Exhuming "The Cruise"

Before Hurricane Irene arrives and destroys all that we hold dear, here's another post I meant to put up a while back that am only getting to now. Apologies to my friends on Facebook who may have already read me blathering about it.

So, I finally saw "The Cruise" (albeit about thirteen years after its release). It's a really compelling character study of one complex man's eccentricities and the city he's obsessed with. The documentary is also a nice snapshot of pre-9/11 New York City in all its glory. While protagonist Timothy "Speed" Levitch fluctuates between the insightful and the insufferable, it's still a wholly captivating film.

Here's a typical monologue from the man, struck by architectural rapture while walking north on Crosby Street.