Category Archives: Film

Jean Shepherd’s A Christmas Story

[The town of Hammond, Indiana, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of this movie next weekend, December 16-17, 2023, with a gathering called “Ralphie and the Gang Come Home.”] Tim Hoke wrote this review. Based on stories by Jean Shepherd, A … Continue reading

Posted in Film | Tagged , | Comments Off on Jean Shepherd’s A Christmas Story

Acorn Media’s Slings & Arrows Season 3

The Chicago Tribune exclaims, “[Slings & Arrows] can make you both LAUGH and CRY… don’t miss it.” And having just finished watching all six episodes of the third and final season of this extraordinary Canadian production, I have to admit … Continue reading

Posted in Film | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Acorn Media’s Slings & Arrows Season 3

Acorn Media’s Slings & Arrows, Season 2

The first season of Slings & Arrows told the story of the New Burbage Shakespeare Festival, a Canadian theatre company not unlike Ontario’s Stratford Festival. The season was entertaining, funny, and actually pretty sexy as the new artistic director (played … Continue reading

Posted in Film | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Acorn Media’s Slings & Arrows, Season 2

Acorn Media’s Slings & Arrows Season 1

There are raves all over the cover of this DVD set. The New York Times calls Slings & Arrows “charming, complex, lively.” Newsday says “funny, romantic, sweet, thrilling.” And on it goes. Until I watched this DVD set I had … Continue reading

Posted in Film | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Acorn Media’s Slings & Arrows Season 1

FX’s Sons of Anarchy, Season One

We must have seen a promo for this show on some cable TV station a few months ago. I remember that Ron Perlman was in the clip, looking very nasty in black leather and smoking a fat cigar that would … Continue reading

Posted in Film | Tagged | Comments Off on FX’s Sons of Anarchy, Season One

Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and its sequels, prequels and remakes: Psycho II, Psycho III, Bates Motel, Psycho IV: The Beginning, and Psycho

Psycho, the 1960 film by Alfred Hitchcock from the novel by Robert Bloch (which was in turn based on the life of Ed Gein, also the inspiration for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Silence of the Lambs), is such … Continue reading

Posted in Film | Tagged , | Comments Off on Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and its sequels, prequels and remakes: Psycho II, Psycho III, Bates Motel, Psycho IV: The Beginning, and Psycho

Johnny Cash’s At San Quentin

In the late 1960s, Johnny Cash was on a roll. He was finally getting his life together after a disastrous decade of drug abuse which led to lots of legal problems, a divorce and a growing reputation as an erratic … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Johnny Cash’s At San Quentin

Various artists’ The Best of The Johnny Cash TV Show, 1969-1971

American musicians always have, for the most part, understood that the various categories of American music are mostly imaginary. They’re marketing tools drawn up by those in the business of selling music to the public, and they cater mostly to … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Music | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Various artists’ The Best of The Johnny Cash TV Show, 1969-1971

PBS’s Seaside Hotel (Badehotellet)

Earlier this year my household found itself without a television series to stream, having finished the available seasons of all the shows we were watching. Some friends recommended Seaside Hotel on PBS and our tastes usually agree, so we gave … Continue reading

Posted in Film | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on PBS’s Seaside Hotel (Badehotellet)

Dominic Minghella’s Doc Martin, Series 2

Doctor Martin Ellingham made his first appearance as a minor character in the film Saving Grace (his name was Dr. Martin Bamford then, always portrayed by Martin Clunes). Sky Pictures made two “prequel” television films which took the successful doctor … Continue reading

Posted in Film | Comments Off on Dominic Minghella’s Doc Martin, Series 2