Monthly Archives: February 2026

On “After the Hunt” and “The Tavern at the End of the World”: Land of the Lost Professors

So the lives of professors are fodder for contemporary fiction and film, as evidenced by these two respective gems: the recent Julia Roberts’ film After the Hunt (2025) and Morris Collins’ just-published novel The Tavern at the End of History. … Continue reading

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On Morris Collins’s Novel “The Tavern at the End of History” (2026) and the Coen Brothers’ Film “A Serious Man” (2009)

So years ago a good friend of mine had seen the new Coen Brothers’ film A Serious Man before I had and I asked his opinion. He liked it but added, “It’s very Jewish.” Which, now that I know the … Continue reading

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“Song Sung Blue” Makes Kate Hudson Oscar Worthy

So I’ve never given the actress Kate Hudson much thought: She’s Goldie Hawn’s daughter so I’ve probably unconsciously (and unfairly) dismissed her with the ubiquitous “nepo baby” label (see under: Gwyneth Paltrow). I liked her in the unlikely Larry David … Continue reading

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On Randall K. Wilson’s “A Place Called Yellowstone”: Award-Winning History of Yellowstone National Park

So as a devoted National-Park aficionado I learned of Randall K. Wilson’s A Place Called Yellowstone: The Epic History of the World’s First National Park last Spring when it was announced as winner of the Barbara and David Zalaznick Book Prize for the best … Continue reading

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On Candice Millard’s “River of Doubt” and “River of the Gods”: Bugs, Snakes, and Disease Aplenty

So a couple years back my wife read Candice Millard’s excellent nonfiction book The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey (2005). She raved about it and I put it on my reading list, but somehow or other I ended up reading … Continue reading

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More Alone than “Alone”: On Adam Shoalts’s “Vanished Beyond the Map: The Mystery of Lost Explorer Hubert Darrell” (2025)

So I have great admiration for the hardy, crusty souls who can live and survive well in the rugged outdoors—people like the enigmatic free-style explorer Hubert Darrell, who began life as an Englishman and ended his days in far northern … Continue reading

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Rachel McAdams film “Send Help” (2026) Makes Comic Gold Out of “Survivor” and “Alone” Audition Videos

So I saw the new Rachel McAdams star vehicle Send Help, directed by no less than Mr. Evil Dead himself, Sam Raimi. It’s way fun. As it’s just released and in cinemas, I’ll avoid spoilers as much as possible. As you can … Continue reading

Posted in "Alone" TV Reality Series, "Drag Me to Hell" film, "Game Night" film, "Send Help" film, Rachel McAdams films, Thailand Adventures, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

“The Wiggle Room”: A Short Story

Note: This story originally appeared in the online literary journal Solar, Spring 2022. For this one, if you think “genre,” think Gothic. It’s “Based on a True Story,” kind of. According to his father, the neighbors who lived in the … Continue reading

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On the New Film “Grizzly Night,” Based on the Nonfiction Book “Night of the Grizzly” (1971)

So it was my (pleasant? gruesome?) surprise yesterday to stumble upon this new film Grizzly Night, which is based on a true story, famously recounted in Jack Olsen’s nonfiction book Night of the Grizzlies (1971). I’m a sucker for a … Continue reading

Posted in "Grizzly Night" 2026 film, "Night of the Grizzlies" by Jack Olsen, Animal attack movies, Bear attacks, Bears, books/film, Film, Glacier National Park backcountry, Horror Films, The West, Uncategorized, Wildlife, Yellowstone National Park backcountry trips | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Alien-Hunting Wives: Trump’s Novel Solution to the Coming Alien Invasion

[Note: This is satire. In the spirit of the New Yorker’s “Shouts and Murmurs” satirical op-ed slot.] New bombshells revealed after the recent release of the shocking documentary The Age of Disclosure, detailing U.S. government’s possession of recovered UFO craft … Continue reading

Posted in Alien Intelligence, Anti-Trump Satire, Bad TV, Good TV, The Hunting Wives TV series, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment