"When I do not want to say things in real life I often say them here." — Mimi Smartypants
Unsolicited opinions on books, movies, TV shows, consumer products
Hey, I may not drink any more, but I still know what TGIF means to most Americans! And I can still dream (sob). I feel like frying some fish filets tonight: catfish, red snapper, tilapia, whatever catches my eye. Good bread and a green vegetable to serve on the side, maybe Swiss chard … something […]
You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring banned book reviews and news roundups. Arizona Banned Chicano writers respond to the Tucson Unified School District book banning by publishing an anthology titled “Ban This!” What do you suppose the odds are it’ll be adopted by TUSD? The only thing better than having a locally […]
“In Paris, the evenings of September are sometimes warm, excessively gentle, and, in the magic particular to that city, irresistibly seductive. The autumn of the year 1938 began in just such weather and on the terraces of the best cafes, in the famous restaurants, at the dinner parties one wished to attend, the conversation was, […]
“They went up there alive and came back down dead! Did you notice that? The difference, I mean: alive, dead, dead, alive, that sort of thing? It wasn’t difficult to spot. He killed them both.”—Ewan McGregor as Alex Law in Shallow Grave God Bless America (2012, USA) God Bless America nails everything that is debased […]
You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring banned book reviews and news roundups. The 30th annual Banned Books Week (September 30-October 6) dominates the news this month. In the leadup to BBW, the American Library Association offers an interactive timeline covering 30 years of book banning attempts in the United States. Nice Banned […]
“You’re a dinosaur, Date Rape. You’re a classic racist, a bigot, a sexist, a womanizer, a chauvinist, a misanthrope, homophobic clearly, or maybe you don’t like yourself.” — Brie Larsen as Helen in Rampart Young Adult (2011, USA) That Charlize Theron, what an actor. Her character here, a writer of young adult fiction named Mavis, […]
“I spend the months following my grandfather’s death cycling through a purgatory of beige waiting rooms and anonymous offices, analyzed and interviewed, talked about just out of earshot, nodding when spoken to, repeating myself, the object of a thousand pitying glances and knitted brows. My parents treated me like a breakable heirloom, afraid to fight […]
“Now, as Ross runs up the engines, I remove the safety pin from the gear lever. I watch Ross anxiously. I am pathetically eager to perform my co-pilot’s duties quickly and efficiently. As he shoves the throttles forward and we start down the runway, I place my hand ready on the gear lever. I feel […]