November 2011
You are browsing the archive for November 2011.

Back in the U.S.S.R.
I just read a beautiful essay by my friend Maria, whose family emigrated from Russia to the U.S. when she was quite young. Maria wrote about a recent return visit, and the flood of fractured memories it brought back. The essay summoned memories of my own. Not of a childhood geographic upheaval—my own family’s emigration […]

I’ll try to rest my voice for a while.
In what I’m guessing was summer 2003 (I was a new cellphone owner, and we were at war with Iraq), my friend-since-junior-high Jeff was visiting from San Francisco. We would be meeting up later with our other friend Steve. I was greatly looking forward to the day. The only problem: I lost my voice! I […]
Movie Review: The Descendants
4 stars out of 5 I am going to see a George Clooney movie every day. (OK, the streak MAY end tomorrow.) He’s reliably excellent. Generally, he plays some version of himself, which is fine with most of us: He’s a classic “women want him, men want to be him… and fine, we admit it, […]
Movie Review: The Ides of March
3.5 stars out of 5 The thing about politics: It’s too political. And this movie—though very well-made, smartly written, and sharply performed—unfortunately doesn’t have much more to say than that. Clooney has already proved himself more than competent behind the camera. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Good Night and Good Luck, and Leatherheads: All good, […]
Movie Review: Jack and Jill
2 stars out of 5 I can see movies for free on Tuesdays. So occasionally, I’ll see something on a Tuesday that I otherwise might not choose to see. Today was such a Tuesday. Now, Jack and Jill has been absolutely panned by critics. Still, that wasn’t a dealbreaker for me. You see, I’ve enjoyed […]
What I’ve Been Watching: Edition III
Edition I caused a seismic shift in the Nielsen ratings. Edition II sparked a move away from online streaming back to traditional TV viewing. So brace yourself, friends, as it is time for Edition III. The following shows were not on my previous lists, unless otherwise indicated. RECENT FAVORITES American Horror Story (FX, Wednesdays at […]
Movie Review: A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas
3.5 stars out of 5 Just when we need them the most—well, at least, I do—Harold and Kumar are back. Their first film I consider a classic. The second, while not as great, was funnier than it had any right to be. By the third, perhaps afraid that fatigue would set in, the filmmakers add […]
Thank You, Andy Rooney
I like funny. Maybe more than anything, I like funny. Interesting to think about how a sense of humor forms. We all like to laugh, right? Most of us, anyway. But how does it start? Certainly, I’m no child-development expert. But at least from when my long-term memory kicked in, I know I liked cartoons. […]
Jack Silbert, curator