Disclaimer

Birju Patel is not a professional critic. He's not even a decent one (he does, however, occasionally enjoy speaking about himself in the third person). I haven't the memory, vocabulary, or analytical skills for it. I mostly just feel things about music, movies, TV shows and books. They often make me think a lot, but I quickly forget what I thought and felt, especially with movies, TV shows and books, which are not as conveniently re-experienced as music. Therefore, mostly so that I can easily refer to my thoughts on samples of these three media/art forms that I've already experienced, I've made this website. Also, when my friends ask me about a certain book I've read or movie I've watched, and I know I have, but draw a blank, now I can refer them here. And, if anyone else values my opinion and wants to know what I think about anything, well good. That's an added bonus, but far from my intention.

Oh, to go to the different sections, use the pull-down menu on the right. To return to this page from any on this site, click on the title "birju's reviews" at the top of the page.

Recent Books and Music

Reading
The Audacity of Hope - Obama
Your Symptoms Are Real: What To Do When Your Doctor Says Nothing Is Wrong - Overcoming Pain, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, IBS, and More - Benjamin H. Natelson, MD
Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace

Music
CDs I need to buy:
Sia - Colour the Small One
Sia - Some People Have Real Problems
Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills
K-Os - Atlantis: Hymns for Disco
K-Os - Joyful Rebellion
Talib Kweli - Quality
Talib Kweli - Ear Drum
Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War
Stars of Track and Field - Centuries Before Love and War
Dashboard Confessional - A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
The Most Serene Republic - Population
Enemy - We'll Live and Die In These Towns
Biggie - Born To Die
Biggie - Life After Death
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
Tinariwen - Aman Iman: Water Is Life
Winterpills - Central Chambers
Wolfmother - Wolfmother
The Decemberists - 5 Songs
The Decemberists - The Tain
The Weepies - Hideaway
The Weepies - Happiness
The Weepies - Say I Am You
Yeasayer - All Hours Cymbals
Xavier Rudd - White Moth
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Rodrigo y Gabriela
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Re-Foc
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Live: Manchester and Dublin
Digable Planets - Blowout Comb
Digable Planets - Reachin'
Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Death Cab For Cutie - Something About Airplanes
Dashboard Confessional - So Impossible EP
Kings of Leon - Only By the Night
De La Soul - Stakes Is High
Anoushka Shankar & Karsh Kale - Breathing Under Water
Editors - An End Has A Start
Dntel - Life Is Full Of Possibilities
Dntel - Dumb Luck
Gotan Project - Inspiracion-Espiracion Remix
Gotan Project - Lunatico
Gotan Project - La Revancha Del Tango
Esthero - Breath From Another
Esthero - Wikked Lil' Grrrls
Amy Winehouse - Frank
Alexi Murdoch - Time Without Consequence
Tom Waits - Frank's Wild Years, Swordfishtrombone, Rain Dogs, Real Gone
P.O.S. - Ipecac Neat, Audition, Never Better
Led Zeppelin - All albums
Thao Nguyen - Like Linen, We Brave Bee Stings
Tinariwen - Amassakoul
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug, everything else
Murder By Death - um...gotta check which
Jose Gonzalez - Veneer
Reverend and the Makers - French Kiss In the Chaos
Tegan and Sara - The Con
A Fine Frenzy - Bomb In A Birdcage
Owl City - Ocean Eyes, Maybe I'm Dreaming, Of June
The Doors - The Doors, Strange Days, Waiting for the Sun, The Soft Parade, Morrison Hotel, LA Woman
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced..., Second Helping, Nuthin' Fancy, Gimme Back My Bullets, Street Survivors
Blue Foundation - Life of a Ghost, Sweep of Days
Drive By Truckers - Decoration Day
Swimming With Dolphins - Ambient Blue
The Appleseed Cast - Peregrine, Two Conversations
Saathiya OST
Santogold - Santogold
She and Him - Volume 1
The Mars Volta - The Bedlam In Goliath
The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers, Consolers of the Lonely


CDs I bought recently:
4/19
BBC Radio 1 - Live Lounge Vol. 1
BBC Radio 1 - Live Lounge Vol. 2
BBC Radio 1 - Live Lounge Vol. 3
Reverend and the Makers - The State of Things

Recent Posts

Movies
Fists in the Pocket [I Pugni In Tasca] (1965)
Nights of Cabiria [Le Notti di Cabiria] (1957) - Posted 1/22/10
Closer (2004) - Posted 1/21/10
3 Idiots (2009) - Posted 1/18/10
World's Greatest Dad (2009) - Posted 1/17/10
The Proposition (2005) - Posted 12/28/09
Bringing Out the Dead (1999) - Posted 12/27/09
Let the Right One In (2008) - Posted 12/27/09
Up in the Air (2009) - Posted 12/25/09
Avatar (in 3-D)(2009) - Posted 12/22/09
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) - Posted 12/19/09
Zombieland (2009) - Posted 12/19/09
The Men Who Stare At Goats (2009) - Posted 12/17/09
A Serious Man (2009) - Posted 12/17/09
The Road (2009) - Posted 12/11/09
State of Play (2009) - Posted 12/05/09
Nacho Libre (2006) - Posted 11/28/09
Aliens (1986) - Posted 11/28/09
Alien (1979) - Posted 11/28/09

TV
Dexter - Season 4 - Posted 1/17/10
The Office (US) - Season 2 - Posted 1/17/10
The Office (US) - Season 1 - Posted 1/17/10
Breaking Bad - Season 2 - Posted 1/15/10
Chuck - Season 1 - Posted 1/14/10
The Catherine Tate Show - Series 3 - Posted 12/28/09
The Catherine Tate Show - Series 2 - Posted 12/24/09
Deadwood - Season 3 - Posted 12/24/09
Deadwood - Season 2 - Posted 12/19/09
Californication - Season 3 - Posted 12/14/09
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia - Season 5 - Posted 12/14/09
Pushing Daisies - Seasons 1 and 2 - Posted 12/13/09
Mad Men - Season 3 - Posted 12/13/09
Sons of Anarchy - Season 1 - Posted 11/28/09

Books
Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffenegger - Posted 12/07/09
Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak - Posted 11/28/09
The Book of Basketball - Bill Simmons - Posted 11/28/09