Category Archives: Uncategorized

Film Journal 2024: The First Omen Directed by Arkasha Stevenson Wish I had gotten out to see this in theaters. A visually rich and patiently drawn prequel that effectively utilizes setting and atmosphere to elevate the story. Yes, it’s a slow burn, but its smart and effective in how it utilizes that to the benefitContinue reading “Film Journal 2024: The First Omen”

In his book titled Imagined Places: Journey’s into Literary America, Micheal Pearson talks about how people have two basic conceptions of place- the place in which we can live, and the place in which our imaginations are drawn precisely because of the ways in which the place we imagine contrasts with the place in whichContinue reading “The Places That Draw Us, The Places In Which We Live”

Film Journal 2024: The Watchers Ishana Night Shyamalan Where it stumbles a bit in its execution, as an exercise in vision and potential The Watchers proves a worthy effort as a debut. Part of the challenge for Ishana Night Shyamalan is finding ways to reign in what is a large and complex mythology underlying theContinue reading “Film Journal 2024: The Watchers”

Reading Journal 2024: Matter and MemoryAuthor: Henri Bergson A tough read, although altogether fascinating and challenging. The toughness comes in wading through the thought process. The ideas are poignant and profound, but also at times frustratingly allusive in both their nature and their argumentation. The purpose however is clear- “This book affirms the reality ofContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: Matter and Memory”

Reading Journal 2024: Brewtown Tales: More Stories from Milwaukee and BeyondAuthor: John Gurda Bought this on my visit to Milwauke this past summer, and it didn’t disappoint. I was interested in learning about the character of the city as I was fascinated by its story and its uniqueness as a midsize city center existing inContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: Brewtown Tales: More Stories from Milwaukee and Beyond”

Film Journal 2024: The Coffee Table Directed by Caye Casas A tight, taught horror indie that uses a simple premise (a couple with a new baby purchases a new coffee table that becomes the center piece of their home) to depict a gradual but persistent unraveling of their once mundane lives. The Director uses aContinue reading “Film Journal 2024: The Coffee Table”

Film Journal 2024: The King Tide Directed by Christian Sparkles I tried hard to catch this in theaters but couldn’t make it work. Was happy to catch up with it now that it’s on VOD and Hoopla, as it felt like it would be my kind of movie. It has elements of horror, drama, spiritualContinue reading “Film Journal 2024: The King Tide”

Film Journal 2024: Lost in Tomorrow Directed by Kellen Gibbs A quaint and lovely hidden gem. It feels a bit uncertain in the early going, but once the premise kicks in, following a young girl struggling to fit in at school and at home as she finds herself lost in tomorrow, it is quite affecting.Continue reading “Film Journal 2024: Lost in Tomorrow”

Film Journal 2024: Footnotes Directed by Chris Leary Low budget indie that makes decent use of its script and its performances. You can tell the film wants to dig deep, to explore the nuances behind the standard romantic drama beats. It doesn’t fully realize its potential on that front, trading a drive for clarity andContinue reading “Film Journal 2024: Footnotes”

I was sent this Episode recently of the Exra Klein Show titled Your Mind Is Being Fracked, along with a strong recommendation to give it a listen.Great episode. Highly worth a listen for anyone interested in the subject of attention, particularly as it relates to our present social media age. There’s a natural progression to theContinue reading “The Fracking of the Mind, The Problem of the Self, and the War For Our Attention: The Ezra Klein Show In Review”