Film
Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas
While sitting at my desk over the past several weeks, I’ve been listening almost exclusively to the local NPR-affiliate’s Christmas classical music stream. Although I won’t be celebrating the holiday season with family and friends this year, I’m embracing the season.
Picks from the Hermitage
Like many Americans, my daily life has centered around my home since the pandemic began this past spring. I miss seeing friends and family and sharing traditions and moments with them. The pandemic has slowed life down for many of us, and that might be a welcome change. Rarely venturing beyond my own neighborhood provides…
Star Wars on Your Radio Dial
Last October, I moderated “Jedi & Jesuits,” a whip-smart panel discussing the philosophical, religious, and spiritual underpinnings of the Stars Wars universe. A fun night!
Need More Star Wars?
This past October, I had the privilege of moderating a whip-smart panel exploring the spiritual and religious influences and underpinnings of the Star Wars universe. We had a great time talking about favorite characters and stories and the larger questions examined in the saga. (I can’t believe this is my job!) Enjoy the conversation. Don’t…
Star Wars at Work
As a habit and a policy, I refrain from commenting upon my workplace on the blog. Every rule calls for the occasional exception.
Diners & The Imagination
Since I have summer Fridays off from work, I try to take advantage of the cultural and natural amenities of the metropolitan region. I never lack for something to do. Yearning for the immersive atmosphere of a darkened theater, I recently visited the Film Forum, a cinematic temple in Manhattan’s West Village neighborhood. I bought…
A Night at a Movie Palace: Loew’s Jersey Theatre
Last weekend, my wife and I enjoyed the 1954 classic On the Waterfront in 35 mm film on the big screen. (The movie was shot in Hoboken, New Jersey.) While the film was riveting, the true attraction was the movie theater itself. The Loew’s Jersey Theatre stands across the street from the Journal Square PATH…
When Tough Guys Get Old: The Resurrection of Jake the Snake
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, my brother and I (and later my youngest brother) counted ourselves as rabid professional wrestling fans, not differing much from other boys in grade school and junior high at the time. Wrestlers were–and, in some ways, still are–cartoon characters, acrobats, carnival barkers, outlaws, and court jesters all rolled…