Category Archives: books/film

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

Posted in books/film, Fiction Writing, Film, Julia Roberts films | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in books, books/film, Coen Brothers films, Morris Collins fiction | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“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

Posted in books/film, Film, Oscar Movies 2026 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Amazon River, books/film, Candace Millard books, Teddy Roosevelt | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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

On “Die My Love”: Jennifer Lawrence Channels Her Inner Kristi Noem, and Does Not Write the Great American Novel

So after a lot of pre-release buzz the Jennifer Lawrence film Die My Love fizzled at the box office and did not get much attention. (Note: Minor spoilers ahead.) That’s a bit unfortunate, as it has the terrific performance of … Continue reading

Posted in "Die My Love" film, books/film, Film, Jennifer Lawrence film, Love of Dogs, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“The Salt Path” (2025): An Underappreciated Film That Includes Actual Humanity

So my wife and I are inveterate backpackers—the seasoned, often bedraggled kind. We’ve backpacked in many locations from Denali National Park in Alaska (perhaps the “wildest” backcountry) to Yellowstone and the Wind Rivers in Wyoming and many others. But truth … Continue reading

Posted in "The Salt Path" Film (2025), Backpacking Adventures, books/film, Economics, Film, Raynor Winn's "The Salt Path", Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Friendly Aliens Who Will Pull Our Plug: On “Pluribus” and “Bugonia”:

So I’m still a skeptic as far as alien visitors are concerned but it seems I’m bumping into extraterrestrial stories whenever I turn on the TV. Following the epic success of Better Call Saul (one of my favorite series of all time) … Continue reading

Posted in Alien Intelligence, Annihilation, books/film, Climate Change | Tagged , | Leave a comment

"Ad Astra" Review: Killer Baboons, Moon Buggy War Zones, and Space Travel as a Walk in the Park

So I caught the new Ad Astra film last night, and in my best snarky Bill-Murray-as-Film-Critic-on-SNL mode I’ll quip: It’s like Apocalypse Now meets 2001: A Space Odyssey with a spritz of Alien. I’ll confess I’ve never been a big … Continue reading

Posted in books/film, Climate Change | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Shocking Bird Population Decline as in The Bird Saviors

So for years I’ve been reading about and studying Climate Change (though I do find Global Weirding to be witty and accurate), for various reasons, some of them personal of course: I have a daughter who will live in this … Continue reading

Posted in Birding, books/film, Climate Change, The West, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment