“The Italian” — Sweetness and Sorrow from Russia
I don’t know how The Italian, a 2005 Russian movie directed by Andrey Kravchuk, got on my list. Likely I …
Category Archives: Art & Culture
Shun Li and the Poet — a Gem from Italy
It’s not hard to convince us to see a movie filmed in Italy, or by or about its people. Even …
Noam Chomsky – In Anime
You don’t have to read a lot of Noam Chomsky to get an idea of the muscle of his mind. …
Nebraska: Another American Family
I don’t know how Nebraskans will feel about Alexander Payne‘s new movie, Nebraska but for one who has driven across …
The Elephants, a Poem by Natalie Diaz
I continue to be amazed by Natalie Diaz’ gifts. Last week I shared Cloud Watching with you, today it’s The …
Philomena: A Mother’s Ache in Ireland
I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to see Philomena, Stephen Frears latest movie. An hour and a half of suffering, …
Such a Long Journey — A Novel About Parsi India, 1972
I don’t know why I picked up Rohinton Mistry’s Such A Long Journey. Published and shortlisted for the Booker Prize …
War Requiem – Music that Moves the Soul
I’ve been wanting to be at a full performance of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem ever since I first heard about …
Kill Anything that Moves: More Terrible Truth About War
Nick Turse’s Kill Anything That Moves:The Real American War in Vietnam, has been praised by virtually everyone who has read …
Cloud Watching, a Poem by Natalie Diaz
I have been reading Natalie Diaz, one poem at a time, one each morning as I’m waking. It’s her first …
Water — A Film of India’s Widows
Water is the third of Indo-Canadian director, Deepa Mehta‘s Elements trilogy of women in India. Fire was produced in 1996, …
Company K — Americans in France, WW I
William March’s 1933 novel, Company K, about an American Marine company in France for 9 months at the end of …