A History of the Movies of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers — This is Part 2 of a two-part story. Read Part 1 here. As they do in Hollywood, rumors began to swirl. At the height of their success, fans and gossip columnists began wondering whether Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were actually romancing one-another. Many asked: was their depiction of their…

The Making and Messages of Claude Lanzmann’s “Shoah” — In April 1942, the Nazis forcibly sent Filip Müller, among thousands more, to Auschwitz. Born in the Czechoslovak Republic, Müller was Jewish and 20 years old when the Nazis deported him from his home. Among the earliest to arrive at Auschwitz, Müller almost immediately became part of the Sonderkommando, work…

Thoughts on What I Watched This Past Month — I am the first to admit: I need to be more consistent. I keep small journals in cheap notebooks about what I watch and some quick thoughts. I sometimes go on deep dives and dig up some interesting info! But, most of the time, the thoughts keep to themselves inside…

Part Two of A Fresh Look at My Favorite Films — Welcome to part two of my updated 100 favorite films list. I do not have much of an intro for you, but, if you missed part one for whatever reason, you can find the 1930s to 1975 right here. Shall we get started with more films? Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) There is not much…

Part One of A Fresh Look at My Favorite Films — Four years ago, I wrote about my favorite 100 movies. As are all lists, it serves as a time capsule of a moment and looking back on that list: yikes. At the time, I was a 24-year-old devouring any film in my sight, along with diving deep into film histories…

The call for the removal of certain statues and monuments is not the erasing of history; it is recognizing history. — Dear Reader, Recently speakers at the Republican National Convention voiced their opinions and platforms on why you — the voter — should vote for the re-election of Donald Trump. …

How Yasujirō Ozu and Setsuko Hara’s First Film Together Cemented Their Legacy — Late Spring is a revolutionary film. Its director, sometimes referred to as the “most Japanese director of all time”, and star are both Japanese icons, though the duo are rarely viewed as a revolutionary combination. Yet, Late Spring was made during a period in Japan’s history after World War II…

With the help of my friend, Lauren, we chose are favorite “The Simpsons” episodes — The Simpsons — among the few shows that is heralded as the greatest show ever — is nearing 700 total episodes and 32 years on television. That’s insane. For years, the show was hard to stream fully. Within the last five years, Simpsonsworld — thanks to a rights deal with…

How Pete Seeger chose to unite us through song — Pete Seeger was a musician with a dream. On his way back from serving in the Pacific Theater during World War II, his eyes gleamed brightly and his mind raced with an uplifting idea. A stronger and more mature singer and leader than he was before the war, Seeger planned…