The Last Trial, by Scott Turow. Grand Central Publishing, May 2020. Every reader has a guilty pleasure. For me it has always been courtroom fiction. Granted, this led me to frustration because I would read many courtroom novels only to become irritated over the author’s inaccuracies compared to the real-life courtrooms where I worked. This […]
Newsletter – Event
Posted inArts & Culture
Duke’s Arkansas only half a movie
There’s a good movie trapped inside Clark Duke’s Arkansas, the writer/director’s frustrating debut film that contains two distinct narratives, one compelling, the other…not so much. A peak into the Southern states’ version of organized crime, the movie sports a first-rate cast, some fresh ideas and a very good performance from an unexpected source. However, as […]
Posted inMusic
Play May music
As we wander into the first full week of May 2020, the world we live in is still quite topsy-turvy from only one year ago, or any time in the past, for that matter. We’re keeping close in our hearts those who’ve lost loved ones and those on the front lines, plus making a special […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Half’s charm makes it a winner
So much of the success of a movie relates to how well the audience likes the characters. Plot holes, wild circumstances and non-sensical acts can be forgiven if we relate to the people involved and come to share their hopes and dreams. The desire to see appealing characters find the happiness we cannot, may cause […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Spring Home & Garden 2020
Most of us are spending a lot more time at home these days, so perhaps you’ve been compiling a list of projects you want to tackle. Our annual spring Home & Garden issue offers tips on decluttering and minor home projects you can tackle yourself or ideas for spending that stimulus check to spruce up […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Pesto pandemico
After weeks of homeschooling, discombobulated grocery shopping, and what felt like an endless winter, the novelty of staying home to stymie the spread of a novel virus has thoroughly worn off. Our household has begun to settle into a new sort of normal. Lunch has turned into the main meal of the day around here, […]
Posted inMusic
Month of May(be) music
As we enter our seventh week of talking about live music without public performances, it’s so appropriate to be starting the month of May. And that’s only because I’ve referred to it as the month of Maybe for years and now May is very much a maybe month. To give proper intellectual credit, Jim Schniepp, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Authentic Bull one of year’s best
On par with The Florida Project and Lean on Pete, Annie Silverstein’s impressive debut feature Bull is a bracing examination of modern poverty, a sympathetic look at those trapped by circumstances out of their control, forced to live a life where few options for advancement exist, an existence that ultimately becomes void of meaning or […]
Posted inFood & Drink
How to cook a wolf
As long as we end up beating the Reaper, these past weeks of self-quarantine really haven’t been awful. Amid bad news and increasing fears we have been gifted a rare period of respite to reflect and reassess. Life as we knew it will never be the same. The future? It’s not yet been written. As […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Living well in the world
Nature lovers are sure to enjoy The Eight Master Lessons of Nature: What Nature Teaches Us About Living Well in the World, by Gary Ferguson. So should anyone worried by the global coronavirus pandemic and the dramatic changes in our world. People often see humans as outside of nature, rather than fundamentally connected to it. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Impressive action makes for thrilling Extraction
It’s funny the things you end up missing. Since movie theaters have closed, I find myself yearning to see a bigger-than-life, Hollywood production wash over me, the kind that, through its sheer size, overwhelms and takes me away. And while I’ve had more than my fair share of rote action films, I wouldn’t mind seeing […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Films to watch at home
Now that movie watching has become a home-viewing option for the time being, this space will be devoted to small reviews of films that can be seen on various streaming services, cable channels and video-on-demand. Stay safe and happy viewing! Amazon Prime The Lost City of Z – ½ (Rated PG-13, 141 minutes) Director James […]
