I wish I could say I wrote this piece. All I can tell you is that it comes from one of the many anonymous Armed Forces veterans to whom we owe our undying gratitude. Who deserves the credit? The interrogator
Who wants the government to tell our kids what they should eat? Not me. Regrettably, since The First Lady has no purpose other than pet causes, government is needlessly perpetuating its involvement in an area that lies outside its purview.
Having now finished with the first Bond era (Sean + George), it’s time to recap the “Best Of.” The only problem is that I knew I wouldn’t be able to rank the Bond films in the aggregate. They are all
This past Friday, the DOJ shut down internet poker titans Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker, and Poker Stars for alleged violations of the UIGEA. This bizarre little act of Congress was attached as amendment to the Safe Port Act back
The flyers and handouts and signs and banners are up at my local elementary school. Seven teachers are scheduled to be fired on June 30th because — big surprise — there’s just not enough money to keep them. So stand
Diamonds Are Forever is a strange, quirky film in the Bond series. I found it satisfying in some ways, and annoyed by it in others. It’s frustrating because, as my old high school math teacher used to say, “If you’re
Neil LaBute’s work is often concerned with the morals and ethics of selfish people, characters that all-too-often resemble ourselves. It’s precisely why the writer-director’s work is always engaging and challenging. His 2002 play, “Mercy Seat,” offers yet another provocative scenario
Terrific. Any detractors of OHMSS need to re-watch it. Despite a few stumbles, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable Bond film with perhaps the most development of Bond’s character since Dr. No. Let’s dive in. A Different Bond, James Bond We begin
I love it when Atheists proclaim to know more about people of faith than those people know about themselves. The March 3 hatchet job on Christians perpetrated by the Secular Progressive Atheist Clown Phil Zuckerman is another case in point.
I remembered You Only Live Twice as a pretty good action movie. It isn’t. In fact, my first viewing of the film in twenty years was a far worse experience than I expected. Bond, James. But not for long. We
If I tried to do at my job what Wisconsin Democratic lawmakers did at theirs, I’d be fired. Yet fourteen Democratic Senators from Wisconsin still have their jobs, even though they aren’t performing them and are being paid. This has
Playwright Neil LaBute’s exploration of relatable people struggling with themselves, as well as society’s expectations of them, finds another outlet in his latest play, The Break of Noon. It is Mr. LaBute’s ability to generate sympathy and head-shaking pity for
I always try to boil a movie down to its essence once I’ve seen it. If I can do it according to the principles in Aristotle’s Poetics, then chances are the movie had a theme and it was probably a
It takes a lot to get this jaded television viewer to crack a smile, much less laugh, at a half-hour show. Yet Modern Family has repeatedly caused so many sustained outbursts of laughter that I can no longer drink anything
My memory of Thunderball, which I hadn’t seen in over fifteen years, was hazy. I remember it being confusing, boring in places, with lots of people underwater cutting each other’s air hoses. It wasn’t a great film, and it wasn’t
So I begin my analysis of the third James Bond film, Goldfinger, with a huge “GULP,” knowing that it is probably most people’s favorite film. Here’s hoping I don’t lose my entire readership — although I think I’m safe as
The box-office results for 2010 are in and the news is not only bad for Hollywood, it’s worse than being caught in one of Jigsaw’s diabolical traps – the ones where somebody’s about to be ripped to shreds if they
I think Ricky Gervais’s television shows are hilarious, but he really should leave theology to other people. He said in a recent article, A Holiday Message From Ricky Gervais: Why I’m an Atheist: The existence of God is not subjective.
When we go to a movie, we know we’re watching entertainment, but are we watching art? Big Hollywood readers should take a look at Abraham Kaplan’s 1966 essay, “The Aesthetics of Popular Art” if they are interested in a set
For some reason, I remembered From Russia With Love as a boring movie. Wrong. It’s a solid espionage movie straight from the heart of the Cold War. The film is realistic, eschews outrageous gadgets and unbelievable action set-pieces, and rests
Folks in need of cash often depend on a federal tax refund to help them through a tough time. Prior to this year, they might go to a tax preparer like H&R Block to get their returns completed. Since it
Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Gruel has done it again — exposing enormous waste in yet another city department. However, in a Reverse Kafka-esque twist, this time it is motorists who are finally getting the upper hand when it comes
I have not seen Dr. No since the late 80’s, and had virtually no memory of it. Having watched six new Bond films in the interim, the latest being Quantum of Solace, a return to the 60’s milieu of the
[Ed. Note: This is the first part of a series that will run every two weeks in this slot and examine each of the James Bond films individually. Many, many thanks to Lawrence for agreeing to take this on, but
