Brice Ezell
@briceezell.bsky.social
Writer, critic (@PopMatters), teacher. ATL.
PhD in English, University of Texas.
Modern drama, theatre, and philosophy.
Writing a book on Tom Stoppard.
Also a denizen of debate-land.
https://boxd.it/1rEO5
PhD in English, University of Texas.
Modern drama, theatre, and philosophy.
Writing a book on Tom Stoppard.
Also a denizen of debate-land.
https://boxd.it/1rEO5
Pinned
Brice Ezell
@briceezell.bsky.social
· Jan 14
The Southland-Vinci Theorem
Using Los Angeles as a synecdoche for the nation, these stories ambitiously try to chart the scale of America’s degradation, only to find that it’s easy to become artistically inchoate in the proce…
mid-theory.com
Years ago, I started noticing that post-2016 America could best be divided into days that felt like SOUTHLAND TALES and days that felt like TRUE DETECTIVE season two. I put this theory of mine into words for the good folks at @mid-theory.bsky.social: mid-theory.com/2025/01/14/t...
Those black Bayern Munich jerseys they have for the Champions League are top-notch.
November 27, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Those black Bayern Munich jerseys they have for the Champions League are top-notch.
But some rando on TikTok the other day, as so many people do, said that the best advice for those who want kids but fear the finances is: "Don't worry, you'll make it work." Sure thing!
This is an insightful but deeply upsetting article about why everyone in the US feels poor, and why the current political situation emerges as a direct result.
www.yesigiveafig.com/p/part-1-my-...
www.yesigiveafig.com/p/part-1-my-...
Part 1: My Life Is a Lie
How a Broken Benchmark Quietly Broke America
www.yesigiveafig.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:05 AM
But some rando on TikTok the other day, as so many people do, said that the best advice for those who want kids but fear the finances is: "Don't worry, you'll make it work." Sure thing!
@brofromanother.bsky.social’s review of TRAIN DREAMS aptly speaks to why, as much as I like the movie for what it’s trying to be, I can never fully love it for the adaptation that it is. What they did with the wolf-boy scene alone keeps me at arm’s length. boxd.it/bQnR5P
A review of Train Dreams (2025)
Back in September, a friend visiting the city for TIFF pressed a copy of Denis Johnson's novella into my hands—his copy, as it turned out. He wanted me to have it and to read it before I saw the movie...
boxd.it
November 26, 2025 at 4:48 AM
@brofromanother.bsky.social’s review of TRAIN DREAMS aptly speaks to why, as much as I like the movie for what it’s trying to be, I can never fully love it for the adaptation that it is. What they did with the wolf-boy scene alone keeps me at arm’s length. boxd.it/bQnR5P
I get why studios think they can put out slop in the theatres when this is the kind of box office return you can get from a movie whose only reviews I’ve read are “this is one of the worst things ever made”
November 26, 2025 at 4:06 AM
I get why studios think they can put out slop in the theatres when this is the kind of box office return you can get from a movie whose only reviews I’ve read are “this is one of the worst things ever made”
Ok, maybe there is such a thing as take addiction
November 25, 2025 at 3:48 AM
Ok, maybe there is such a thing as take addiction
My one indulgence in this year’s B&N Criterion sale, a masterpiece of our time.
November 25, 2025 at 1:30 AM
My one indulgence in this year’s B&N Criterion sale, a masterpiece of our time.
Signing a guy who looks like former Vine star Nick Colletti... very LA-vibes move for the Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers are signing center Drew Timme to a two-way NBA deal from their South Bay team, agents Deddrick Faison and Rich Gray tell ESPN. Timme played for the Nets to finish last season and then joined Lakers' G League, averaging 25.5 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists.
November 25, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Signing a guy who looks like former Vine star Nick Colletti... very LA-vibes move for the Lakers.
Seeing Spurs fans call for Thomas Frank to be fired immediately is sending me into more of a doom spiral then losing 4-1 to a team that is decidedly better than us on every metric, even if that team is a hated rival.
November 24, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Seeing Spurs fans call for Thomas Frank to be fired immediately is sending me into more of a doom spiral then losing 4-1 to a team that is decidedly better than us on every metric, even if that team is a hated rival.
THE LIFE OF CHUCK really surprised me. It’s not perfect, but it’s much more ambitious and free-spirited than its trailer let on (its vibes were “what if CLOUD ATLAS was THIS IS US?”). It’s certainly the best artwork in 2025 to have THE LIFE OF as its first three title words.
November 23, 2025 at 6:53 AM
THE LIFE OF CHUCK really surprised me. It’s not perfect, but it’s much more ambitious and free-spirited than its trailer let on (its vibes were “what if CLOUD ATLAS was THIS IS US?”). It’s certainly the best artwork in 2025 to have THE LIFE OF as its first three title words.
