My eyes snapped open at 2am on my bed in the Intercontinental Hotel in San Francisco. Someone had stacked not just rocks, but boulders on top of me. My stomach churned. My breath labored. My head swirled with the strength of a typhoon. I needed to vomit, but I could barely move, and the harder it was to move, the more panicky I became. Nothing could have prepared me for this.
And it was all Brian De Palma’s [1] fault.
Nine hours…
Last year we watched "The Wizard of Oz" for our first major film assignment of the year--students will create a video essay analyzing the film using an essential theoretical lens. For this year, the choice is 'Star Wars." It is simple, direct, and invites a host of readings.
I chose this one mainly because I am trying to love "Star Wars" again. Since the fight over "The Last Jedi," a movie I adored, my love for the franchise has dissipated.…
Disclaimer: I am a high school English teacher. I mainly teach Freshman English. Shakespeare's ROMEO AND JULIET is a required text. In 15 years, I've taught it about 10-12 times. So, it should be duly noted that I am hypercritical of any adaptation of a play with which I am incredibly familiar.
ROMEO & JULIET sucked. It is the worst adaptation of this play I've ever seen, and that includes high school stage productions, which make up for their lack of…
It's hard for me to judge A SHOT IN THE DARK based on its own merits, as I usually do, because I watched it on the request of my son, Tommy. Tommy is almost 14, and has autism. For the last few years he has been obsessed with film composers. He can recite the IMDb filmographies of most with savant-like precision, and often corrects me. His current favorite is Henry Mancini, and he asked me to sit down and watch…
