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| *inhales* *exhales* *inhales* |
Lately, I've been taking solace in dark comedy. I don't have much time for watching movies these days, but I can listen to the audio from them at my desk, so that's what I've been doing. George Axelrod's Lord Love a Duck (1966) and Bob Zemeckis' Death Becomes Her (1992) -- both scathing critiques of humanity -- have been particular favorites in this regard. And during my morning and evening train rides, I've just reread Nathanael West's A Cool Million (1934) for what must be the twentieth time. I think I'll start the twenty-first time on Monday morning. Nowadays, it seems that I only respond to stories in which the characters are cruel, shallow, and selfish and go out their way to hurt one another. It's so much better, too, when the cruelty is played for laughs and we are allowed, expected even, to relish the suffering of others. West takes obvious glee in torturing and humiliating the naive protagonist of his novel, and I share his glee.