Daily Archives: July 4, 2020

There are no “wholly original” stories out there, only fresh variations of all that came before them. Every plot is a version of something dating back to “the classics.” Every character a new wrinkle of classic archetypes. Every novel, play, … Continue reading →

So here I was, eye-strained from all the eye-rolling at the pretty and utterly vapid Italian beach romance “Under the Riccione Sun,” ready to UNLOAD on it with this opening. “If you missed out on how dry and empty American … Continue reading →

Kevin Rafferty’s most acclaimed documentary, “Atomic Cafe,” was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry. It was about America’s atomic testing legacy. Harvard educated, a relative of the Bush clan, he made a very entertaining sports … Continue reading →

Writer-director Ash Mayfair made a modest splash with her artful, serenely suspenseful “The Third Wife,”about a child bride’s experiences in 19th century Vietnam, and loosely based on Mayfair’s family’s 19th century history. The 14 year-old bride, May (Nguyen Phuong Tra … Continue reading →