Jun 17, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, Asperger's Syndrome
Published: Salon (June 17, 2016)
There is a Yiddish word, verklempt, that roughly translates as being choked up to the point of near-tears without actually crying. If you grew up with a learning disability or raised a child with one, there are plenty of scenes in Pixar’s “Finding Dory” which will have that effect on you… and considering that quality family films about learning disabled characters are a rarity, it is refreshing to see “Finding Dory” rise to that challenge.... Read Original Article
May 29, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, Gender and Sexism
Published: The Good Men Project (May 28, 2016)
When I first saw that the Ghostbusters reboot had acquired more downvotes than any other movie trailer in YouTube history, my heart sank. Sure, I’d written an article deconstructing the trailer and denouncing its flaws; then again, a year-and-a-half earlier, I’d written another piece praising the new movie for its boldness in assembling an all-female cast of comedians to lead a blockbuster franchise.... Read Original Article
May 26, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), History, mic, Race and Racism
Published: Salon (May 23, 2016)
When HBO announced in 2014 that it was going to release a cinematic adaptation of “All the Way,” Robert Schenkkan’s Tony Award-winning play about President Lyndon Johnson’s successful mission to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it’s unlikely they knew how prescient their film would be.... Read Original Article
May 16, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Foreign Policy
Published: The Huffington Post (May 16, 2016), Salon (May 15, 2016), The Good Men Project (May 12, 2016)
If you’re a fan of movies and haven’t visited Red Letter Media’s website, you should. The critics there are among the funniest and smartest on the Internet, as evidenced when they started joked about the geopolitics of “Captain America: Civil War.”... Read Original Article
May 6, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, Civil Liberties, mic
Published: Salon (May 6, 2016)
“If we can’t accept limitations, we’re boundaryless, we’re no better than the bad guys.”
So says Iron Man (aka Tony Stark) in “Captain America: Civil War,” perhaps one of the most politically nuanced films ever released as a tentpole in a blockbuster franchise. This is a movie with a distinct social message, one that merits detailed analysis, but in order for that to happen I’ll need to give away key plot points from the film.... Read Original Article
Apr 11, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, Mental Illness, Scandals
Published: Salon (April 11, 2016)
Life wasn’t easy for Jake Lloyd after his starring role in “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.” As anyone who went to the movies in 1999 will recall, his subpar performance was frequently singled out as a major weakness in a film that was hardly lacking in shortcomings.... Read Original Article
