@dtl I was just thinking the other day how it's odd that songs are the one form of media where hearing the title in the work is quite common, and doesn't provoke the "aaaaaah they said the thing!!!" response.

I made the eggnog unspiked, so everyone can choose their own adventure. Which means I've been trying combination shots getting progressively less and less traditional.

Absinthe eggnog: surprisingly good
Malort eggnog: much, much worse than expected

When Father Was Away on Business (1985)

New bit of history I suddenly realize I'm weak on: Yugoslavia! Didn't really love it, but it wasn't as actively vile as the other one of this director I have seen, the one with a slur in the title. But still some icky scenes whose purpose I didn't understand.

@recursive I rewatched it earlier this year for the first time in like 20 year, and was shocked how much I remembered. More powerful than I gave it credit for!

The Ballad of Narayama (1983)

There are themes of being reconciled with death, and the inexorable cycle of life, but really, this is about how brutal life as a peasant was. There is also some symbolism going on with snakes that I didn't understand.

Also, this is the first time I've seen […]

@matthewconroy Thanks! I might have to check that book out.

@Nichelle That's it!

South America cut out nicely, even if a mantle upwelling knocked Tiera del Fuego a few thousand kilometers away. And that was with two tabs left connecting it to the main sheet!

Missing (1982)

Jack Lemmon tries to uncover what happened to his son who was disappeared in the Chilean coup, slowly realizing the extent of the US involvement and how naive his trust in his own government was. Intense and searingly painful at times. Lemmon […]

[Original post on clacks.link]

@futurebird I'm not traumatized myself, but I fear my younger brother might be. I can blame the 4.5 year age difference, but the simple truth is I was not a very good older brother for a long time there.

The Tin Drum (1979)

A very strange movie, with some incredibly uncomfortable scenes. There was a surrealism to it I liked, but it never quite leaned into that. There were some sweeping historical epic elements that I also liked, but it couldn't really commit to those either. There was a holy […]

The control panel has arrived and looks great, but it turns out you can get those "legend plates" custom made pretty cheaply, so I'm getting a set made for the six different algorithms for sequencing the lights. And I'm adding a speed control potentiometer in one of the blanks. And an e-stop […]

The final addition to the collection, a 1953 frequency meter which uses the same resonant reed technology as the boxy tachometer. But instead of being moved by mechanical vibrations, the reeds here are excited directly by a magnetic field being created by the 120 […]

[Original post on clacks.link]

The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978)

A meditative, almost languid slice of life of late 19th century Lombard peasants. I found it surprisingly gripping -- I think because the cinematography was an amazing balancing act of being entirely understated and naturalistic while still somehow making every […]

Finally got the Vibra-Tak pocket tachometer working, turns out it just needs MUCH stronger vibrations to excite its wire. Like, nasty old two-stroke engine strong.