Category Archives: Film

On Tom Waits in “Father Mother Sister Brother”: Grifter Like Me

So I came to appreciate the genius of singer/songwriter Tom Waits much later than I should have, even if I did know the Eagles version of his song “Ol’ 55” in early college years. (Waits thought their version was “antiseptic” … Continue reading

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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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“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 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

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On the Gerard Butler film “Greenland”: Maybe Trump Thinks It’s Real, Why He Wants the Icy Island?

So as not to be considered too “elite” I have actually watched not only the original Greenland (2020) film, starring Gerard Butler, but have also watched Greenland: Migration (2026), the sequel, to boot. And I’m thinking either Trump or one of his minions watched … Continue reading

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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

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“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

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"The Hunt" Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love a Bomb

So we all heard the hoopla about the notorious “anti-liberal” film The Hunt back in the Fall, causing its debut to be delayed, but it’s out now and it’s a hoot. First let me admit to being roughly in the … Continue reading

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"Underwater" movie review: You think you got a big monster?

So in this time of virus lockdown and pandemic horror, let’s imagine creatures that don’t exist and have some scary fun! Or that seems to be the thinking of whoever made the new Kristen Stewart film, Underwater. It’s like Alien … Continue reading

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Monsters Within & Without the Bunker: On "10 Cloverfield Lane," Which High-Fives "The Revenant," With a Nod to the Original "Cloverfield"

So I was amused by the original Cloverfield (2008), with its cool poster of the Statue of Liberty and tagline: Some Thing Has Found Us. It’s no great film or anything—kind of a Heineken ad spliced with (the film version … Continue reading

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