There’s trouble in Westeros. Following King Robert Baratheon’s death, his son Joffrey Baratheon takes the throne. But when a rumor surfaces that casts doubts of Joffrey’s legitimacy, his uncles, Renly and Stannis, each claim the throne and prepare for war. Meantime, Robb Stark fights a war of independence for the North, while his half...
There is a scene early in Kong: Skull Island where Vietnam-era Hueys fly low over the ocean in attack formation. It’s a beautiful shot, reminiscence of Apocalypse Now, which I suspect it was meant to homage, but I couldn’t help but think how much better it would be if “Ride of the Valkyries” played...
Merian C. Cooper was an adventurer, who joined Pershing’s expedition in the hunt for Pancho Villa, who flew for the United States during World War I, and for Poland in the Polish-Soviet War (1919-1921). Later in life, he made a Hollywood career as a screenwriter and director, and in said role, he created the...
Logan, without any doubt, is my favorite X-Men movie. It is the X-Men film I’ve been waiting for, without knowing, until I saw it, that I wanted it or that I was waiting for it Yes! I thought. That’s an instant favorite! I’ve been thinking that a lot lately, with such movies as Star...
Roland Pembroke, the CEO of a Wall Street financial firm, went on vacation and never returned. Instead he sent an enigmatic letter that stated he was done living the lie and from now on he would seek his own truth. This upset the board of directors, who need Pembroke’s signature to finalize a merger...
As a rule, I avoid these bitter-sweet, coming-of-age novels. Don’t ask me why, because I fear the answer will come too close to the adage against judging a book by its cover. Is judging a book by its topic or sub-genre just as bad? I made an exception for The Perks of Being a...
I hate dream scenes in movies! I particularly hate them in Hollywood horror movies, where they are so overworked we should give them a twenty-year vacation. Often they begin the movie and end in a jump scare that wakes the protagonist. It was only a dream! They are lazy and ineffective. Screenwriters write them whenever...
Last Sunday, in the mood for a scary and disturbing movie, I searched Netflix Instant Play and discovered Darling. Though the short synopsis made me think it was going to be just another haunted house story, I decided to watch it. Instead of being another haunted house tale, Darling proved to be psychological horror...
Published in 1748 under the title Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, Fanny Hill tells the story about a young woman, orphaned at 15, who travels to London to make her way. She intended to find employment as a domestic servant, but instead she fell in with madams, prostitutes, and pleasure seekers, who steered...
In the society of the future, people live for twenty-one years, before they turn themselves in for Sleep, a socially demanded suicide. As can be imagine, not everyone is onboard with this idea. Many people want more than twenty-one years, so when the imbedded flower in their palm begins to blink red and black,...
