Author Archives: davetcourt

Film Journal 2023: Black White and the Greys Directed by Marchelle Thurman and Casey Nelson One of the essential questions that emerged from the pandemic is, when is too soon to start telling pandemic related stories. We could ask this question in relationship to the tragedy of the virus, or in relationship to the culturalContinue reading “Film Journal 2023: Black White and the Greys”

Reading Journal 2023: Virginia Woolf: An Inner LifeAuthor: Julia Briggs Briggs approaches this biography of Virginia Woolfe by telling the story of the writer through the story of her writing. This isn’t necessarily a novel approach, and it has been one bofore. Yet, it is uncommon enough to capture the uniqueness of the approach, befittingContinue reading “Reading Journal 2023: Virginia Woolf: An Inner Life”

Reading Journal 2023: The Door-To-Door BookstoreAuthor: Carsten Henn The Door to Door Bookstore became available from my list of library holds, so I embraced it as a nice buffer between my seasonal horror reads. Figured it would be a nice break and a good fit for fall. This might be the most good hearted bookContinue reading “Reading Journal 2023: The Door-To-Door Bookstore”

Reading Journal 2023: HollyAuthor: Stephen King Few authors are more automatic for me than King, which can be a bit exhausting given the sheer rate in which he writes and releases new material. Automatic buys though inevitably come with expectations. Expectations born from a history that proves even his weakest efforts are stronger than manyContinue reading “Reading Journal 2023: Holly”

Film Journal 2023: Mr. Dress-Up: The Magic of Make BelieveDirected by Robert McCallum There’s not a whole lot to speak of I terms of creativity and structure. This is about as straightforward as they come when it comes to documentaries. That doesn’t really matter though when your subject is one if the truly good humansContinue reading “Film Journal 2023: Mr. Dress-Up: The Magic of Make Believe”

Film Journal 2023: The Fall of the House of Usher Directed by Mike Flanagan Flanqan’s stark and rapid fall from favor in my eyes might be the far more interesting story than this take on an Edgar Allen Poe adaptation. My love for Dr. Sleep met with my general disinterest in the rather tepid andContinue reading “Film Journal 2023: The Fall of the House of Usher”

Reading Journal 2023: Scary Stories For Young FoxesAuthor: Christian McKay Heidicker I loved the premise- a group of young foxes (kits) want to hear a scary story. They are cautioned by their mother about someone called the “storyteller”. The storyteller tells the scariest stories of all. Which of course makes the young kits all theContinue reading “Reading Journal 2023: Scary Stories For Young Foxes”

Film Journal 2023: Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Directed by Sam Wrench If you are not a fan of Taylor and swifties drive you nuts, probably not something you want to invest in. For fans without the means and opportunity to see this tour live, this is a great way to experience it. I’d sayContinue reading “Film Journal 2023: Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour”

Reading Journal 2023: Fear Not: A Christian Appreciation of Horror MoviesAuthor: Josh Larsen I hold a deep appreciation for Larsen’s work as a Chicago film critic. He’s known as one of the hosts and critics at filmspotting, and also for his work at Think Christian. And I appreciate him on two levels. First, his approachContinue reading “Reading Journal 2023: Fear Not: A Christian Appreciation of Horror Movies”

https://bigthink.com/thinking/does-japanese-philosophy-exist/?fbclid=IwAR2wCd7jN9_T-j3zdcI9HXETYXPfdDyRYRYW6qgIdCHujYIgGEyr2Rs1jHU This is an interesting article on Japanese philosophy A few years back I did a new years resolution thing and travelled my way around the world through book and film. For each country I would watch a bunch of their films and read a mix of fiction and non-fiction (history, philosophy, culture, religion). ThereContinue reading “Japan, Culture, and Film Travels”