Background They say write what you know. Malcolm Braly (1925-80) knew prisons. Orphaned as a teenager, the Oregon native spent the majority of his years aged approximately 17-40 behind bars. A career burglar and multiple parole violator, he was in a reform school at 17 and in the facility at San Quentin for the crux…
In his book Reinventing Comics, Scott McCloud points out that hand-drawn static-image super hero stories can’t compete against first-person power fantasies presented in film, video games, or on television—that action is much more exciting on a screen than in a comic book. If you don’t believe him, check out how many people have seen the…
When Sweet Girl debuted on Netflix on August 20th, it instantly became the most popular offering on the site, enticing viewers with its medley of dynamic fight sequences combined with a crime thriller story, throwing in a twist worthy of an early-career M. Night Shyamalan. Jason Momoa plays a sympathetic dad going after the big…
If someone who’s seen Samuel Fuller’s 1953 film Pickup on South Street was asked to describe it using just a few words, they might say it’s “a Cold War spy thriller.” On the surface, that way of characterizing the movie is apt enough. The story does involve a ring of traitorous Americans who steal their…
From its very inception, Margaret Truman’s Capital Crimes series has excelled at stitching tales of murder and mystery with Washington, D.C. as a backdrop. Look no further than the title of each of the now 31 entries to find a particular setting in the Capital where a murder sets off a high stakes game or…
The early-to-mid 1970s was a time when Americans’ distrust in our politicians was at a peak. The country still had not gotten over the 1960s assassinations of beloved young leaders John F. and Bobby Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Many still wondered whether the individuals held responsible for their killings acted alone, or were…
Sherlock Holmes was, is, and likely will remain a solid fuel source for the entertainment industry, and the very latest offering is the Netflix film Enola Holmes, based on the Edgar Award-nominated YA series by Nancy Springer. Millie Bobby Brown, who launched her career playing Eleven on Stranger Things, dives into the part of Sherlock…
Think of the career of acclaimed film director Wim Wenders (1945-) and what’s the first title of his that comes to your mind? Paris, Texas (1984)? Wings of Desire (1987)? Maybe Buena Vista Social Club (1999)? The cinematic work of his I personally treasure the most is Alice in the Cities (1974). I bet you…
When I watched Be Water, ESPN’s new 30 for 30 documentary on the life of legendary martial arts master and actor Bruce Lee (1940-73), I kept waiting for the topic of Quentin Tarantino’s portrayal of Lee in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood to come up. I figured it might get mentioned by Bruce’s daughter…
If you’re like me, you’ve long had an interest in Bollywood movies, but haven’t explored this corner of cinematic history much. The problem is, where do you start in trying to learn about such a vast pool of films that haven’t been part of your cultural life? Well, in a situation like this, sometimes the…
