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
Tag: Michael Caine
One small step: A look back at 1969
In 1969: Rupert Murdoch bought The News of the World; The New York Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, The Beatles performed for the last time together on the rooftop of Apple Studios; The Stonewall Riots took place in New York City; The United States withdrew the $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 bills… Continue reading One small step: A look back at 1969
The wall came tumbling down: A look back at 1989
In 1989: The Nissan Infiniti and Toyota Lexus debuted; George H.W. Bush was sworn in as the 41st President of the United States; Ayotollah Khomeini issued a fatwah against author Salman Rushdie; The Exxon Valdez ran aground and spilled 240,000 barrels of oil; Chinese students began massive protests in Tiananmen Square; Nintendo released the Gameboy;… Continue reading The wall came tumbling down: A look back at 1989
America entered its twenty second decade: A look back at 1986
In 1986, Pixar Animation Studios opened; Halley’s Comet made its second visit to our solar system in the twentieth century; The The Legend of Zelda was released; A mishandled safety test at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant killed over 4000 people; The Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after launch; Len Bias died of a cocaine overdose 48 hours after being… Continue reading America entered its twenty second decade: A look back at 1986
In Back to the Future Part II, Why didn’t anyone tell Marty Bill Cosby was a rapist, Hulk Hogan was a racist, and Donald Trump might be President?: A look back at 2015
In 2015, Cuba and the United States resumed diplomatic relations; Volkswagen admitted to widespread cheating of emission testing; “Hello” by Adele became the first song to record over one million digital copies in a week; Saturday Night Live celebrated its 40th anniversary; Charlie Sheen confirmed he was HIV positive; In Obergefell v. Hodges, the United States… Continue reading In Back to the Future Part II, Why didn’t anyone tell Marty Bill Cosby was a rapist, Hulk Hogan was a racist, and Donald Trump might be President?: A look back at 2015
The stellar Mr. Arkadin crawls at night in Indochina
Interstellar (2014) In the not so distant future, a planet-wide blight has hurled humanity backwards into a semi-agrarian society. Widowed former NASA astronaut Joseph “Coop” Cooper runs a farm with his daughter Murphy (Mackenzie Foy), son Tom, and father-in-law Donald (John Lithgow), but he still dreams of traveling to the stars. Murphy believes a ghost is manipulating… Continue reading The stellar Mr. Arkadin crawls at night in Indochina
The quiet transamerican
Transamerica (2005) One week before sex reassignment surgery, Bree Osbourne (Felicity Huffman) discovers he fathered a child years ago during one of his few sexual encounters with a woman. Bree’s therapist refuses to give final approval for the operation until he meets his son, so Bree travels across the country to bail Toby (Kevin Zeggers) out… Continue reading The quiet transamerican
Children in America
Children of Men (2006) It’s 2027, and, for unexplained reasons, mankind has been infertile for almost twenty years. Theo Faron (Clive Owen) is an activist turned bureaucrat whose marriage disintegrated after his son died in a flu pandemic. His ex-wife, Julian Taylor (Julianne Moore), is a leader of The Fishes, a militant group fighting for the… Continue reading Children in America