the war lord forced off his horse … cherry blossoms In light of recent developments, specifically the inaugural mugshot of a US president, I’ve been wondering exactly where we might be in the …
Film Reviews
“Oppenheimer” Movie Visually Fierce, Conceptually Flawed
I'm as conflicted with Christopher Nolan's movie "Oppenheimer" as the protagonist is with his own internal conflict. The film raises a lot of important questions, and the visual story is fierce, but …
Two Women, Two Films: “Arrival” and “Jackie”
I watched two movies with women protagonists this weekend. The films couldn’t have been more different, but each in its own way, was a discerning moving portrait. Both women are asked to do the …
Which Nosferatu Should I Watch?
Does clarity make Gothic horror more horrible? Yes, it does. That’s why you’ll want to watch the infamous “Nosferatu” (1922) Kino Restored version. Otherwise, those toothy fangs will just make you …
Concerning Hobbits
When Bilbo leaves his home in the Shire and doesn’t immediately mourn the fact that he forgot his pocket handkerchief, I was concerned that the new rendition of Tolkien’s simple, yet masterful story, …
Twelve Angry Women
What if “12 Angry Men” was “12 Angry Women?” Twelve different women on a jury for a murder trial in Chicago, and the accused was a man—just a man. One woman has tickets to the Lyric Opera and hopes …
The Missing Art of Story
It’s hard to stop myself from looking at this year’s lineup of Oscar nominations for best film and not put them into a Blake Snyder type of list: American Dude with an FBI problem Tom Hanks Dude …