In an early writing exercise in her book, “The Way of a Fearless Writer,” Beth Kempton asks you to empty your bag and write about its contents. I decided to write about the “god pouch” I have carried in my bag for over a decade, although its contents have doubled. My god pouch is my […]
One-line review: A man on the run for “a” life. This film is the Safdie Brothers’ first outing with a big star and paved the way for convincing Adam Sandler to do their dream project. But interestingly, in this case, the global sensation Robert Pattinson sought them out after seeing their previous movie’s trailer. Pattinson
One-line review: Eternal friendships bloom in the Wild West. When the Coens announced they were remaking True Grit, many fans of the 1969 classic that won John Wayne his only Oscar raised their eyebrows. But the Coens were interested in the original source, the late and reclusive author Charles Portis’ best-selling and much-loved novel. The
Time just gets away from us with True Grit. Last week was magical. I stumbled upon the 2010 Coen Brothers’ film, True Grit, and was so besotted with it that I went down the True Grit rabbit hole: the 1969 classic starring John Wayne, Charles Portis’s book, and the audiobook read by the delightful Donna
The guilt-free True Grit binge Read More »
One-line review: Finnish True Grit. Sisu has the advantage (at least when I saw it) of being seen by an audience with no expectations, but then it delivers and delivers. It tries to get some credibility by informing us in the credits that it was edited in the same studio that made John Wick. But
Life is more than cause and effect. I decided to write this piece after reading the article about the murder of David Breaux (pictured above), also known as the “compassion guy,” a regular fixture in the UC Davis park. Breaux, a Jamaican immigrant, and Stanford graduate, shunned the typical path of finding a cushy job
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Jane Eyre is the original feminist. I recently revisited my favorite book, Jane Eyre, after watching the superb film, Emily, about Emily Brontë. Although I’ve often re-read my favorite sections of the book, I was rereading it from cover to cover after more than a decade. Some of its chinks, like its black-and-white portrayal of
JANE EYRE’S TIMELESS APPEAL Read More »
One-line review: Beauty of the Beast. I was among the few to see this film in the theaters (in New Jersey) when it was first released. Despite the great reviews, it went out quietly, although those who saw it knew they had seen something special. Thankfully, the film recently got a new lease of life
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One-line review: The nice guy who doesn’t finish last despite the odds against him. This Clint Eastwood film is based on the real life of Richard Jewell, a security guard hailed as a national hero for detecting a bomb at one of the venues of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, only to be publicly vilified as
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History repeats itself; just watch the dogs. Seeing dogs in the NYC streets always gives me a sense of déjà vu. Are we at the cusp of the dogs’ civil rights movement? A non-violent uprising that will see them achieve equality with their masters. You see, it always starts with the indignity of performing one’s