Category Archives: books/film

Review of Reif Larsen's "I Am Radar" in the Dallas Morning News

Posted on March 1, 2015 by williamjcobb

So I’ve neglected this lonely little blog so often I should seriously feel guilty, but . . . I have my reasons. Note that I say I should feel guilty. But I don’t. (Well, maybe just a tad scrap of guilt is swirling around the door … Continue reading →

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"Necrophilia, Anyone?" On the Horror-Show That Is James Franco's Film Adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "Child of God"

Posted on December 7, 2014 by williamjcobb

So I’d heard that James Franco had made a film version of Cormac McCarthy’s powerful-and-disturbing novel Child of God (1974), and I casually wondered why I hadn’t heard anything about it. A year ago Franco also did a film version … Continue reading →

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On the Death of Kent Haruf: One of Our Finest Novelists, and a Friend

Posted on December 2, 2014 by williamjcobb

So on this snowy morning it’s a sad day to hear of the passing of Kent Haruf, author of Plainsong (1999), Eventide (2004), and Benediction (2013), among others. (For more details, see a piece in the Washington Post, here.) Although I … Continue reading →

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Review of Malcolm Brooks's debut novel "Painted Horses," and What I've Been Up to All This Time

Posted on August 31, 2014 by williamjcobb

So I feel bad for my uncared-for little blog here, languishing away as I rush about in my busy life, never finding time to nurture, as they say. It’s like the freckled orphan in the corner, who you notice now … Continue reading →

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On Sherry Turkle's "Alone Together" and How I Sleep With Stuffed Animals, Not Furbies, As They Make All That Noise When You Roll Over in the Night

Posted on March 21, 2014 by williamjcobb

So in my (not-yet-ended) quest to get to the bottom of this whole “digital distraction” thing, I’m now reading Sherry Turkle’s Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other (I mean, with a feel-good title … Continue reading →

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On Mark Bauerlein's "The Dumbest Generation" and Teaching to the Intellectually Challenged

Posted on March 19, 2014 by williamjcobb

So this little gem is priceless, coming from one of our last somewhat-intellectual news outlets, The New York Times: a media writer describing how he doesn’t read anymore, and seems happy (or Post-Shame, at least) to do nothing but watch TV … Continue reading →

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On "The Wolf of Wall Street," the Disappointment Curse of Our Overhyped World, and a New Movement Called "LifeFirst!"

Posted on March 1, 2014 by williamjcobb

So for weeks I’ve been reading about how good Leo DiCaprio/Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street is (Best Picture nominee!) and a couple weeks ago I finally managed to watch it. I was excited at first, being a Leo … Continue reading →

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"American Hustle" Kills SuperDud XLVIII

Posted on February 5, 2014 by williamjcobb

So on Sunday afternoon I went to see American Hustle, which should win the Best Fun Picture category at the Oscars, and after which my wife wryly noted, “I don’t think we saw Amy Adams breasts enough.” (See the film, … Continue reading →

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On Alexander Payne's "Nebraska" & a Christmas Without the Internet

Posted on January 14, 2014 by williamjcobb

So I happened to see the awesome/sad/hilarious film Nebraska, another classic by Alexander Payne, at a swanky art house theater (the Plaza Frontenac) in St. Louis before Christmas, but was unable to post anything about it, as I left the … Continue reading →

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My Review of Jim Harrison's "Brown Dog" in the Dallas Morning News

Posted on January 12, 2014 by williamjcobb

So I’ve been woefully out-of-touch with my blog, my misbegotten red-headed stepchild (with apologies to all ginger stepchildren in the world), but I haven’t been woefully out-of-touch with reading & living, which should always trump blogging. My review of Jim … Continue reading →

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