boiled as they are, though, viewer discretion is advised.

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Entourage Season 5

aaron cohen — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 03:40:07 +0000

Season 5 already? I like this show, and you will too if you enjoy fantastical adventures of a Hollywood star and his gang, filled with camaraderie and bonhomie. My wife asked why I like Entourage and the explanation is it's the best example of friends ripping on each other on TV. ###Possibly related posts:Weeds Season [...] ### Possibly related posts:

Extras Season 1 and Season 2

aaron cohen — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:37:18 +0000

Remember the squirmy awkwardness you had from watching the UK Office? You'll get that again with the first season of Extras. The second season, with its mocking of the instant celebrity culture, could be Ricky Gervais' response to fame. ###Possibly related posts:The Office in China Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 6 The Office – Why Have [...] ### Possibly related posts:

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (2007)

aaron cohen — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:00:27 +0000

I listened to The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao while riding my bike too and from work and so didn't notice the extensive use of footnotes by Díaz. Oscar Wao's greatness is not in the story, but in the fantastic and interesting narrative that featured multiple narrators (confusing to follow at first). There were several sci-fi/fantasy/comic/anime references if that's your thing.

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Cory Branan – TT The Bears, Cambridge, MA (10/11/08)

aaron cohen — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:17:38 +0000

Cory Branan, a singer from Memphis (now living in Austin), sung about in a Lucero song, is a compelling stage presence. Dustying up his voice to better suit the narration of the song and playing the shit out of his acoustic guitar, Branan is a little bit country, a little bit rock n' roll. There weren't too many people there, but those who were had a good time.

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Iron Man (2008)

aaron cohen — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 03:43:00 +0000

Maybe it was me (or my ability to like crappy movies, rather), but I really enjoyed this Iron Man. Excellent pacing, casting, acting, story, action... Watch it. ###Possibly related posts:What Happens in Vegas (2008) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) Horton Hears a Who! (2008) ### Possibly related posts:

Lucero – Boston, MA – Rocks On Boat Cruise

aaron cohen — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 02:58:42 +0000

It was terrible weather for a cruise around Boston Harbor, but Lucero is one of my favorite bands and I was on a boat with several of my friends. The sound wasn't so good, but Lucero is one of my favorite bands and I was on the boat with several of my friends. You couldn't see the band at all, but Lucero is one of my favorite bands and I was on the boat with several of my friends.

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WALL·E (2008)

aaron cohen — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 22:02:32 +0000

WALL·E was great and I'm glad I saw it on the big screen. Again, this was a case where I had sky high expectations that were not met, but being disappointed by movies like WALL·E and The Dark Knight is preferable any day to having my love of visual media shaken to its core by drivel like Reservation Road. Endearing in its cuteness, cutting in its editorializing.

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Deadwood Seasons 2 and 3

aaron cohen — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:40:33 +0000

I took a long break after watching Season 1 of Deadwood, and I made up for it by burning through Seasons 2 and 3 in a week. Season 3 definitely ended with some untied loose ends, but not in a cliffhanger, making the show's cancellation a LITTLE easier to take. I end up cursing creatively and excessively for 2 weeks after watching Deadwood.

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The Fountain (2006)

The Dark Knight (2008)

aaron cohen — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 21:34:49 +0000

I can't help but be disappointed by a movie that garnered as much hype as The Dark Knight did. This movie was great and I can't wait to see it again, actually, but neither the movie, in general, or Heath Ledger, specifically, lived up to the my incredibly and irrationally high expectations. Sitting in the 2nd row of the theater couldn't have helped, either.

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American Hardcore, 2006

aaron cohen — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 14:13:29 +0000

I spent about 90 minutes watching this movie and waiting for it to be over because it's mostly about hardcore from the early 80s that I don't like too much. Then, I decided to check out the special features and spent another 50 minutes riveted by the extra interviews. The special features raised this movie from 2 stars to 4 stars.

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