Tag Archives: Film

The Death of Realism & Richard Yates’ Genius

A master of Realism, Richard Yates is like a J.D. Salinger who has grown a pair. Or the flip side of John Cheever. Continue reading →

Posted in J.D. Salinger, John Cheever, Revolutionary Road (film), Revolutionary Road (novel), Richard Yates fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cul-De-Sac Anguish: On Netflix’s “The Last House”

I’ll try to avoid spoilers here but will add that when we finished watching it, we both said, “Wow. I’m surprised we finished that movie.” As in: I’m surprised we didn’t stop watching and go do something more entertaining, like poking each other with a sharp stick. Continue reading →

Posted in "Alone" TV Reality Series, "The Last House" film, Implausible movies, Yellowstone National Park backcountry trips | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

New “Cape Fear” on Apple TV: Third Time’s the Charm? 

Why another remake? Now that I’m watching the Apple TV series (big change from a feature-length movie) I see what they’ve done with it and have to say . . . it works. It’s even weirder than the first two gruesome versions.  Continue reading →

Posted in Amy Adams, Apple TV Original Movies, Apple TV's "Cape Fear", Cult classic films, Film, Javier Bardem, Martin Scorsese movies | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Who’s the Killer? The Nonlinear Charms of “Strange Darling” 

It’s not a matter of seeing is believing. It’s a matter of what you see can’t be understood without the linearity of what came before. Continue reading →

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The Finale of “DTF St. Louis”: Sad Coda to Great Character

Here’s what I find most fascinating and admirable about DTF: The writers/director cleverly frame the season as a murder mystery, when it isn’t. Continue reading →

Posted in David Harbour, HBO series, HBO's "DTF St. Louis", Jason Bateman, Prestige TV, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Film, Jim Jarmusch films, Tom Waits' films, Uncategorized | 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