Once upon a time, I wrestled while you slept

The Wrestler (2008) For those of us who remember wrestling in the Hulk Hogan heyday, this is a powerful counterpoint, highlighting the physical and emotional toll of being a wrestling performer. Constant touring, being away from your family, broken bones, and concussions are only a few of the features of the profession. And most wrestlers aren’t… Continue reading Once upon a time, I wrestled while you slept

The thin man and OJ ate some grass

  The Thin Man Goes Home (1945) When famed married detectives Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) visit his parents, they are unwillingly pulled into yet another caper in the fifth and penultimate film of the Thin Man series. Just like every other detective series from Agatha Christie to Scooby Doo, you know Nick… Continue reading The thin man and OJ ate some grass

Mr. Holland smoked some locusts in the park with Adaline; now he’s departed

  Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995) Musician Glenn Holland (Richard Dreyfus) takes a temporary job as a music teacher, but, as his idol John Lennon once sang, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” After thirty years in this temporary job, Mr. Dreyfus is forced to retire. On his last day of school, a… Continue reading Mr. Holland smoked some locusts in the park with Adaline; now he’s departed

One thousand nine hundred and fifteen trips around the sun: A look back at 1915

In 1915: The first transcontinental telephone call took place; The Rocky Mountain National Park was established; The US Congress designated the US Coast Guard as a military branch; Typhoid Mary was placed in a quarantine; The Vancouver Millionaires defeated the Ottawa Senators to win the Stanley Cup; Babe Ruth hit his first career home run; Leo Frank was lynched for the alleged… Continue reading One thousand nine hundred and fifteen trips around the sun: A look back at 1915

While the twenties roared, the films were silent: A look back at 1925

In 1925: Nellie Tayloe Ross became the first female governor in the United States; The New Yorker was first published; Calvin Coolidge was inaugurated as US President; Tennessee passed the Butler Act, prohibiting the teaching of evolution in the state’s public schools; F. Scott Fitzgerald published The Great Gatsby; Adolf Hitler published volume one of Mein Kampf; Mount Rushmore was dedicated;… Continue reading While the twenties roared, the films were silent: A look back at 1925

Best of the 1910s

  The Birth of a Flower (1910) A remarkable achievement from the early days of cinema: a lovely large scale exploration of a small scale occurrence which often flies under our radar.     The Hallucinations of Baron Munchausen (1911) Once again, Georges Méliès demonstrates his enormous creative capacity, using the story of Baron Munchausen as a launching pad… Continue reading Best of the 1910s

Best of the 1930s

    The Blood of a Poet (1930) The first part of Jean Cocteau’s Orphic trilogy is a surrealist fever dream. An artist paints a mouth which starts talking, then transfers to his hand, then to a nearby statue. This statue convinces the artist to pass through a mirror to a bizarre world inhabited by opium smokers… Continue reading Best of the 1930s

The King was born in a manger sans the alluring cross

  Allures (1961) This trippy combination of sounds and images by Jordan Belson was preserved in the National Film Registry in 2011. Most people will never see it, and their lives will be no less fulfilling.     Sans Soleil (1983) This avante garde documentary by Chris Marker explores the creation and maintenance of cultural memory with an essay… Continue reading The King was born in a manger sans the alluring cross