Category Archives: pop culture

Star Trek: Disappointing but not unwatchable

Posted on May 17, 2013 by

My review of Star Trek: Into Darkness is up at City Paper. Click the link for the full (still very short) review, but in short it just isn’t that great (but still fun and worth seeing). Into Darkness relies too … Continue reading →

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You should watch Justified, like right now

Posted on April 30, 2013 by

The oxford American just published my article on Justified, the FX T.V. show set in Harlan County, Kentucky. It’s based on an Elmore Leonard story, so the source material is legit. And the writers and actors have worked wonders. It’s … Continue reading →

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Renoir < Spring Breakers

Posted on April 19, 2013 by

My review of Renoir, from the latest edition of the City Paper. I wouldn’t advise you see it in the theaters. Save your dollars for a second viewing of Spring Breakers. At its best, Renoir captures that wonderfully inviting feeling … Continue reading →

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Save the Date: Not even Lizzy Caplan can save it

Posted on March 8, 2013 by

A few months ago I was assigned to review Save the Date for the Philadelphia City Paper. I got my review copy, watched it, wrote the tiny little article and…Save the Date never opened in Philadelphia. So no article. City … Continue reading →

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a distinct bias toward the festive

Posted on February 12, 2013 by

A Wodehousian gem, found in The New Criterion review of the latest collection of his letters. “Although Mr. Gedge’s statement that the Vicomte de Blissac was never sober had been an exaggeration—for he was frequently sober, sometimes for hours at … Continue reading →

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Walnut Street Theater’s Ideal Husband Isn’t Ideal, but Worth Seeing

Posted on February 2, 2013 by

I’m the kind of guy who can’t not have a good time at an Oscar Wilde play. I didn’t give a glowing review to the Walnut Street theater’s production of An Ideal Husband, but I didn’t have a bad time … Continue reading →

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Killing Them Softly Makes Criminality Look Awful

Posted on December 20, 2012 by

My review of Killing Them Softly, a movie I don’t necessarily recommend you see because its so grim), can be found here. A significant portion of the review got clipped, including all of the below. (Also, read the book it … Continue reading →

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J.R.R. Tolkien: Worst Professor Ever?

Posted on December 13, 2012 by

As the release of the first Hobbit film nears, I recall that as a youthful Tolkien enthusiast I often imagined the intellectual joys of attending one of the great man’s lectures at Oxford. Ah, bliss! Or not. According to Kingsley … Continue reading →

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Bookstores Now, Bookstores Forever

Posted on December 11, 2012 by

I’m a book addict and I vastly prefer obtaining my drug of choice at bricks and mortar establishments for all the usual reasons. I enjoy losing myself for an hour or two while idly browsing through the shelves, an activity … Continue reading →

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James Bond Turns Against America

Posted on December 9, 2012 by

I’ve been reading some of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels in preparation for, and celebration of, the release of the super spy’s latest cinematic outing. The new Daniel Craig film, Skyfall, is excellent. The same cannot be said of Fleming’s … Continue reading →

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