Intro to Cinema: Go 'Away'

-A week or so ago, the good folks at I Watch Stuff posted the trailer for Away We Go, a new movie starring The Office's John Krasinski alongside Maya Rudolph, Jim Gaffigan, and Allison Janney. The script was penned by one of CA's favorite writers, Dave Eggers, and his wife Vendela Vida.
-While we were initially thrilled by the idea of these people working together, the trailer is a downright nauseating mix of obnoxious Juno-style quirkiness and director Sam Mendes' trademark suburban angst, which has become increasingly played out in recent years. Let's hope this movie comes and goes without severely damaging the careers of those involved. more

Art Major: Wild Things

-After months of development hell, the Eggers/Jonze adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are is back on track and set to release in October. As if it wasn't enough to have one of our favorite writers collaborate with one of our favorite directors to adapt one of our favorite books, now one of our favorite skate companies is getting involved. We now have our first look at the Wild Things themselves, courtesy of Jonze affiliate Girl Skateboards. Maybe I'll even grab a complete set of my own. more

Film Studies: Spike Jonze Interview

-This is a screen shot from the upcoming Spike Jonze/Dave Eggers film adaptation of Maurice Sendak's iconic children's book, Where the Wild Things Are. Moriarty at Aint it Cool has an extensive interview with Jonze that leaves me with nothing but the utmost confidence that the film will encompass and enhance that wonderful, terrible feelings that the book arouses in me. I don't even remember the story of the book, but I remember being somewhat frightened and captivated by its imagery. There were a lot of issues with getting this film made and it almost didn't happen so I'm incredibly glad to finally have such thorough confirmation.
-Check the interview, it's long, but if you're a Spike Jonze fanatic like me it's a great read.
-Via iWatchStuff
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Required Reading: One Hundred and Forty Five Stories in a Small Box

- By now, we all know Dave Eggers, either for his participation in TED talks, 826 Valencia, McSweeney's or one of his acclaimed novels. But, being a huge fan of flash fiction myself, it wasn't until recently that he really cinched a spot in my list of favorite writers. I've had this box set for about a year now, and it is probably one of, if not the favorite in my collection. As far as his other books go, the little known collection of short stories, How We Are Hungry, takes top seat for me. One Hundred and Forty Five Stories in a Small Box features three small books written by Dave Eggers, Sarah Manguso and Deb Olin Unferth all contained in one beautifully decorated box. And while we're on the topic of Eggers' empire, Michael Cera fans ought to check out the new Wholphin. more

Required Reading: Engulfed

When I attended a reading of his fourth bestseller, Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim, David Sedaris questioned my motives. Minutes after a disgustingly nuanced lecture on the cyst above his ass, he told me, "What are you, 16? You could be getting totally fucked up, or having sex in the back of a car, but instead you came and listened to an old man talk about his ass." What Sedaris doesn't understand is, his recountings of life's banal and often disgusting moments are far more affecting than the Million other memoirs clogging Oprah's bookshelf. Instead of embellished epiphanies, Sedaris works with frank and funny assessments of everyday life. This refreshing approach has sold 7 million books and gained him a huge following. His new collection of essays, When You Are Engulfed In Flames, came out earlier this month to rave reviews. If you need a break from fucking and drinking this summer, listen to what the old man has to say. more

Required Reading

‘Young author’ is a strange term. While it is thrown around liberally in descriptions of Dave Eggers and David Foster Wallace, both are well over 35. Even “wunderkind” Jonathan Safran Foer has eclipsed 30. Not only is this terrible news for English majors, it also shows that the literary world has changed quite a bit since Bret Easton Ellis took interviews in his dorm room.
Cue Joshua Ferris. His debut novel, a workplace satire entitled Then We Came to the End, was a 2007 National Book Award finalist. The darkly humorous look at the 1990s dot-com boom has received high praise from critics, as well as authors such as Stephen King and Nick Hornby. The New York Times Book Review called it one of the top 10 books of the year. While Ferris is pushing 34, it is still encouraging to see a debut garner so much praise. more