The Useless Critic 2.0

Welcome to 2012! We've been around for 3 years this month. that in itself is INCREDIBLE. So here's to another good year at the UC! To kick off things right, I'm posting an interview with my friend Gabriel Schicchi . 2011 was a big year for him, as he published his debut collection of short stories, Unremembered Thoughts In A Passenger Car . I have to say, it's a pretty impressive and inspiring debut. 2012 seems to only beckon more good things for him! UC:  How will you remember 2011 when you look back on it? Gabriel:     It was a year of biting off more than could be chewed, from worldwide would-be revolt to taking twice the permitted number of Harvard classes, sheer panic on the streets of my love life, and a migraine masquerading as career success. UC:     What was it like, in the process of preparing your book? Gabriel:   After keeping what would become "the book" in the fridge for almost a year after writing most of the stories, out of th...

on a whim (total whim) earlier this week I bought "Paris, je t'aime" which I've been meaning to see for a really long time. and I thought to myself, because I think to other people besides myself, "I should buy this because otherwise I'll never see it." wham! bought it. now, I knew beforehand it was directed by many different directors and featured an A cast with some of my favorite people (Maggie Gyllenhaal and Juliette Binoche, who caught my eye in "Dan in Real Life" of all pitiful things) but I wasn't sure how they went about doing it. it was a series of vignettes, short films with probably the longest maxing out maybe seven minutes. as cliched as it sounds, there's something for everyone. and it's lovely. it's such a great concept, too- a love letter to a city touching on every aspect of love (platonic, romantic, familiar, etc). I know this is probably not like, the first of its kind, but it left quite the impression on me. ...