The populations of Namib, Pre-Namib, and Kalahara deserts are examined in astounding anthropomorphic detail. I think I had heard of this film because of the footage of animals getting drunk on rotting fruit, but there is plenty of other amazing footage. If I didn’t know the film was made in 1974, I’d swear some of…

One movie was not quite enough for full yard sale recovery, so we set our laptop theatre up on the back porch to watch Sideways. I’d heard that this movie was credited for a big boost in Pinot Noir sales, but I couldn’t imagine how a movie could have that kind of influence. I still…

Ann and I were both impressed by this character drama about a white woman from a fictional African country working as an interpreter in the New York UN building. The setting is interesting, and the characters stay pretty real. Ann, having grown up in Zaire, was irritated by a detail here and there (the one…

I haven’t read a page-turner novel in a long time, and this one was supremely satisfying. I’ve read some of Jung’s case histories with fascination, but it never occurred to me how a powerful a ficional device psychoanalysis could be. Combined with a good story and enheartening values, I’m impressed enough with this work to…

A documentary of the 2001 Cliburn piano competition. It’s a refreshing change of pace to take a look at some real people doing extraordinary things. The music, though, is almost overwhelming. Contestants invariably select the most intense pieces, and the documentary of course shows the most intense segments – it makes for almost exhausting viewing.…

If you can get over the all-but-supernatural perfection of the main character, there is a lot to enjoy about this movie. At its best it’s a movie about the Crusades that’s not on a Crusade itself. The historical details are mashed up, but the setting and the major characters and events appear to be fairly…