Et Lamiis Malleus: Chapter I

--- Chapter 1 --- Heinrich Kramer was not an imposing man - at least not physically. Now in his mid-50s, the inquisitor was beginning to show his age, with crows feet snaking their way from the corners of his eyes and bunny lines breaking out across the tops of his cheeks.  Perhaps then it was…Read more Et Lamiis Malleus: Chapter I

Et Lamiis Malleus: Prologue

----- Prologue ----- The reading room of the Munster Cathedral library was deserted; it had been so for weeks. Jan van Leiden, the Anabaptist King of Munster, stalked through the dusty rows of books, his black robes swishing across the fibers of the ornate rug that tied the room together with deep shades of blue,…Read more Et Lamiis Malleus: Prologue

Film Review: The Courier (2019)

When one thinks of a bad car crash, they typically imagine it as being a loud, ugly and often bloody affair. Additionally, they think that such an incident would never involve them, that it is something that always happens to “other people.” On both these levels, The Courier – which is being released on BluRay,…Read more Film Review: The Courier (2019)

Film Review: The Irishman (2019)

"Would you like to be a part of this history?" When Jimmy Hoffa poses this question in Martin Scorsese's 24th feature film - the gangland saga The Irishman - the movie is already approximately a third of the way through its epic, three-and-a-half hour runtime. Yet despite its length, tonal restraint and veritable cadre of…Read more Film Review: The Irishman (2019)

Film Review: Hail Satan? (2019)

I recently had the opportunity to review an interesting doc entitled Hail Satan?. While the movie certainly grapples with important and timely themes, it is unfortunately a cursory look at the sick, hypocritical way that the Christian right has become embedded in American political life. Enjoy it all on FilmMonthly! Full Review

A Collection of Recent Reviews

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have largely retired from the film reviewing game. While it once served as my central writing focus, and, in fact, probably turned me into the writer I am today, I no longer find it to be my primary interest. Instead, I now plunk away mostly in the…Read more A Collection of Recent Reviews

The Red Cliffs of Golgamon

Try as he might, Sebastian Mondo couldn't focus on his work. He was numb and disconnected. Content needed to be written, messages needed to be sent, but there was something blocking him, a numbness that couldn't be overcome. All he could do was sit and stare at his computer, sinking deeper into his desk chair.…Read more The Red Cliffs of Golgamon

How One Leaves Orhan

What had she been doing? Flames cracked and popped within the ornate fireplace, casting a gold and orange glow through the small study. Amabel sat reclining in a high-backed chair, her thin legs extending toward the blaze. Yawning, she stretched her arms, brushing past the heavy wood and velvety cushion that composed the chair's back.…Read more How One Leaves Orhan

Film Review: I, Daniel Blake (2016)

About six or seven years ago, I developed a minor obsession with the work of Ken Loach, the iconoclastic English director of acclaimed films like Kes, Looks and Smiles, Raining Stones, My Name is Joe, Sweet Sixteen and The Wind that Shakes the Barley. Back then, I watched a number of these in quick succession.…Read more Film Review: I, Daniel Blake (2016)