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I’m not sure I would say that “Miami Vice” was formative for me during my teenage years, but it was certainly iconic. Don Johnson was for me the embodiment of cool. Jan Hammer’s synth-heavy music resonated with my soul. All those shots of cars driving down night streets were the kind of cinematic imagery I […]
When Russia invaded Ukraine, it seemed a foregone conclusion that Russia would have its way. A Goliath pushing around a little nation. However, Ukraine’s resistance has been surprisingly effective, and Russia is revealing the limits of its power. Russia rebounded after the cold war, and it again considered a “super power” in the world. Russia […]
My understanding of Taiwan has been fairly simple. My understanding was that, during China’s communist revolution, those fighting against communism were pushed back so far that they retreated to the island of Taiwan, and they have been at stalemate ever since. China claims Taiwan as part of their territory, and they coerce other nations not […]
I have written much here that is critical of the superhero genre of film. It is a formula that requires no skill, is empty of meaning, and promotes a delusional way of thinking about the world. However, my biggest complaint is just that there is far too much of it. Evidently, I am not wrong, […]
I read The Time Traveler’s Wife some years ago. Not really my thing, but I enjoyed it well enough. [No matter how it may be categorized in your book store, The Time Traveler’s Wife is not science-fiction. Yes, there is time travel, but there’s no science involved. Yes, toward the end, there is some business […]
I have generally enjoyed all of the James Bond films I have watched, and I have really loved many of them. However, they break many of the rules of story telling, and this makes me wonder why they work so well. I’ve read a couple of the Ian Fleming stories. They are very different from […]
I was asked by a colleague, with whom I frequently discuss books, what I was in the middle of reading, and whether it was any good. In fact, I am in the middle of three books, and I’m not enjoying any of them. Consequently, they are all laborious, which means they are dragging on and […]
I just discovered, because it was mentioned on Bike Forums, Strava’s Global Heatmap (sorry if this is a subscription-only service). I have been poking around at it, and I discovered something apropos to my ongoing speculation about the rideability of Jeffco Blvd. The bicycle usage of Jeffco Blvd. is relatively low between Starling Airport Rd. […]
In the old days, the dimensions of a television series was dictated by the scheduling of broadcast television. 21 or 42 minutes per episode, padded with commercials to make 30 or 60 minute broadcast slots. American television contained 13 or 26 weekly episodes per season. Generally speaking, a single episode was a designed as a […]
I have written many times about my aggravation with film sequels and reboots, and I’m sure I will continue to do so for the rest of my life. Such films are a substitute for good writing and good marketing. I’ve laid the blame on bad marketing before, but how should one market films? Well, you […]
