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“I wrote 63 songs this year. They’re all about Jeter.” Just kidding. The game we love, the players we hate, and more.

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Monologues, travelogues, fiction, and fart humor. And hens. Don’t forget the hens.

The Vine

The Tomato Nation advice column addresses your questions on etiquette, grammar, romance, and pet misbehavior. Ask The Readers about books or fashion today!

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Articles by Sarah D. Bunting

Word Of The Day: “slam-drunk”
December 13, 2011 – 4:57 PM | 6 Comments
Word Of The Day: “slam-drunk”

My initial definition for “slam-drunk” was as follows:
slam-drunk. n. A beverage guaranteed to give you a working buzz-on in a single serving. (“The Gibsons at Oyster Bar are a slam-drunk, man.”)
But now I feel as …

12/31: Martha Marcy May Marlene
December 12, 2011 – 4:39 PM | 7 Comments
12/31: <I>Martha Marcy May Marlene</I>

I didn’t realize how tense I had gotten, physically, while watching Martha Marcy May Marlene until that last black screen. What an outstanding slow build of “can’t look”/”can’t look away” — you’d think the inciting …

11/31: J. Edgar
December 11, 2011 – 4:22 PM | 15 Comments
11/31: <em>J. Edgar</em>

I have no idea what the movie is trying to do. I only know that it fails on almost every level save the acting, and even that isn’t great; it’s merely not as disastrous as …

10/31: Shame
December 10, 2011 – 8:46 PM | 9 Comments
10/31: <em>Shame</em>

The specific buzz around Shame, and Michael Fassbender’s performance, did not fill me with anticipation. Sometimes, when a performance is repeatedly called brave or groundbreaking, the distinction between the bravery or originality of the performance …

9/31: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
December 9, 2011 – 2:13 PM | 22 Comments
9/31: <I>Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy</I>

It has all the tools for a great movie: a good old-fashioned ’70s-Cold-War-paranoia plot; a roster of fantastic actors and Hey, It’s That Guys, including Colin Firth, Ciaran Hinds, John Hurt, and the dude who …

The Vine: December 9, 2011
December 9, 2011 – 11:46 AM | 48 Comments
The Vine: December 9, 2011

Hello Sars and the Nation! I write in search of audiobook recs.
It’s time for the annual road trip to see the BF’s family for Christmas, and I’m thinking an audiobook or two would be a …

8/31: Beginners
December 8, 2011 – 3:24 PM | 5 Comments
8/31: <I>Beginners</I>

Watching a lot of movies in a row can scramble the brain, but it can also let those movies reflect on and inform one another. For example, the Oscars Death Race is a time of …

7/31: Meek’s Cutoff
December 7, 2011 – 5:46 PM | 7 Comments
7/31: <I>Meek’s Cutoff</I>

A one-star reviewer of Meek’s Cutoff on the IMDb complained that there’s no dialogue for the first 15 minutes. This is one of the many things I liked about the movie. These people have gotten …

The Vine: December 7, 2011
December 7, 2011 – 10:15 AM | 34 Comments
The Vine: December 7, 2011

When one needs baseball-related gift ideas, one turns to The Vine.
My gifting needs are for my uncle who is in his late 70s and works for the Texas Rangers. He reads a lot and I’ve …

6/31: Bill Cunningham New York
December 6, 2011 – 7:45 AM | One Comment
6/31: <I>Bill Cunningham New York</I>

Richard Press’s documentary about Times Styles photographer, and chance fashion-world icon, Bill Cunningham, keeps it light for the first hour. The tone is the gently knowing one of PBS specials about James-Cameronian construction projects of …