It sounds funny nowadays, but there was a time when commercial pilots were treated like rockstars. Obviously it's always taken a lot of training and testing to become a pilot, but for Frank Abagnale it was a stepping stone. 2002's Catch Me If You Can tells some of his story, or at least it seems to, and … Continue reading Who Are You Really, Frank?
Five Reasons To See “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”
We're here, guys... Remember My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Who doesn't, right? The film started life as a one-woman play about Nia Vardalos's experiences growing up Greek in Manitoba, and came to the big screen after Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson saw Vardalos perform in Los Angeles. This was 2002's Little Movie That Could, because how … Continue reading Five Reasons To See “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”
This Is My Neighborhood
Does your neighborhood have a Boo Radley house? You know, that abode that no one ever seems to go into or come out of? My childhood neighborhood does. I have been walking past this place for over thirty years and it never changes. It's always been a seventies-era mint green, the yard is always overgrown, … Continue reading This Is My Neighborhood
I Am Spartacus
I've touched on 1996's That Thing You Do! before, and including it in our Five Days At the Fair fest is a no-brainer. That, and the recent untimely death of Adam Schlesinger, writer of the title song, make the timing of this review slightly more fortuitous. Written, partially composed, directed by, and starring Tom Hanks, That … Continue reading I Am Spartacus
Origins: A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood
When Mister Rogers' name comes up, people invariably smile. So do I. Fred Rogers was an unfailingly pleasant part of many Americans' childhoods. It was a comforting thing to see him come through the door, go to the closet, change his coat for a cardigan and leather street shoes for sneakers, all the while singing, … Continue reading Origins: A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood
Waiting to Blink
We all know that airports are funny places. They're worlds of their own. As long as one stays within their confines, they're a way of going somewhere while not going somewhere. It's almost like being in purgatory without dying. Obviously, airports are not places where we spend a whole lot of time, but what if … Continue reading Waiting to Blink
Remembering Rick Elias
This past Tuesday Rick Elias passed away from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was sixty-four. I grew up on his music, mainly through his work with one of my all-time favorite songwriters, the late Rich Mullins. Elias made numerous contributions to contemporary Christian music, or CCM, as it's called. Elias didn't release … Continue reading Remembering Rick Elias
The Successful Failure
Greetings, Earthlings... Forty-eight years ago as of April eleventh, Apollo 13 blasted off for the moon's Fra Mauro highlands. The public was ho-hum about it, until things started going wrong. Captain Jim Lovell, Apollo 13's commander, wrote a book about his experiences, formerly titled Lost Moon, and Ron Howard used that as his source material for … Continue reading The Successful Failure
NOW: Dear Friend 2.0
We've seen the "Then," and now for the "Now"... By far, one of my favorite current-day screenwriters is the late Nora Ephron. She came by writing naturally, seeing as her parents both authored plays, books, screenplays, and the like. Before her death in 2012, she crafted films with deft and memorable dialogue, often collaborating with … Continue reading NOW: Dear Friend 2.0
Taking Up Room 