The Nature of Things

Ever since it was announced that there would be a movie made from the popular book, fans of Fifty Shades of Grey have been in impatient and fevered anticipation of its release. Now the fever has broken. The movie is in the theaters just in time for Valentine's Day and its millions of fans, as well as the merely curious, are filling up those theaters. It really makes no difference, I think, whether the movie is any good. Based on all the reviews that I've seen of it so far, it is very far from good . But then it makes no difference what the reviewers write either. Its fans will not be swayed by movie reviews any more than they were swayed by book reviews . To be honest, I still haven't read the book. I couldn't make myself do it, not even in the name of scientific curiosity. I am a constant reader, but I try to limit myself to books that I believe I will have a reasonable chance to enjoy. A book about bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism and masochism didn...

Frank Capra's movies always exhibited a unique view of society, mostly hopeful, but he didn't shy away from the dark side either. Perhaps his iconic movie is It's a Wonderful Life.  Something about this week - I can't imagine what it was - made me think of that movie and particularly of this scene. Two philosophies of life that could hardly be stated any more clearly.

I guess I must be one of the very few people in the world who have not seen Avatar . Heck, I still haven't seen James Cameron's other big blockbuster film, Titanic . It's not that I am averse to seeing either movie. It's just that it has never been absolutely convenient for me to do so. Let's face it - I lead a pretty sheltered life and I don't get out much, but I do see the occasional movie. I've even seen some of Avatar's competition for the big awards this season, movies like Invictus , Sherlock Holmes , and Up in the Air , all of which I liked. There is another film that has been out in limited release for a while that I would like to see. That would be Crazy Heart with Jeff Bridges. At long last, it has made it to the "theater near me," the one where I see all my movies, so there is a possibility that I will finally get to see it. Of course, the movie has had the critics raving since it first came out and Bridges has swept all of t...

When I was a child spending my Saturday afternoons at the Princess Theater watching their matinees, I thought Jean Simmons was the most beautiful woman in the world and I wanted to be her when I grew up. She was often in the matinee features, usually in a biblical epic or a blood and sandals flick. Nobody was better in those roles and I loved those movies. I particularly remember her in Spartacus . In fact, I was just thinking about that recently when I learned that there was a television remake of that movie. (And I really wish they wouldn't, but that's a subject for another day.) Ms. Simmons played a slave who fell in love with the gladiator Spartacus, leader of a rebellion that almost succeeded against the overpowering might of the Roman Empire. Spartacus, of course, was played by Kirk Douglas. The second most memorable scene of the movie for me was at the end when Spartacus is hanging on the cross and Simmons stands before him to show him their baby as he is dying. T...

One of the first grown-up books that I remember reading as a child was The Complete Sherlock Holmes , all of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writing starring his most famous creation, packed into one volume. How I loved that book and how I loved Holmes. He was an eccentric and an iconoclast, just what I longed to be. It was from Sherlock that I learned my love of the mystery. I still devour mystery novels by the dozens each year. In recent years, I've even been able to enjoy my old friend Holmes in well-written mysteries once again. Author Laurie R. King has a pastiche series going, beginning with The Beekeeper's Apprentice , that stars Holmes and his protege Mary Russell, a protege who later became (horrors!) his wife! Conan Doyle may still be spinning in his grave over that turn of events, but, in fact, the series is very well done and I feel that it is true to the original spirit of Holmes. Holmes, of course, is one of the most enduring characters in literature and he has...

The first movie I actually remember seeing Meryl Streep in was Sophie's Choice . She broke my heart. Utterly destroyed me, in fact. I will never see that movie nor anything similar again. It was, in short, a great performance that didn't seem like a performance at all. She was Sophie. I've seen her in many movies since. In recent years there was The Devil Wears P rada and last year's Mama Mia . And always, whether she is playing unutterable tragedy, a thorough bitch, or singing and dancing her way through a frothy frolic, she always does it. She completely embodies the spirit of the character she is playing. She becomes that person. It wasn't a surprise to me then, when I finally got around to seeing Julie and Julia today, to see her transformed into Julia Child. By now, I am on to her tricks. But what a performance! She captured the glorious Julia in her accent, her mannerisms, her awkwardness, her love of life, her authenticity. She's already been...