All-time odd bumper sticker just seen in ATL: “I used to listen to Five Iron Frenzy”
November 22, 2025 at 7:29 PM
All-time odd bumper sticker just seen in ATL: “I used to listen to Five Iron Frenzy”
It’s not a good movie (not sure the original musical is much better), but the recent TICK… TICK… BOOM film has some catchy tunes that feel like direct homages. “30/90” is Billy Joel’s “Angry Young Man,” and this is straight up Prefab Sprout (attn @jessehawken.bsky.social) youtu.be/zmSprl2moqI?...
Andrew Garfield - Johnny Can't Decide (feat Vanessa Hudgens & Joshua Henry) (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Garfield
youtu.be
November 21, 2025 at 2:33 PM
It’s not a good movie (not sure the original musical is much better), but the recent TICK… TICK… BOOM film has some catchy tunes that feel like direct homages. “30/90” is Billy Joel’s “Angry Young Man,” and this is straight up Prefab Sprout (attn @jessehawken.bsky.social) youtu.be/zmSprl2moqI?...
There's an article to be written about artworks that are structured around having a second part, sequel, or series, that are not made better by the story playing out that way. Dan Simmons' novel HYPERION is a masterpiece, and THE FALL OF HYPERION is so not-good that I almost never return to it.
ah man, yeah, Wicked 2 really can’t overcome the play’s shoddy second act. in retrospect, maybe the best reason to have split it into two movies was allowing the first act to stand on its own. as is, Part 2 has not a moment of spark, and it somehow looks even worse than the first.
November 20, 2025 at 11:25 PM
There's an article to be written about artworks that are structured around having a second part, sequel, or series, that are not made better by the story playing out that way. Dan Simmons' novel HYPERION is a masterpiece, and THE FALL OF HYPERION is so not-good that I almost never return to it.
The universe gave us a quarterback with more wow and talent than Brady who immediately got results, but (1) the QB has an actual division, unlike Brady’s Pats, (2) racist mascot, (3) uneven defensive performance. Brady Luck truly cannot be overcome.
November 17, 2025 at 12:48 AM
The universe gave us a quarterback with more wow and talent than Brady who immediately got results, but (1) the QB has an actual division, unlike Brady’s Pats, (2) racist mascot, (3) uneven defensive performance. Brady Luck truly cannot be overcome.
Color theory ppl: my favorite color in the world is the way these kind of streetlamps look when they hit water. Anyone got a name for the hue? (EP cover by my favorite band as example)
November 16, 2025 at 3:42 AM
Color theory ppl: my favorite color in the world is the way these kind of streetlamps look when they hit water. Anyone got a name for the hue? (EP cover by my favorite band as example)
Been following Frey's writing since the fracas at the U of Tulsa's Honors College (where Frey was sacked, despite doing incredible work there), and I gotta say: if this is the genuine belief of the Great Books crowd, they really gotta start getting anticapitalist. baylorlariat.com/2025/11/11/d...
November 15, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Been following Frey's writing since the fracas at the U of Tulsa's Honors College (where Frey was sacked, despite doing incredible work there), and I gotta say: if this is the genuine belief of the Great Books crowd, they really gotta start getting anticapitalist. baylorlariat.com/2025/11/11/d...
Correct. Also, even if these articles weren't racist (explicitly or implicitly), the thing is: idk why the assumption always has to be that we have to crank out kids to keep the economic cycle going, rather than altering our economic situation to meet our population reality.
Every "population crisis" article in western media is just "WHERE ARE THE WHITE BABIES" in disguise and we absolutely do not have to give any credence to any of them
November 14, 2025 at 4:44 AM
Correct. Also, even if these articles weren't racist (explicitly or implicitly), the thing is: idk why the assumption always has to be that we have to crank out kids to keep the economic cycle going, rather than altering our economic situation to meet our population reality.
At this point, I'm fully expecting one email to be leaked where some "wokeness has gone too far" public figure accidentally CCes the New York Times on an email sent to Epstein with the subject line "SO THE PASSWORD'S 'FIDELIO,' RIGHT?"
November 14, 2025 at 2:15 AM
At this point, I'm fully expecting one email to be leaked where some "wokeness has gone too far" public figure accidentally CCes the New York Times on an email sent to Epstein with the subject line "SO THE PASSWORD'S 'FIDELIO,' RIGHT?"
A superb, analytically rigorous review of another one of these books that tries to be “trad” feminist, which, as it turns out, says little substantively at best and at worst provides cover for more insidious thinking. www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/1...
November 13, 2025 at 5:58 PM
A superb, analytically rigorous review of another one of these books that tries to be “trad” feminist, which, as it turns out, says little substantively at best and at worst provides cover for more insidious thinking. www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/1...
For the 20th anniversary of what is in my view David Gray’s masterpiece, LIFE IN SLOW MOTION, I wrote about the ten songs of his you should listen to that AREN’T “Babylon.” (There’s an issue with videos not showing up that’s being fixed.) www.popmatters.com/10-david-gra...
