Jason Wilder

Infinitely Curious and Mildly Amused

links I like/endorse

Doyers
gonechester
greenwood books
nts
popwars
spiritualized
sun ra arkestra
vernacular social club
wayofm

  • mubi

    We recently ditched Criterion for Mubi. Nothing against Criterion but I wanted to mix it up and Mubi has the kind of movies I’m craving. Plus Mubi has some 80s Godard films I wanted to rewatch. So, here’s some reviews of the movies I watched the past week or so.

    The Mastermind

    Inspired by French new wave heist films, but in America. In 1970. Living legend of cosmic jazz, Rob Mazurek, did the score. What little dialogue was poignant. Beautifully shot, written, and dressed. Every detail put into this movie is impressive. This is also coming to the Dryden on January 7th. See it.

    Christmas, Again

    Finally a moving Christmas movie without corny dialogue and ideology. The ending is sad too. Portrays the existentialism this time of the year of over thinking beaten down loners like me.

    Invention

    Kind of a low budget, but not terrible, after midnight movie on a community television station. If these things existed anymore. It’s about paranoia, conspiracy theories, science break thoughs and the human condition wrapped into one movie.

    Fragments for Venus

    I will not attempt to try to find words for the deeper meaning of this film, but what I understood of it makes me want to watch it again. I can relate to the two main characters, two black women, in a personality way, especially the second woman to be shown. I love how quiet observers can be worthy of artistic representation instead of the doers.

    Shithouse

    I wish I had a movie like this in my formative years.

    Louder Than You Think

    This is about Pavement’s first drummer, Gary Young. This is a very sweet bio pick about the drummer and a natural accompaniment to the movie Pavements.

    Moor Mother: Jazz Codes

    All emotions potentially possible in this short that has a sweet cosmic/spiritual jazz soundtrack.

    Two Days, Two Nights

    To keep her job a woman has a weekend to convince her coworkers to forgo a bonus so she can stayed employed. I really enjoyed the ending.

    Festen

    Like watching a family movie of a disturbing rich family where everyone gathers for the patriarch’s 60th birthday. Never had the opportunity to get into the Dogme 95 movement so this is my first introduction.

    Not Mubi stuff:

    Stranger Things. The Christmas and New Year Eves finales were entertaining. I feel if you nitpick it you probably are a blast at parties.

    Frankenstein. Guillermo del Toro usually does not do much for me but I liked this one. Nature vs nurture. Be careful what we create and how we treat it because it could not lead to an undesirable ending.

  • citypop

    2025. Final blog post of the year.

    I didn’t beat the bar in 2025. Maybe next year?

    I didn’t make many photos in 2025. I’d say it was 75% low sprain muscle type injuries to my leg and now my arm. I tried but pain in both situations wasn’t ideal. The other 25% was just stuff, like work and other welcome and unwelcome distractions. Focusing on the positive, I (and Beth) did a lot camping and reading, sometimes both at the same time. Lots of chess too. The ChessUp board is my favorite toy.

    Plans for more photo work in 2026 for sure.

    Most of the books I read were political and philosophy based. Although the Kurt Cobain and Jeff Buckley notebook books were an inspiring and a lesson in self awareness. The Neko Case and Replacements biographies were eye opening. I doubt you really want my thoughts on the Letterists, Situationists and Existentialists; probably a good thing.

    Really digging 60s – 70s American soul and funk music this year. That and 80s – 90s Japanese citypop. Right now I am watching a YouTube video of a DJ sweating through his bucket hat while playing some Japanese citypop at some bar in Seattle. I wish we had stuff like that here.

  • mystery train

    Mystery Train Records. Gloucester, MA.

  • zen garden sky

    Collage by me. Other working titles: “raking clouds” & “sky work.”

    Thinking about projects I’ve started and how little energy I have to do them lately. Capitalism is tiring.

    Thinking a lot about chess and how it’s the one activity that maintains my attention.

    Thinking about the lack of any vinyl listening bars in Rochester.

    Thinking about how we have a chess club in town but it’s not that inviting and comfortable to play at.

    Thinking about vinyl listening bars that are also chess clubs.

  • spinning around the sun

    I’m not big on vinyl “community” YouTube channels. There’s some good ones out there but most are just bragging about their collections or have uninteresting “hot takes” … much like photographer influencers, which are the worst of the art world influencers. This one came up in my feed, though.

