Category: Articles
Three films about Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a ‘worthy’ issue and such issues don’t often make for great films. Even the most successful have their moment of exposure and then fade away like memories. That said, Alzheimer’s is an issue with inbuilt dramatic thrust. What could be more scary than a disappearing self? I’ve a special interest in dementia,…
Reflecting on the Saw Series: A Cut Above or a Bloody Mess?
My daddy, before going off to parts unknown, left me with two warnings about life. The first, as you probably could guess, was to never get involved in a land war in Asia. The second was to never trust the title “Final Chapter” when it is applied to a popular film franchise. With news cropping…
Opera Onscreen: How to Resurrect a Dying Genre
Given the fact that Placido Domingo instinctively ruffled his fingers through my hair 30 years ago as I—then a member of the Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus—marched by him on stage during a production of Carmen, I can’t help but admit a personal bias toward the legendary singer … which includes admiration for his efforts in…
A Cinematic Understanding of Adolescent Female Sexuality
Thank heaven for little girls! For little girls get bigger every day! Thank heaven for little girls! They grow up in the most delightful way. (Alan Jay Lerner) It all seemed so innocent back in 1958. Alan Jay Lerner wrote it and Maurice Chevalier sang it and Gigi won the Best Picture Oscar. But America’s awkward embrace of growing…
Straight Outta Compton: NWA, the Marx Brothers, and Artistic Expression
This is a story about anarchy. About how artists deal with a crazy, messed-up world. And as such, it a story about the value of art. The power of art. The danger of art. Three young men were searching for a place in a harsh terrain. They were outsiders, hailing from a segment of society…