shut the door; have a seat

Monster post on Overthinking It today, overthinking Mad Men Season 3, which just wrapped this past Sunday. Preview:

Mad Men is a story about men and women searching for meaning. Mad Men can tell this story because it’s set in an ad agency. Consumer capitalism, which really came into its own following World War II, [...]

it is not dying; it is not dying

I Still Like Him Better Than Steinbrenner
For my Don Draper costume, I had to shave my sideburns off for the first time in at least six years. This took considerable effort, as attacking six years’ growth with a disposable razor will, and left the skin underneath a little raw. But it looks fine [...]

night swimming deserves a quiet night

My latest post on Overthinking It compares The Demolished Man vs. Demolition Man – the 1951 Alfred Bester novel to the 1993 Sylvester Stallone action flick. They have more in common than a name, you know. (Serpico deserves some credit for inspiring the initial comparison: thanks Serp)
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Imagine the following two different [...]

you belong with me-e-e

Hey all: I put a post up at Overthinking It delving into the Kanye West, Taylor Swift dust-up at the VMAs on Sunday. Go read it.

you’ll never know what it means, but you’ll know how it feels

Hey fans:
My next entry in Overthinking It’s Cargo Cult series reviews Streets of Fire, Walter Hill’s campy 1983 rock musical starring Diane Lane, Rick Moranis and Willem Dafoe. I post YouTube clips in the article containing every good song in the movie, so you’ll want to check it out.
People who’ve been asking when I’m [...]

it was a rainy night when he came into sight

New post on Overthinking It today, which will hopefully inaugurate a series: an in-depth look at the pop cultural legacy of Michael Mann’s The Keep. It’s a train wreck of a horror/fantasy film, starring Gabriel Byrne, Ian McKellen, Jurgen Prochnow, Alberta Watson and Scott Glenn. Music by Tangerine Dream. Oh, right, it’s [...]

that’s where I caught her eye

Hey all.
If you’re into console RPGs, like the Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest series, then you should check out my Overthinking It post on what makes a console RPG an RPG. It’s pretty great.
Not big into video games? Check out some of our recent guest posts, like this article linking Batman and Dostoevsky [...]

that’s the hide and that’s the heart of it

I have some new content pending on Overthinking It, really. I just keep pushing it back.
Why? Well, I know this isn’t much of a sop, but I’ve taken over some of the editing duties from the reliable Wrather as he begins his grad school career in Los Angeles. I’ll still be writing, [...]

the love is the liveliest, the life the loveliest

Three pieces of Overthink:
(1) I have a post up on the Fallout 3 soundtrack and its existentialist implications. It’s long but should be accessible even to people who haven’t played the game. Have fun.
(2) I’m sure you’ve all listened to this week’s Overthinking It podcast. If not, you can hear me stand [...]

it’s like nothing else to make you feel sure you’re alive

I’m in so many other media this week.
First, I have a post up on OTI comparing Burn Notice to John le Carre novels. If you like either, you ought to check out the other. Or, at least, my article.
Second, don’t forget this week’s podcast if you haven’t listened to it already: our 2009 [...]