True Talent, True Entertainment, True Grit by Abigail Beck When my writing professor at college gave me a copy of True Grit as a graduation gift, I had no idea what I was getting into. For years I’d been telling myself that I didn’t like to read, but I was already on the path to […]
{ 0 comments }
Eius Paenitentiam by Andrew Collins The Drop (in theaters) is a dark look back into a world whose Godfather-esque heyday has passed yet continues to linger in New York City’s neighborhoods. Generations stack up upon each other and forge deep family ties. Cops and mobsters attend Mass every morning. Money changes hands unseen, according to a secret […]
{ 0 comments }
Star-Crossed Chemo by Andrew Collins The Fault in Our Stars explores the psyche of the teenage cancer patient. For those of us whose inner circle has not been visited by the Big C, encounters with cancer can tend toward the distant — a sentimental charity ad, a scripted request at the grocery store checkout. We […]
{ 0 comments }
Cancer: A Love Story by Rachel Fox Who reads books about cancer? Especially when it’s a given that a main character — with whom the writer will do their best to help you fall in love — will inevitably face a long-fought and often-painful death? Cancer rides high in our collective consciousness, as more people every […]
{ 0 comments }
Genre Smoothy by Stephen Simons Occasionally something comes along that so defies all categorization that it loses its rightful place of recognition or prestige. No, I’m not talking about the XFL. But like the XFL there are many things out there that can’t decide what they are — is it football or WCW wresting, boat or car, manta […]
{ 0 comments }
O Captain, My Rom-com by Andrew Collins The flirting begins with a word game — each player tries to think of a word with more syllables than the last. Jack Marcus (Clive Owen), a top-notch prep school English teacher, has the obvious advantage, but Dina Delsanto (Juliette Binoche) is a stubborn New York art instructor. […]
{ 0 comments }
The Importance of Being Earnest . . . But Not Too Earnest by Stephen Simons Hi, my name is Stephen, (hi, Stephen) and I am (sigh) a Moulin Rouge fan-boy. I still remember the fever with which I called friends and family to tell them, “best movie . . . ever.” (sigh, again) That one movie has discredited me, to […]
{ 0 comments }
X-Files, Fanboy Baiting & Fringe by Stephen Simons The X-Files started something both wonderful and horrible. On the wonderful side, we had a prime time sci-fi show with great writing, deep characters, and a complex evolving plot. Also, it wasn’t Star Trek. But as the show became a hit, a diabolical formula began to emerge that would plague […]
{ 0 comments }
Sherlock: A Study in Awesome by Stephen Simons America has borrowed a lot from Britain’s fictional sources over the last few hundred years. Whether through subconscious influences or direct pulls like Hamlet, starring Mel Gibson, we have found a lot of inspiration from our mother country. From The Office to shows like The Tomorrow People, Being Human, […]
{ 1 comment }
It Was the Worst of TV, It Was the Best of TV by Stephen Simons We have all seen the headlines. “This just in (again): Television is DEAD,” soon to be replaced forever by a nine-year-old’s four-minute video of cats chasing lasers (or possibly cats shooting lasers). And the recalcitrant old guard media giants scramble to make us keep watching […]
{ 0 comments }
6 members
