Review No. 32: Bear’s Den Pizza (Or Bears Den, depending on where you look) 235 Farris Road (501) 328-5556 20.4 percent of Conway restaurants reviewed The Situation She Said: Every town needs a good dive bar with satisfying dive-bar food, and college towns need them even more. Bear’s Den Pizza certainly fits this bill… Continue reading Bear’s Den Pizza
Author: Jay Ruud
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Gareth Edwards (2016) [av_image src=’http://jayruud.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Tennyson-180×180.jpg’ attachment=’77’ attachment_size=’square’ align=’left’ animation=’left-to-right’ link=” target=” styling=” caption=’yes’ font_size=” appearance=’on-hover’] The legend of King Arthur is a body of literary texts that has its roots in oral tales dating back some 1500 years. Over the centuries, new characters and new tangential tales have become… Continue reading Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Starbucks–Oak Street
Review No. 32: Starbucks-Oak Street 905 East Oak Street (501) 505-8326 19.2 percent of Conway restaurants reviewed The Situation He Said: When I was told by Commandant Jones that reviewing all restaurants in Conway not only meant every single McDonalds and Sonic, but also the Starbucks in town, I begged to differ. In my… Continue reading Starbucks–Oak Street
Miss Sloane
Miss Sloane John Madden (2016) [av_image src=’http://jayruud.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Tennyson-180×180.jpg’ attachment=’77’ attachment_size=’square’ align=’left’ animation=’left-to-right’ link=” target=” styling=” caption=’yes’ font_size=” appearance=’on-hover’] Miss Sloane is a film about the virtually unchecked influence of lobbyists in our nation’s capitol, and the shaping of policy by money and power (when somebody mentions “public opinion” in the film, he is very quickly told… Continue reading Miss Sloane
Patio Cafe
Review No. 31: The Patio Café 1156 Front Street (501) 358-3556 19.2 percent of Conway restaurants reviewed The Situation She Said: I was on a doctor-ordered exercise break for several days, which meant my mornings were freed up somewhat, and I was upset about not getting to go running or to Jazzercise. So, I… Continue reading Patio Cafe
Ted Kooser’s “After Years”
Moana
Moana Ron Clements and John Musker (2016) [av_image src=’http://jayruud.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/3-12.jpg’ attachment=313′ attachment_size=’square’ align=’left’ animation=’left-to-right’ link=” target=” styling=” caption=’yes’ font_size=” appearance=’on-hover’] Three Tennysons/Half Shakespeare[/av_image] [av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”] This latest Disney animated “princess” movie has dominated the box office for the past two weeks and is the darling of the critics with a whopping 97 percent rating… Continue reading Moana
Sawbucks
Review No. 30: Sawbucks 1515 Dave Ward Drive (501) 504-6065 18.2 percent of Conway restaurants reviewed The Situation He Said: Sawbucks is part of a small chain of restaurants. There are sister restaurants in five other smaller cities in Arkansas: Maumelle, Beebe, Cabot, El Paso, and Lonoke. The one in Conway is on Dave… Continue reading Sawbucks
Langston Hughes’ “Harlem”
Allied
Allied Robert Zemeckis (2016) [av_image src=’http://jayruud.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Tennyson-180×180.jpg’ attachment=’77’ attachment_size=’square’ align=’left’ animation=’left-to-right’ link=” target=” styling=” caption=’yes’ font_size=” appearance=’on-hover’] It’s not Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, but it is Casablanca in 1942, and there are Nazis to be dealt with, and playing the “Marseillaise” on the piano is a turning point in the film. And in the end,… Continue reading Allied