You Think That’s Funny? That’s Not Funny

. We’re having an entertaining and enlightening discussion, me and the Snoop, over in the comments section (which is, after all, what it’s for) and the subject of Bill Maher keeps coming up. Actually, Snoop keeps bringing it up, but why split hairs? Maher enjoys not the highest estimation in the Snoop’s regard. I think […]

Eating Poetry (XLII) – Sunder

. I just turned in my “Poetic License” column for the upcoming spring issue of West. It’s topic is poetic voice. An extraordinary poetic voice is that of Atsuro Riley, featured here once before, just a short while ago. One is instantly aware of the the uniqueness of his voice. It diminishes that uniqueness not at all […]

A Last Thanksgiving Thought

All are home now if they traveled far to family. The meals are digested. The work week begins our cycles anew, with all the usual commitments, enthusiasms, and furors. We were in Nebraska, with Julia’s family. From my sister-in-law Anne, I received this by email. It was a sad day for me, thinking about all […]

How We Lived On It (55) – La chanson d’hélène

. If you have missed it, my retrospective on the artistry of French filmmaker Claude Sautet appears in the current issue of Senses of Cinema. During Sautet’s 1970s peak, his female muse was Austrian actress Romy Schneider, who appeared memorably in five of his films, winning France’s Cesar Award for best actress for the 1978 […]