Movie Review: Casablanca

Rick doesn't pretend he likes Ugarte, but his honest despite is more valuable to the thief than false friendship.

Casablanca (1942) dir. Michael Curtiz It is early December, 1941. In French Morocco, the port city of Casablanca, the hot night spot is Rick’s Cafe Americain. With an abundant supply of liquor, gambling, and the music of pianist/singer Sam (Dooley Wilson), it’s no surprise that “everyone comes to Rick’s.” The owner, Richard “Rick” Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), was… Continue reading Movie Review: Casablanca

Movie Review: I Walked With a Zombie

Betsy meets her patient.

Movie Review: I Walked With a Zombie (1943) directed by Jacques Tourneur It’s a particularly cold and snowy winter in Ottawa, so recently graduated Canadian nurse Betsy Connell (Frances Dee) is quite willing to be hired for private nursing duty to take place on the island of San Sebastian in the West Indies. On the ship… Continue reading Movie Review: I Walked With a Zombie

Book Review: Rod String Nail Cloth

Book Review: Rod String Nail Cloth by T. Aaron Cisco The subtitle of this book is “An Afrofuturist Mixtape.” You can read more about Afrofuturism at this Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrofuturism but for the purposes of this review, it’s the intersection of speculative fiction with the African Diaspora experience and cultures, and in particular the experience… Continue reading Book Review: Rod String Nail Cloth

Magazine Review: Lapham’s Quarterly: Spring 2015 Swindle & Fraud

Magazine Review: Lapham’s Quarterly: Spring 2015 Swindle & Fraud Edited by Lewis H. Lapham Mr. Lapham’s literary magazine is based on the principle that history has much to teach the present on many subjects, so presents excerpts from many famous (and not so famous) authors on a loose topic for the education and entertainment of… Continue reading Magazine Review: Lapham’s Quarterly: Spring 2015 Swindle & Fraud