"It's not too hard to figure out, you see it everyday. And those that were the farthest out have gone the other way... But don't you try to fight it; 'An idea whose time has come.'" - Huey Lewis and the News, "Hip to Be Square"My first encounter with...
For many years, I have read the writings of Philadelphia Daily News baseball columnist Bill Conlin. For as long as I have followed the Phillies, Conlin has been there, first as a beat writer then as a featured columnist. He wrote about sports in ...
When I was a kid, I knew a middle-aged man who owned a cabin in the woods by a lake. Based on the way he described it, it hadn't been upgraded since it was built in the mid-1800s. It didn't have a telephone, electricity, or running water. The ...
This year, I tried to remain upbeat about the Oscars, abandoning at least some of my natural cynicism. Many of my contentions have not changed, however. The Oscar-cast remains too long. My attention span for an awards show of this nature is about 2 1...
There was a time when I used this space for occasional rants against the MPAA. It was all repetitive venting, of course, since what I wrote carried no more weight than the angry words of anyone not directly associated with the secretive group of men ...
"Dear Mr. B, Pardon me if it sounds like I should be writing to a Lonely Hearts Advisor, but I have a question I thought you could answer. This Friday, I'm going out on a first date with a girl I have had a crush on since junior high. We both just ...
When did I start compiling "half-year" Top 10 lists? Looking through my records, this looks like the ninth consecutive year I have engaged in this exercise. I'm sure I'm not the only one who does this, but it's not as prevalent an activity as the one...
In the United States, it's a ritual: the fourth Thursday of November is a holiday devoted to the admirable pursuit of gluttony. Somewhere in there, turkey is typically consumed, but not nearly as much as was prepared. This leads to a weekend of ...
Another year, another Top 10. A few notes/curiosities… First, 2012 was one of the best movie years of the young century, although I might not have held that opinion on November 1. This year was incredibly back-loaded, far more so than usual. It's ...
John Carter is going to lose $200 million for Disney. The Hunger Games may have the biggest all-time March opening. The Dark Knight Rises/ may pose a threat to Avatar's position as the all-time domestic box office king, if Titanic hasn't re-taken the...
When it arrived in theaters the weekend before Christmas in 1997, no one knew what to expect from James Cameron's mammoth Titanic. The media was prepared to liken the movie - the most expensive ever to-date - to the ship. The iceberg, some thought, ...
Don't worry - NO SPOILERS!!![The following was originally written for intended publication by CNN on July 20, 2012. Following the movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colorado at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises, CNN understandably elected ...
Have I have written a FAQ? Yes. If you dig around in the site's attic, you can probably find it. I'm not going to publicize the location since much of the information in it is hopelessly outdated. FAQs used to be common ways of conveying information...
In the summer of 1977, there was only Star Wars. No "Episode IV." No "A New Hope." Just Star Wars. That talk started when the greatly anticipated sequel was released as Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. This provoked discussion in fan ...
Once upon a time, I too bristled with indignation when a film or performance I believed to be deserving was snubbed by those blind bastards who select the Oscar nominations. How dare they ignore the great and worthy performance of William Shatner in ...
"Having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true. " - Spock, "Amok Time"When I was a kid, my favorite day of the year was December 24. Not Christmas Day, but the day before. For me, that was the ...
Here's a link to Part One, in which I discussed two of the three most common complaints about George Lucas. Part Two picks up with some comments about the third "sore spot."Finally, there's the whole merchandising situation. In some circles, Lucas ...