Thoughts on Living the Life Creative
Anatomy of a Murder (1959) - A soldier's wife (Lee Remick) is raped and he (Ben Gazarra) kills her rapist. The former local prosecuting attorney (Jimmy Stewart) agrees to defend the husband. His client is just a bit too slick and the wife is just a bit too much of a party girl. Both of... Continue Reading →
Blue Like Jazz (2012) - The fictionalized story of author Donald Miller's adventures as a Southern Baptist from Texas at the very liberal Reed College in Portland Oregon. Sometimes called "the most godless college in America" the culture at Reed will challenge Miller's belief in God and in himself. Based loosely on the best selling... Continue Reading →
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson (1886) - This is a book that we all believe we know well. We are usually quite wrong in that assessment. Yes, this is the story of Dr. Henry Jekyl. In his research he discovers an astounding and terrifying compound that releases a... Continue Reading →
Two movies this week but they really deserve to be together. They follow the lives of Simon Grim (James Urbaniak), his sister Fay (Parker Posey), and a bombastic but vastly untalented writer with a mysterious past Henry Fool (Thomas Jay Ryan). Written and directed by Hal Hartley the movies are both funny and deeply serious.... Continue Reading →
Shaking Out The Dead by K. M. Cholewa - The story of three adults struggling with what it means to love and be loved. Tatum is positive that she is unlovable, Paris wants to love her but spends too much time being "invisible" to believe it could happen. Geneva is an older woman struggling with... Continue Reading →
White Heat (1949) - James Cagney stars with Virginia Mayo and Edmond O'Brien in one of the great gangster movies of all time. Cody Jarrett (Cagney) is a psychopath with mother issues. He leads a gang of robbers and murderers on an extensive crime spree with his girlfriend Verna (Mayo). Ma Jarrett is Cody's only... Continue Reading →
Diggers (2006) - It's the 1970s on Long Island. For generations men have gone out into the waters near shore to search for clams. But a corporation is intruding on the shallows where the diggers ply their trade. Four childhood friends try to figure out what they're going to do if they can't do what... Continue Reading →
Male of the Species by Alex Mindt (2007) - I have a very bad habit of resisting reading recommendations, even from people I respect. Along the way I've missed out on some great books. This collection of short stories came with the VERY enthusiastic endorsement of my daughter. Since I'm trying to overcome this habit... Continue Reading →
The Bank Dick (1940) - Egbert Souse (pronounced "Soo-say") is hen pecked, disrespected by his children and generally both lazy and a coward. He tries to get by with an angle and a scam. Along the way he'll take a turn at both movie director, capture a bank robber and become the bank detective. He'll... Continue Reading →
(From My Shelves is an occasional series on the blog looking at some of my favorites from my personal collections) "Woyaya" by Osibisa (1971) When I went away to college my musical tastes were, um, limited. I went to college with three albums - Jim Croce's Greatest Hits, Chicago's Cardinal album and Nat "King" Cole's... Continue Reading →
Stories Are My Life 