10 David Gray Songs You Need to Hear (That Aren't "Babylon") » PopMatters
David Gray's Life in Slow Motion is out in a new anniversary deluxe edition. We dig into his rich archive to recommend tunes that speak to songwriting brilliance.
www.popmatters.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:29 PM
For the 20th anniversary of what is in my view David Gray’s masterpiece, LIFE IN SLOW MOTION, I wrote about the ten songs of his you should listen to that AREN’T “Babylon.” (There’s an issue with videos not showing up that’s being fixed.) www.popmatters.com/10-david-gra...
I have a book I for several pivotal moments in my life.
2004: Dan Simmons, HYPERION
2009: Steven Hall, THE RAW SHARK TEXTS
2010: Suzan-Lori Parks, TOPDOG/UNDERDOG
2011: Lawrence Weschler, SEEING IS FORGETTING THE NAME OF THE THING ONE SEES
2017: William Langewiesche, ALOFT
2004: Dan Simmons, HYPERION
2009: Steven Hall, THE RAW SHARK TEXTS
2010: Suzan-Lori Parks, TOPDOG/UNDERDOG
2011: Lawrence Weschler, SEEING IS FORGETTING THE NAME OF THE THING ONE SEES
2017: William Langewiesche, ALOFT
performative reading, lack of reading skills, nobody's reading anymore -- NO!
tell me about a book that changed you
for me? the *extremely* ahistorical novel, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY which I read at 13 and was like, "Oh, art can be *everything* to a maker, for good and bad"
tell me about a book that changed you
for me? the *extremely* ahistorical novel, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY which I read at 13 and was like, "Oh, art can be *everything* to a maker, for good and bad"
November 12, 2025 at 12:20 AM
I have a book I for several pivotal moments in my life.
2004: Dan Simmons, HYPERION
2009: Steven Hall, THE RAW SHARK TEXTS
2010: Suzan-Lori Parks, TOPDOG/UNDERDOG
2011: Lawrence Weschler, SEEING IS FORGETTING THE NAME OF THE THING ONE SEES
2017: William Langewiesche, ALOFT
2004: Dan Simmons, HYPERION
2009: Steven Hall, THE RAW SHARK TEXTS
2010: Suzan-Lori Parks, TOPDOG/UNDERDOG
2011: Lawrence Weschler, SEEING IS FORGETTING THE NAME OF THE THING ONE SEES
2017: William Langewiesche, ALOFT
Reposted by Brice Ezell
Notice: “work sucks” when directed at men means that we need better working conditions and higher pay. “Work sucks” when directed at women means that they should drop out and have babies.
November 11, 2025 at 3:58 AM
Notice: “work sucks” when directed at men means that we need better working conditions and higher pay. “Work sucks” when directed at women means that they should drop out and have babies.
Same!
Feeling real deep despair, as a teacher, about how p much every school in the country is encouraging students to use the plagiarism-and-brain-damage dehumanization machines
November 11, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Same!
My hot take is that if McDaniel looked and talked like Dan Campbell but was otherwise exactly the same, he wouldn’t be on the hot seat and the story would be “what can you expect him to do with Tua?” But because he likes analytics and looks like a coffee shop millennial he’s a target.
Tough day for the "McDaniel lost the locker room" crowd
Dolphins beat the Bills 30-13 for their first win over Buffalo since 2022
De'Von Achane finishes with 225 scrimmage yards and 2 TD -- he's the first player in franchise history to record multiple career games with 225 scrimmage yards
Dolphins beat the Bills 30-13 for their first win over Buffalo since 2022
De'Von Achane finishes with 225 scrimmage yards and 2 TD -- he's the first player in franchise history to record multiple career games with 225 scrimmage yards
November 10, 2025 at 7:07 PM
My hot take is that if McDaniel looked and talked like Dan Campbell but was otherwise exactly the same, he wouldn’t be on the hot seat and the story would be “what can you expect him to do with Tua?” But because he likes analytics and looks like a coffee shop millennial he’s a target.
My fascination with Henri Verneuil peaked this year with I… FOR ICARUS, basically a French JFK over a decade before Stone’s movie came out. Sleek and sharp mainstream cinema that’s morally clear-eyed in a way that’s sadly all too relevant still. boxd.it/axnQK9
November 10, 2025 at 5:09 AM
My fascination with Henri Verneuil peaked this year with I… FOR ICARUS, basically a French JFK over a decade before Stone’s movie came out. Sleek and sharp mainstream cinema that’s morally clear-eyed in a way that’s sadly all too relevant still. boxd.it/axnQK9
Reposted by Brice Ezell
I don’t know how to say it any more clearly than this: if Democrats are willing to scrap something like ACA subsidies, you have to be willing to tell them you’re not going to vote for them. And then actually do it.
You can’t keep voting for ppl who sell us all out to compromise with fascists
You can’t keep voting for ppl who sell us all out to compromise with fascists
November 10, 2025 at 12:12 AM
I don’t know how to say it any more clearly than this: if Democrats are willing to scrap something like ACA subsidies, you have to be willing to tell them you’re not going to vote for them. And then actually do it.
You can’t keep voting for ppl who sell us all out to compromise with fascists
You can’t keep voting for ppl who sell us all out to compromise with fascists