Monthly Archives: November 2012

Recommending John Ford, as Opposed to Sex with a Tentacled Monster

The sure thing at the Cinematheque this weekend is probably, once again, the classic film: 1962’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance by legendary director John Ford, starring John Wayne, James Stewart and Lee Marvin. It treats serious themes about law … Continue reading

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Better Than Science

In my Latin class today, I shared a reading about Proserpina and Ceres (Persephone and Demeter, in Greek). I find it necessary to debunk all that the scientific mumbo-jumbo about the seasons, relating to planets and stars and orbits. Forget, … Continue reading

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Richard Russo’s Difficult Mom

How could Richard Russo’s memoir Elsewhere not intrigue me? I’m already a fan. His novels Nobody’s Fool and Empire Falls, for example, tell heartfelt and funny stories about flawed, even infuriating, but ultimately sympathetic characters. Russo has mastered an assured, … Continue reading

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A Film Trio

If you haven’t seen The Imposter  yet, I suggest you catch it at the Cinematheque this weekend (Saturday at 9:45; Sunday at 6:30). This crazy documentary tells the story of a lost child who reappears in his Texas family’s life after three … Continue reading

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You Always Hurt the One You Love

I’ve struck up an email correspondence with a reader named Mary, whose elderly mother has borderline personality disorder, and a psychiatrist named David Allen. In recent correspondence, Dr. Allen suggests that people with BPD show their love for family members … Continue reading

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Ozu Once Again

My Cinematheque choice this week is An Inn at Tokyo (Friday, November 16, 7:30 pm). Okay, this event might be off-putting at first glance. It’s silent. It’s Japanese. It’s in black and white. But it’s made by the great Yasujiro … Continue reading

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See Scout and Pina

A couple weeks ago, before the rains came, I opened the windows one last time on a warm night. When I heard the dry leaves skittering on the sidewalk outside, my mind went to To Kill a Mockingbird. This movie, as … Continue reading

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