The Godzilla series turned seventy years old this month, and I marked the occasion by writing a piece for The Everyman (which is now on Substack): There are few cinematic creations that achieve the status of genuine myth; of a tale embodying deep, complex truths about the world and of the civilization that gave them … Continue reading Marking Godzilla’s 70th Anniversary at the ‘Everyman’
Movies
Friday Flotsam: Tiresome Internet Videos, Boxing, and ‘Star Trek’
1. I am extremely thankful that there is a break coming up: the last few weeks have been exhausting. Working with teenagers is no joke. 2. Ridley Scott really needs to retire. All accounts are that Gladiator II is...well, exactly as bad as you'd expect a 2024 sequel to a highly-regarded film from 2000 to … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Tiresome Internet Videos, Boxing, and ‘Star Trek’
Saturday Flotsam: Hammer Films and Not Much Else
1. My parents are in town visiting, so my schedule (such as it is) is thrown off, hence another Saturday Flotsam 2. I didn't have a lot of chance to get into the Halloween spirit this year, between work and other matters. I did get a chance to revisit Hammer Films' Horror of Dracula, starring … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: Hammer Films and Not Much Else
Some ‘West Side Story’-Based Immigration Thoughts
My school's going to be doing West Side Story this year for its spring musical, and accordingly I revisited the film version last night (the Robert Wise version, naturally). The story prompted some thoughts. The set up is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet among the street gangs of New York City, with the conflict … Continue reading Some ‘West Side Story’-Based Immigration Thoughts
Friday Flotsam: PT Conferences and Some Other Stuff
1. I had my very first parent-teacher conferences this week. They went pretty well overall; the parents were supportive and engaged, and we had a few fruitful conversations about what their children can do to improve. Though more often I just had to say "yes, Offspring is doing well in my class and not causing … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: PT Conferences and Some Other Stuff
Saturday Flotsam: Sick Again and Kung Fu
1. I came down with another cold this week and ended up staying home from yesterday. As I told a colleague the other day, my body is just not used to being around all these little germ factories all the time. 2. If I could work my will, there would be a moratorium on making … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: Sick Again and Kung Fu
Friday Flotsam: Sick Again, Snow White, and RIP James Earl Jones
1. My cold returned with a vengeance this week. I ended up having to go get prescribed antibiotics and taking two days off from work right in the middle of the week. But I'm recovering (again) and at least I was able to go in to work today. 2. Part of my class schedule is … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Sick Again, Snow White, and RIP James Earl Jones
Friday Flotsam: Rand, Tucker, ‘The Crow’
1. Have a much-needed four-day weekend ahead of me. I'm starting to get more into the routine of teaching full-time, at least so that it's less like I'm building a railroad as the train is rolling over it and more like I'm building it as the train is within sight. 2. In my US History … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Rand, Tucker, ‘The Crow’
Friday Flotsam: Teaching, Napoleon, and Oz
1. Well, I made it through my first week of the new teaching job. It was overall easier than I expected; it felt like slipping back into a somewhat familiar routine, the same sense of just standing up and talking to the class. 2. That said, it did feel a bit like building a railroad … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Teaching, Napoleon, and Oz
Friday Flotsam: Melancholy and Random Thoughts
1. I had my first teacher meetings this week. Next week starts classes, though with shortened days. 2. In a rather melancholy mood for one reason or another. 3. Reading Dickens, I occasionally stumble across moments that show how masterfully understated he could be, when he took the trouble. Most of the time, when he … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Melancholy and Random Thoughts
Serpent's Den 