Author Archives: pk

[8.14.06] books.films

It’s been more than two years since I wrote a “books.films” entry. And although I have been reading some and watching some, distractions such as the Food Network and various blogs have delayed my efforts to increase my lists. Well, time to get myself back on track:

Books
I really enjoyed Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto. It is a graceful ensemble story that involves South American terrorists, beautiful opera music, and unlikely romances. Two of the central characters, one a translator with knowledge of virtually all major languages and the other a superstar soprano of classical opera, renewed my sense of appreciation for languages and music. The book, in many ways, ties language and music together: while the characters cannot communicate clearly to each other because of their many different languages (Japanese, Spanish, Russian, English, etc.), they find common ground through their love of music. And while the message itself is neither ground-breaking nor fresh, I give Patchett much credit for her ability to express it with subtlety and much entertainment.

I began reading The Magus by John Fowles and was a bit startled by the voice and how the first person narration of the young male character, Nicholas, seemed so familiar and similar to the type of narration that I usually chase in any of my writing exercises. Save the eloquence and more complex vocabulary, I found much to compare (and like) in Fowles’s writing in relation to my own. It’s probably nothing special and more of an overexcitement on my part in reading about uncertain (and often cynical) outlooks on life, the (subtle) titillations of sexual possibilities, and moments of self and world-loathing – not uncommon ingredients to a generic young male character narrative. But Fowles is anything but generic and I continue enjoying the unfolding of the story.

I was excited to find Agee on Film Volume 1 in a box of a street book vendor the other day. I have heard much about James Agee’s film reviews in the Atlantic Monthly (from the 1940s) and how his column is more of a lesson on “writing with a voice” than it is on writing good film critiques. I have read a few of his columns, and easily enough, I see what people mean when they praise his “voice.” Sharp, witty, and concise, Agee takes a very distinct angle in reviewing films and engages the reader through a warm and intimate tone that shares more than just a few opinions on movies – we learn about his tastes in art, politics, and his various wishes for improvement in cinema. A treasure find, and I only paid 3 bucks for it!

Films
Scoop, directed by Woody Allen, was a cute and light-hearted film which had some laughable moments but was easily forgettable. The only thing I can really recall is the scene with Scarlett Johansson at the pool wearing her tight red bathing suit. If you’ve already seen Match Point, then perhaps you’ve already been charitable enough to the Allen-Johansson collaborative.

Miss Little Sunshine, on the other hand, was a genuinely fun and moving film that I highly recommend. A pathetic family embarks on a road trip from New Mexico to California so that the young daughter can participate in the Miss Little Sunshine contest. This journey film is a dynamite of clashing personalities, all quirky and off-center in their own way. I especially enjoyed the performances of Greg Kinnear, who plays the motivational speaker and father in constant denial about his failures, and Steve Carell, who plays the suicidal gay uncle and “preeminent scholar of Proust.” And I was very excited when I heard Sufjan Stevens’s Chicago – in instrumental form – being played over the first pan of the van on the road. Could not have chosen a better moment to place the track.

So That’s What We’ve Been Up To

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Tonight, I met up with Wook and Dan – Team Barrel – at Cookshop on Tenth Ave and 20th Street for a “company-sponsored” (tax deductible!) dinner. We went with a nice fruity Spanish white wine, some spicy hominy (think well-spiced popcorn) and grilled Montauk squid for starters, some seafood for entrees (I opted for a light scallop dish, Wook had the black bass, and Dan tried the grouper special), and a good collection of dessert (warm brioche, apricot turnover, raspberry sorbet). We talked big and made many plans, like doubling our fees and finding an office in Manhattan (although there’s always the unspoken sense of – damn, all of this can *poof* go away), but we also had solid conversations about website designs, branding processes, and other work-related topics (like our incredible $100 laser printer purchase off of Craigslist and how to best utilize our new Blackberries). Things feel good when you can talk about what you do and it has that “yeah I’ve been pretty busy” ring to it.