    Mr. Ellis and his above thoughtful video “Quiet Music for Noisy Times” made me subscribe to his channel. He recommended Laurie Torres and Sam Wilkes, both of whom I enjoy. He did put me on to Gavin Clark, and I am quite enamored. Shameful I am just learning about Clark now.

    Gavin Clark’s Spinning Around the Sun is going to get played on this week’s Fantastic Voyage. Clark’s song writing of reminds me of Neil Halstead’s Mojave 3, whose albums need reissues. There’s some videos on Youtube with Clark singing in someone’s living room. The comments are filled with heartfelt tributes. I would love this on vinyl but shipping costs will keep it out of my collection.

    Not sure what to do today. I did walk to the DMV to renew my driver’s license, so I at least did something. It was very gloomy out and the nearest intersection’s lights were out. A winter jacket was too hot and a spring jacket would have been too light.

  • every man for himself, a tangent

    Godard made this film when he was 50. I’m turning 50 this week. I love Godard’s movies from the 80s. Sure, I love Breathless, Le Mepris, Band of Outsiders, etc, his output in the 60s is legendary … but this film, is a kind of entertainment I could not get in American films of that period. I think mostly it’s due to that I lived in Northern NY growing up. These 80s Godard films had an edge to them that seemed dull in most American films. I was close to the Canadian border and my mom was a French teacher. I was aware of an existence that was not anything Northern, NY and was fascinated by it. I saw Band of Outsiders via a satellite dish in the 80s. It had an effect on me. It was the same age, sort of, of my parents’ 60s American experience, but was way cooler.

    Getting to his 80s films in the 90s, close enough for them to be relatable and not that old. I’m no Godard expert or a film scholar, amateur or pro. I’ve read his biographies a long time ago; enough to not remember much, and watched almost all of his movies. Know enough about his life that he was kind of a jerk and flawed. Godard to me was an idealist and tried to portray that in his films. He was loved more by his films than as a person it seems. Almost as if what he showed on film was ok but words out of his mouth were (sometimes rightly) taken in a wrong way.

    Anyways, I’m on a tangent. I just can relate in a way.

    I have time off from work to relax. To ease into 50. Younger me would think this setup is cool. Watching Godard in an old school house. I’m going to enjoy Godard’s 80s films as a send off into the, hopefully, next 50. Maybe it will inspire me.

  • break out the veuve

    I needed this, thank you Dodgers. GG Jays.

  • sometimes.

    Sometimes a light to a room you never see lit is left on. And that’s exciting.

    The room looks like a bland closet not befitting of its history. Read this and then read this. And this one too.

  • trip

    Beth wanted to see some fall foliage in the mountains so we headed to Ellicottville for a couple days recently. Our first trip was Warsaw for some coffee and we found a shop that had some records. I found some random 7 inches to play on Fantastic Voyage, a couple records to gift and a Prism record. I probably could have gotten more as they had a pretty big selection of older country music that probably would have had songs for Fantastic Voyage, but we had to get motoring.

    Ellicottville was having a fall festival, so we went to that. I’d say at least 25% of the booths sold some sort of Buffalo Bills black market clothing or crappy crafts. We also had an amazing breakfast at Dina’s, whose food was comparable to Redd.

    After dealing with the crowds at the fall fest, we took a chair lift up a mountain at Holiday Valley. We spent a couple hours people watching, listening to a pretty decent cover band and staring off into the scenery. The crowd on the mountain was very mellow, which put me in a pretty decent mood. Those chair lift buildings remind me of retrofuturism architecture. I also wish I took uo skiing when I was younger.

    I pretty much hate hotels. I find them gross. It was a little torturous but I managed to relax enough. Our room had some nice local photography.

    I found Beth a Bills shirt at the fall fest.

    On the way home in Olean, we stopped at a good enough diner, which was next to this Monro shop that also had hair styling. Oil change and a haircut.

    Then we went home and watched the Bills lose and the Dodgers win.

  • miles and miles

    I don’t watch much tv so I listen to a lot of music and make playlists. I made a playlist (Apple Music) for a road trip I probably will never take. I have another one for spaceflight too. We listened to the playlist and drove around the Finger Lakes. Only got less than a handful of skips from Beth so I think the playlist was a success. I’ll admit, I went a little too weird for some selections.

    Our favorite place to stop is at Miles Wine Cellars on Seneca Lake. That dock is for boats and drinking. And people watching. There was a bridal party. If I was feeling extraverted, I would have taken a portrait of the bride to be. Couple of bikers as well. Oh and an old nerdy guy wearing boat shoes and sailor hat. I’m out of practice.