northwestfive: Archive

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J.D. Salinger R.I.P

I have been very saddened by today’s news that one of my favourite writers, J.D. Salinger has died. He was 91, so has death was to be expected sooner or later. I have only read one of his books, which is not actually true as I have read two others, but that was a long time ago and in not in English and I didn’t really get them, so I will give them another try. And as I heard on the...

Jan 28th

stratospheric_260110_04 » CONTEMPORIST →

I came across this today. Sadly I most probably won’t be able to experience these first-hand, so these photos will have to do.

Jan 28th

Pickup On South Street

I saw this 1953 Sam Fuller film for the first time yesterday (I believe, at least I don’t have any recollection of seeing it before). Anyway, as is usually the case with films from that period, I admire the way the people all seem to have dressed, in suits and the like, Wheras today wearing a suit is mostly confined to attending festivities or being a member of certain professional classes....

Jan 26th

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Jan 25th

the briggait →

A recently transformed cultural center in the heart of Glasgow’s Merchant City. Have not been there myself yet, but will put that onto my schedule for my next visit.

Jan 24th

Concrete House in Mar Azul Forest by BAK... →

There’s a lot I love about this house: The exterior treatment, the shapes, the setting and the views from the inside - my only problems with it are the inside surfaces. As much as I love concrete I don’t think I would be comfortable having both concrete walls and floors.

Jan 24th

Jan 23rd

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Trees Lounge

Haven’t watched this for the first time, but fortunately a never tire of watching this little gem of a film. This is essentially rather light-hearted take on lives that are overall not exactly going as planned. Especially not for Tommy (S. Buscemi) who’s been fired from his job as a car mechanic after stealing (or borrowing as he puts it) $1500 from the cash register. The fact that...

Jan 23rd

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Jan 23rd

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Jonathan Coe - The Rotters' Club

Have actually read this book for the second time in the past few weeks, prompted by a trip to Birmingham just before Christmas last year. The thing striking me most about all of his books (have read all apart from the Biographies he wrote) is his attention to detail and his being so well informed about a wide variety of subjects. Of course one can argue that that is what does make a good writer,...

Jan 23rd

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Vashti Bunyan

I have finally (30 years after the album was recorded and 10 years after the version I now have was released), discovered ‘Just Another Diamond Day’. Having heard her name mentioned a lot in the past few years and after hearing ‘Winter Is Blue’ in Idlewild’s version (as the B-side to one of their early singles) at the end of the ’90s, I somehow decided (rather...

Jan 21st

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Mogari no Mori (aka The Mourning Forest)

I wasn’t aware of this film or the director until yesterday (although it did win the ‘Grand Prize of The Festival at Cannes in 2007) and saw this film for the first time. I have to say that I touched me very profoundly. It’s a story of a young woman (Machiko) who apparently quite recently lost her young son and an old man (Shigeki), living in the nursing home in the Japanese...

Jan 20th

Hawkins\Brown →

Another architectural practice who’s work I admire, although I haven’t seen any of their work in reality. But I plan to rectify that in the next few months.

Jan 18th