Issue #427: The Drama's Etymology
Mark Jones is a really, really good play-by-play commentator. I only watch basketball, so I only know his work commentating basketball. His career as an NBA commentator on the national stage came to an end on April 12th, with his final telecast being a historic game: the 113 to 108 win of the Boston Celtics over the Orlando Magic in Game 82 of the season. I’ll get back to why, other than Jones, the game was historic. There were plenty of tributes to Jones’s unique commentary style from his colleagues.
Jones used one of his signature phrases to describe a certain three-point shot by Celtic Baylor Scheierman, calling Scheierman “hotter than fish grease.”
Jones is the voice you hear in the second of the five commentary tracks here.
So, why was this a fitting game for Jones to go out? It was completely irrelevant for the Celtics’ playoff seeding. They had seven players on the injury report with ailments like “Left Foot Plantar Fasciitis” and “Right Toe Sprain.” The Celtics played eight different players with a cumulative salary of $11.5 million compared to the $173 million fielded by Orlando, according to Money on the Floor. This was the moment for some of the most underrated, under-appreciated, and inexperienced players on the Celtics roster. They delivered.
While the game had no impact on the Celtics’ standing, it did solidify the lower end of the Eastern Conference. The Magic had ample incentive to win. They just couldn’t. Celtics are too deep and Scheierman is sinking moon ball 3s. “28 on the meter, and it’s still running,” says Jones. My favorite Jones-ism:
This week we still have our raffle going. Consult the previous letter for details. Erin made a reel to advertise:
There has been some interest but you still have a pretty good shot at these tickets. Raffle entry is included as a perk for paid subscribers. Your support means everything.
The Drama, spoiler free
Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama (2026) has largely obscured its premise during its high-concept promotional campaign. I went into the film knowing only that it is about a wedding and some kind of acrimony leading up to the nuptials. Having seen it, it’s title does some interesting work. “The drama,” as a phrase, evokes the oft-repeated self-examination of drag queen Scarlet Envy on RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009): “Is it me? Am I the drama? I don’t think so… Maybe I am?” Being “the drama,” then, suggests something excessive, unnecessary, unsubstantial. “The drama” creates conflict where none need be. Borgli’s film is more serious in its subject matter, although it has tinge of class-based satire. And there is, perhaps, a case to be made that it is Alana Haim’s Rachel who is ‘the drama’ in the RuPaulian sense. But I don’t think The Drama is an example of ‘the drama,’ rather it is a drama, and a socially conscious one at that.
I’m going to take the hit to the clarity and precision of my writing and choose not to explicitly lay out the film’s core conceit. Instead, I’ll talk around it. The film deals with the issues I anticipated but not in the ways I expected. Borgli’s previous feature is 2023’s Dream Scenario, which is more similar to The Drama than it might first appear. Though The Drama is ostensibly a realistic film, without the explicit magical realism of Dream Scenario, the characters’ behaviors, with one exception, are not particularly realistic. Indeed, Borgli sets up a friend group that is almost cartoonish in their response to the situation that initiates the plot. Borgli sacrifices psychological realism for the purposes of dealing with the film’s ideas. He is very ambitious in his scope here, but largely successful. The Drama is a film about American society and interpersonal relationships, but also addresses the fabric of ethical evaluation.
Writing about The Drama under my self-imposed constraint is not easy, so this is as far as I’ll go for now. A more spoiler-rich analysis may be forthcoming. But before then, avoid the plot summaries and go see the movie.
The Best Sneakers in 2010s Sci-Fi Manga
Back in 2022, I got an anime recommendation: Summer Time Rendering. Even though I didn’t finish the series, it stood out to me as particularly interesting. I came back to the series opting to read the manga instead. I’m glad I did. As good as Summer Time Rendering’s anime is, the original manga from 2017 is even better.
First, the important stuff: sneakers. Yasuki Tanaka illustrates some of the most realistic sneakers I have ever seen. He is a real head, too. Although you have to be when you are drawing brand name sneakers with this level of detail.
The Nike Aqua Sock 360 is not a shoe for for the faint of heart. It makes sense, given the beach-side setting of Hitogashima, a fictional island based on Tomogashima, Wakayama. Tanaka also grew up in Wakayama. He also uses his great eye for shoes to draw the New Balance 574.
You just can’t get shoe drawings like this in a TV anime.
The plot of Summer Time Rendering has nothing to do with sneakers. Instead, it is about doppelgängers. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) is a strong influence. This is about as high-concept of a sci-fi thriller as one gets, particularly in the medium. It also has an evident antecedent in Future Diary (2006), but the plot is quite different despite being structured with a page-turning mystery. Summer Time Rendering also uses a time loop as part of its plot devices, but makes some smart narrative decisions to reduce repetition and avoid repeated, lengthy exposition.
Summer Time Rendering is a great, readable series for those who enjoy contemporary science fiction. The manga is available from Udon Entertainment.
Weekly Reading List
You should be watching this.
For those still slaying the spire as I am, this is a great tutorial video on deck building concepts.
Event Calendar: Fathom Events
Added a bunch of nationwide repertory screenings from Fathom, including Citizen Kane (1941) and The Maltese Falcon (1941) probably at your local megaplex. You gotta go.
Until next time.