I’m Not There, The Complete Black Books

Author

By Aidan Devlon

Publish Date

Sept. 18, 2013

The Complete Black Books

I’m Not There: I really like movies that are less woven together and more tied in knots. This isn’t the story of Bob Dylan but rather a nonlinear exploration of his essence, identity, and how the expectations of the world involve itself. The nonlinear narrative uses six very diverse actors and actresses to portray different Dylans. The stories fade in and out into each other, fragmented, dreamlike, a semiotician’s fantasy. It’s an intensely tangible experience.

Black Books: This is a British show about an alcoholic, misanthropic, disheveled, and thoroughly lovable bookshop owner. It’s full of brilliantly written lines. It’s the kind of clever dialogue you end up quoting again and again. (I guess I could’ve just said it’s a Graham Linehan show.) And the cast is great: Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey, and Tamsin Greig. There’s no mood foul enough to defeat the funny that is Black Books.