Category Archives: Film

Eighty years in style: Astaire and Rogers

Posted on April 7, 2013 by

There used to be a saying — I think it was even on a T-shirt — that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards, and on high heels. I knew the intent. It was a feminist shout out,  … Continue reading →


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Posted in Film, Uncategorized | Tagged | 30 Comments

Caress the Detail

Posted on March 24, 2013 by

Caress the detail, the divine detail— Vladimir Nabokov Let it be unequivocally stated—I am NOT a detail person. When I read a Regency, I seldom notice by what title the characters address each other unless the author confuses me. When … Continue reading →


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Posted in Books and Reading, Film, Writers on Writing | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Mad Scientist Week: Obsession and Shortsightedness

Posted on February 19, 2013 by

Mad Scientists come in two varieties. There are scientists who are just, well, a little nuts. These guys operate at the intersection of madness and ambition, but not all of them are eee-vil. There’s Dr. Emmett Brown from the Back to … Continue reading →


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Posted in Books and Reading, Film, Science, science fiction | Tagged | 6 Comments

Zero Dark Thirty: A Very Short Review

Posted on January 31, 2013 by

By Brenda Clough This is a fascinating and intense movie that pulls off an interesting trick.  You know how it ends — we all do, except for those of you who only just now got out of your Tibetan monastery … Continue reading →


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Posted in Film, Reviews, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Argo: A Very Short Review

Posted on January 11, 2013 by

By Brenda Clough  Since Argo is up for some major awards, it seems worthy of mention here.  I enjoyed this movie tremendously, because I was a Foreign Service brat in that period.  I lived in crummy third-world countries while military coups went on, and was bussed … Continue reading →


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Posted in Film, Reviews, Writers on Writing | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Les Miserables: A Very Short Review

Posted on January 1, 2013 by

By Brenda Clough Musical theater purists are divided on the subject of Les Miserables.  I am a more simple soul.  I adore the musical in all its incarnations.  Yes, it’s sentimental.  Everybody dies, dramatically, on stage while singing their heart out. … Continue reading →


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Posted in Film, Reviews | 7 Comments

THE HOBBIT Movie — Thoughts on Interpreting a Classic

Posted on December 21, 2012 by
Thanks to the fan who uploaded this to Amazon (I just bought a copy!)

A review of the film “The Hobbit: Part One. Yes, part one — there’s Gold in Them Thar Hills, pilgrim!” Continue reading →


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Posted in fantasy, Film, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Cranford: when the movie changes the book, and it works

Posted on November 18, 2012 by

            When the mini-series Cranford was first shown on TV, I avoided it. I couldn’t believe that anyone could get a screenplay out of that quiet not-really-a-novel without distorting it horribly. After all, it was … Continue reading →


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Posted in Books and Reading, Film, History | Tagged , , , , , | 21 Comments

Looper: A Very Short Review

Posted on October 30, 2012 by

By Brenda Clough I am in the throes of writing a time-travel novel, so when I saw that Looper was out I immediately hauled the other members of the family off with me to see it.  Even though I am … Continue reading →


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Posted in Film, Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Compare and Contrast: Moneyball and Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Posted on October 26, 2012 by

Why are these two movies reviewed together? Do they have anything in common besides the fact that they are products of Hollywood’s genius? No. Why mash ‘em up, then? Because I happened to watch them back to back and they’re … Continue reading →


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Posted in Film | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments