With the opening of the George W. Bush Library, there’s been a lot of talk recently about how history will view his time in office. Some think he won’t be seen in such a negative light as he was when he left office in January of 2009. At that time, I wrote in this space that he was the worst [...]
I joined Boy Scouts of America in fall of 1974. I earned my Eagle Scout in February of 1977. I was very proud of my achievement and even displayed my certificate at my desk until 2004. Eagle Scouts are like Marines, in that our numbers are small, and we’re proud of our accomplishment. Steven Spielberg is an Eagle Scout. So [...]
On April 5, my wife and I had the absolute joy of watching my best friend and 64 other men perform music from the British musical theatre with the Indianapolis Men’s Chorus. The level of musical vocal talent in this group is astounding. The two guest female singers were pitch-perfect, and the three guest tap dancers were amazing. We particularly [...]
Under Mitch Daniels, the agenda of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce blossomed, from the abolishment of collective bargaining, to the so-called “Right To Work” legislation, to the implementation of Daylight Saving Time without the logical return to the Central Time Zone. Each of these measures hurt working Hoosiers. The already low-tax state can now boast of a balanced budget – [...]
This week, we begin our spring ritual of waking up an hour earlier, as our clocks “spring forward.” While providing a minor inconvenience for most of the country, this annual time change can be devastating for Hoosiers, as witnessed by our newly darkened mornings, caused by our continued misplacement in a time zone whose geographic center runs just this side [...]
Okay, so now the inevitable has happened. As expected, the United States Postal Service will no longer deliver mail on Saturdays. This unsurprising announcement is further proof that such a large task as mail delivery can only be handled effectively by private enterprise, right? Wrong! Come to find out, the Republican party intentionally set up the Post Office to fail, [...]
When I saw Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master” last fall, I said I didn’t expect to see a better film all year. Guess what? I didn’t. Unfortunately, after faring well amongst almost all critics, “The Master” received just three Oscar nominations. Perhaps it was the ambiguity of the story line; perhaps it was the fact that it came out several [...]
When I saw Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master” last fall, I said I didn’t expect to see a better film all year. Guess what? I didn’t. Unfortunately, after faring well amongst almost all critics, “The Master” received just three Oscar nominations. Perhaps it was the ambiguity of the story line; perhaps it was the fact that it came out several [...]
I like Quentin Tarantino. “Pulp Fiction” is still one of my favorite pictures ever made. It was at the very top of my list of Best Films of the 1990’s. But “Pulp Fiction” is now 19-years-old, and Tarantino has fallen from the lofty perch of Our Greatest Young Director to merely a caricature of himself. His latest, “Django Unchained” is [...]
Reviewing musicals is always a little dicey, because sometimes I’m not familiar with the story, not familiar with the music, and haven’t seen the Broadway show. Other times, I know everything about it before it ever hits the big screen. Usually, my pre-film knowledge is somewhere in between. So before I discuss “Les Miserables,” you should know my past experience [...]
