Opinion


TV & Movies

Spider-Man: Homecoming

In its first 10 minutes, Homecoming corrects everything that was wrong with the Andrew Garfield Spidey.

 

Batman v Superman

There seems to be a sense of gleeful abandon in the hate piled on this movie. I disagree.

 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

This Spidey has so few principles it begs the question: why should we even root for him? 

 

Les Misérables

The legendary musical fleshed out with literary detail, and marred by blessedly few changes.

  

Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo

The slate is wiped clean: The sub-heading may be an apology.

 

Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance

Upgrades are everywhere, but Asuka gets the shaft.

  

Lost: The Finale

I might be the only person on Earth who liked the ending of Lost.

 

Gaké no Ué no Ponyo

My Neighbor Totoro meets The Little Mermaid, all in the hands of a child prodigy.

Books

Return of the Prodigal Son

Henri J.M. Nouwen was so moved by a painting that he was able to frame his entire life around the parable it represented.

 

The Divine Comedy

Dante's opus is actually both a political satire and the greatest love poem ever written.

 

The Gulag Archipelago

So much of what Alexandr Solzhenitsyn writes remains pertinent today.

 

Flowers for Algernon

Does intellect nullify our ability to form human bonds?

 

The Gambler

This novella turned out to be a remarkably fitting cap to the Dostoevsky experience.

 

Day

Elie Wiesel's analysis of the isolation of human suffering.

 

Night

A novel that must be read and felt to gain admission to the human race.

 

A Man's Life is a Boy's Death

Faulkner's The Reivers compared to Rober R. McCammon's Boy's Life.

Events & Ideas

Thoughts on a Death

Christopher Dorner rampaged through southern California in February, 2013. But it's not as simple as dividing the good people from the bad.

 

Vancouver Riot-Watchers

When a thousand people stand by, they are no longer 'innocent.'

 

Oma

Whatever god my grandmother  prayed to, he delivered.

 

No Amount of Distance Can Change a Name

When the person after whom you were named dies, certain obligations cannot be denied.

 

Inside Job

Five hours stuck on a bus with smokers led to a slew of research into Japanese smoking habits.

 

Hollow

When I was 18, I aspired to draw a clear line around what could truly be called 'love.'