Speaking of which, Wook and I finished updating the Kang & Kim portfolio so people can take a look at what Wook, Dan, and I have done in the past ten months. We’ve kept off some of the more recent clients to include in our new Barrel website (coming soon!), but the K&K portfolio gives you a good sense of who we’ve worked with, the quality of our work, and the design choices we’ve made. Each page has a neat Flash slideshow, so you can get a quick run-through of our efforts without much clicking. Not detailed in our portfolio is the work we’ve done for ColumbiaGroups, our internal project that provided low-cost web and branding solutions to Columbia student groups – probably not the wisest business idea, but a good way to get our name out and try some different designs. And Tailor Made KSA is starting to grow, albeit slowly, as we reach out to more KSAs and do some heavy marketing (thank you Xanga!).

Alright, that’s enough self-promotion for one night. More fun, cool, and good-looking designs to come!

Balcony Blues (3 of 10)

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Note: the series continues!

In this unbearably hot weather, I’ve been unwilling to leave my apartment unless it’s absolutely necessary. Right now, for instance, I’ve left my chilly air-conditioned living room to smoke out here on the balcony because I don’t want my place to smell. I’ve brought out a nearly frozen bottle of Stella to keep me company in this evening heat. I only went out once today, and that was to check on one of my stores. A clerk at the Union Square store noticed that we had no Paul Auster books in stock although our computers showed that we had several of his titles. Could it be that someone had stolen every single one of them? I had read somewhere that his New York Trilogy was the most widely shoplifted book in New York, but it struck me as strange that every Paul Auster book would be missing, even his compiled book of poetry from his Columbia days, which I thought was pretty crappy. I’m wondering if this is something I should be reporting to the police, but before any of that, I’ll just have my people keep a sharper eye out for potential thieves – probably a skinny hipster with torn jeans and messy hair who thinks he’s a writer but is too damn lazy to get a job and buy the books at their already low prices. Bastard. Okay, so a little profiling action and stereotyping – so what? My store(s)!

If money is a concern for buying books, then one should consider buying used books. At my stores, we prefer to sell new books, but for my personal reading, I actually seek out used books only. I love how the previous readers often leave little notes and marks on the pages, giving me something insightful to think about that I probably wouldn’t have come up with on my own. Several of my friends, however, have told me that they find such remnants in used books to be distracting and even degrading to the value of the book. How superficial. I do wonder, though, if the previous reader was a clean person or if he/she was the type of person who didn’t necessarily wash hands after going to the bathroom. Although I take my books into the bathroom with me frequently, I must say that I am pretty good about washing my hands and keeping the books clean. And getting back to the marks in used books — I actually hate writing in books and will never make any of my own marks. It’s a strange thing, I know, but maybe it’s a bookseller’s instinct or something.

Speaking of my own marks, I’ve been asked by my friend Ashley to write a short story for her literary journal called Sprout, which is a charming little publication that is sadly dominated by mediocre self-proclaimed writers. There is the occasional jewel author whose prose makes up for an entire issue that would’ve otherwise been garbage. So I guess if by Sprout the magazine title refers to that budding, rare talent amid the vast wasteland of forgettable writers, then I’d say it’s an excellent name to go by. And come to think of it, I’m a bit anxious because what if I, too, am part of the literary wasteland? She said I should submit a draft by next Thursday. I haven’t written anything at all, but maybe if I re-read some Jhumpa Lahiri and whipped up a pseudo-personal story with ethnic notes – Korean in my case – then it’d be all good. I hate having to italicize words like kimchi and gehsekki, but that’s how you get maximum ethnic mileage out of your story. Probably something about identity and rediscovering my roots would help as well, but of course in a non-cliche, non-Amy Tan sort of way. Ashley is white, not to mention pretty hot, so I’m hoping she’ll dig it. Alright, it’s not too late, so maybe I’ll start writing something.