Adam and Adrienne Abroad: Days 4-6 – Flying, Flowers and the Circle of Life

Hello my friends. I'm back with another report on my progress across the globe with my sweet and wonderful Adrienne. You may remember how last time I told you were embarking on a voyage by land, sea and air across nearly 15 countries and three different continents. Well, we've now made it to the first…Read more Adam and Adrienne Abroad: Days 4-6 – Flying, Flowers and the Circle of Life

After ICE’s Rampage Across Minnesota, We Must Say No to Centrist Democrats

Even after 20 years in power, Minnesota's Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar has not had enough. This winter, she announced she is leaving her Senate digs. But rather than start wrapping up her professional life like non-criminally insane people do at her age, she's decided instead to make a run for the Governor's mansion on Summit…Read more After ICE’s Rampage Across Minnesota, We Must Say No to Centrist Democrats

Adam and Adrienne Abroad – Days 1-3: Beginning at the Beginning

This spring, my partner Adrienne and I made the somewhat difficult decision to quit our jobs and go traveling. Over the next five months, we intend to traverse the entire globe, hitting the following countries as we go: New Zealand Australia Thailand Cambodia Laos Vietnam Kazakhstan Uzbekistan Georgia Turkey Romania Germany France England The impetus…Read more Adam and Adrienne Abroad – Days 1-3: Beginning at the Beginning

Film Review: The Testament of Ann Lee (2025)

Although the biographical-musical film The Testament of Ann Lee is set in a radically different time, the story it’s telling is inherently timeless. Profiling the life of Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried), one of the founders of the “Shaking Quakers" movement of the 1700s, the film is a searing if uneven look at the how faith…Read more Film Review: The Testament of Ann Lee (2025)

Film Review: The Life of Chuck (2024)

Hopefully many years from now, when someone is trying to sum up Mike Flanagan's career, they could likely crib the mantra from his sweet, introspective and entirely odd 2024 effort The Life of Chuck. Based on the Stephen King novella, the film heavily utilizes Walt Whitman's famous line from his poem Song of Myself: "I…Read more Film Review: The Life of Chuck (2024)

Film Review: Song Sung Blue (2025)

Early in Craig Brewer’s entertaining, big hearted musical biopic Song Sung Blue, married couple Mike and Claire Sardina are arguing about the song “Sweet Caroline.” Having just formed a Neil Diamond cover band, the couple is debating how prominently the iconic song should be featured in their set list. Mike, played by a rock-solid Hugh…Read more Film Review: Song Sung Blue (2025)

“Only the Best”: On Edward Norton’s Good/Bad Performance in The Italian Job

When is a performance good and bad? Obviously, there are many performances out there that are so bad they are good. Edward Norton in 2003's The Italian Job is not one of those. His supporting performance as the villainous Steve is a perfectly acceptable and, at times, even frightening baddie performance. It is bad strictly…Read more “Only the Best”: On Edward Norton’s Good/Bad Performance in The Italian Job

Film Review: Five Easy Pieces (1970)

Perhaps one of the defining films of the New Hollywood era, Bob Rafelson's Five Easy Pieces is a powerful, grim view of America run aground. In one of his career-best roles, Jack Nicholson plays Robert Dupea, a former pianist prodigy who rejects his wealthy, intellectual upbringing to work as a roughneck on the California oil…Read more Film Review: Five Easy Pieces (1970)

Film Review: Pain & Gain (2013)

In the mid-2010s, Michael Bay broke from his long-standing practice of making chaotic and juvenile escapism to helm two chaotic and juvenile exhumations of the American Experiment. One of these was 2016's 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, headlined by a roided-up John Krasinski. The other was the subject of this review, 2013's Pain…Read more Film Review: Pain & Gain (2013)