Category: Review

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Anita Loos (1925) If you mention the title Gentlemen Prefer Blondes to the average person nowadays, he or she is almost certain to assume you are referring to the classic 1953 film that catapulted Marilyn Monroe to superstardom and that gave us the iconic pink-gowned musical rendition of “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.”… Continue reading Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

The Chair Amanda Peet and Annie Julia Wyman (2021) Facts for You: Where to Watch: Steaming on Netflix Length: 6 episodes of 30 minutes each Names You  Might Know: Sandra Oh, Bob Balaban, Jay Duplass, Holland Taylor Language: English Rating: TV-MA (content advisory) He Said: Anyone who has ever been involved in higher education in any capacity will find The Chair a fascinating and… Continue reading The Chair

The Man Who Loved Children Christina Stead (1940) In 2005, Time magazine included Christina Stead’s 1940 novel The Man Who Loved Children on their list of the 100 best English language novels since 1923. But this is a novel that continues to be one of the least well-known among that collection of titles. Upon its initial publication, Stead’s book… Continue reading The Man Who Loved Children

Stillwater              Tom McCarthy (2021) Facts for You: Where to Watch: Only in theaters. Length: 2 hours 19 minutes Names You  Might Know: Matt Damon, Abigail Breslin, Camille Cottin Language: English Rating: R (for language) He Said: Tom McCarthy’s last major film, a little thing called Spotlight, didn’t do much other than win an Academy Award as the Best Picture of 2015. His… Continue reading Stillwater

The Death of Jesus J.M. Coetzee (2019) Nobel laureate and two-time Booker Prize winning novelist J.M. Coetzee has spent the bulk of the last decade composing a trilogy that (perhaps even more than his earlier novels, if that is possible) has managed to confuse and frustrate his readers. The “Jesus” trilogy—which began with The Childhood of… Continue reading The Death of Jesus

The Cellist Daniel Silva (2021) It’s no exaggeration to say that what John le Carré was to novels of Cold War politics, Daniel Silva is to this generation’s political thrillers. For decades, Silva has been producing suspenseful spy-stories dealing with situations involving Muslim extremist attacks on Israel, Nazi crimes concealed by Swiss banks, extremist plots… Continue reading The Cellist

Black Widow Cate Shortland (2021) Facts for You: Where to Watch: Disney+ (where it will cost you $29.99[!]) Length: 2 hours 13 minutes Names You  Might Know: Scarlett Johansson. Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz Language: English Rating: PG13 (for violence, some language) He Said: Black Widow is finally here, some 14 months after its original planned release. And the COVID-delayed… Continue reading Black Widow

The Blind Assassin Margaret Atwood (2000) Margaret Atwood is one of the best-known current novelists in the English language, due in no small part to the popularity of the TV series based on her 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale, which also fueled her 2019 sequel to that novel, The Testaments that won the coveted Booker Prize. If you’re… Continue reading The Blind Assassin

No Sudden MoveSteven Soderbergh (2021) Facts for You: Where to Watch: HBO Max Length: 1 hour 55 minutes Names You  Might Know: Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, Matt Damon, Brendon Feraser, Jon Hamm, Ray Liotta Language: English Rating: R (for violence, language, some sexual references) He Said: It is the mid-1950s. Three criminals invade a family’s suburban home and hold the… Continue reading No Sudden Move

The Mysterious Benedict Society James Bobin (2021) Facts for You: Where to Watch: Weekly on Disney + Length: 51 minutes per episode Names You Might Know: Tony Hale, Kristen Schaal, Ryan Hurst Language: English He Said: We’ve known this project was in the works for some time and have been eager to see what the end result was… Continue reading The Mysterious Benedict Society