Good evening, whenever you are.
I have some reading from Moby Dick for you up in the secret room, plus some ramblings about AI and ass pennies.
But meanwhile I admit: it is my birthday. I do not want or need anything, except:
WOULD YOU PLEASE WATCH DICKTOWN ON HULU?
As I explain in the secret room, I had to rewatch an episode of this cartoon show that David Rees and I made recently, and I was struck again by something I hate to say out loud, even tho it’s true, which is: DICKTOWN IS GOOD.
It’s funny and silly and heart felt. It’s got Amy Sedaris and Jean Grae and Ronald Peet and Anna Akana and Griffin Newman and Obehi Janice and Weird Al and Jon Glaser and Paul F Tompkins and Janie Haddad Tompkins and Mike Mitchell and Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephen Tobolowsky in it.
It’s also short—only 10-15 minutes per episode, and only a total of 20 episodes over two seasons. It’s on Hulu, and you can get it thru Disney+ too. And amazingly for a streaming cartoon, it has not been dumped into a tax-dodge barrel of acid out of spite.
David and I are working on something new now, but I just remembered how proud I am of this show, so if you wanted to watch it, and then share it with a friend, it would make me very happy.
I will offer you this in return: the news that there is a new 4K restoration of Charles Burnett’s KILLER OF SHEEP available.
When I first met Phil Morrison, the director of JUNEBUG (and the Apple ads), he told me that this was one of his favorite films.
I felt dumb. I had never heard of it. He said not to worry: it’s difficult to find due to complications with the music rights. But I told my new friend I would find it.
And I did! I got it in the mail from Netflix back when they were still mailing DVDs around. And did I watch it? OF COURSE NOT.
I had that DVD for years. Long after they STOPPED mailing DVDs it sat on my shelf and on my heart as an increasing burden of guilt and regret.
Then it got lost, I think. Or I sent it back in shame.
Why is it so hard for me to take recommendations? Why do they instant feel like homework? To be avoided as strenuously as possible? I knew it had to be good. Phil is smart.
So why in 18 years could I not find 80 minutes to watch my good friend’s favorite film?
I really don’t know the answer. But a couple Sundays ago, I saw it was playing at the Nitehawk on a Sunday early afternoon. How could I not walk the three or so blocks to make good on this broken promise finally?
I am sure the relief I felt affected my happiness at seeing this movie. But enough people smarter than me have heaped praise on it for me to know: it is so so good.
It’s vignettes of mostly one family and a circle of neighbors living in Watts in the 70s. Narrative is very light. It’s mostly just moments of beauty and sadness and longing and surprising humor and children playing very rough in dangerous places.
That’s enough: please go see it if you can. Don’t wait 18 years. Do it today.
After you’ve watched DICKTOWN of course.
But now let’s ascend the stairs to get the whaling news. Thank you.
