The biggest mistake I made when reading this 1939 hardboiled detective classic was that I checked it out from the library. There were so many clever or insightful passages that I wanted to underline but I couldn’t. Since I am a good citizen, I didn’t mark up the library book. Still, I had so much fun reading this one. Even though it’s over seventy-five years old, the book pops with intriguing characters, real danger, and straight razor dialogue. While I don’t have my favorite quotes and […]
1940s Hollywood Noir for $6
That night began just like every other night. I sat in my car. My car sat in an empty parking lot. The black grit some barista had the nerve to call coffee kept me warm enough. Headlights flashed through my passenger-side windows. I perked up and turned down the radio as a Jeep pulled into the parking lot and cruised over in my general direction. He was late, as usual. If he’s always late, and I show up early, am I the one with the problem? […]
Of course, no religion can prove that it is “true.”
I’m honestly a little bit afraid to write this review, having learned what I learned by reading Going Clear. I don’t want to crap out and not write a review. Other Cannonballers have been brave. What am I so afraid of? An aggressively, violently litigious organization with enormous reach that picks legal and physical fights with anyone who questions their legitimacy. A for-profit company that practically bankrupted the US Treasury in their fight for IRS-recognized status as a religion. An abusive institution that uses its […]
Just So-So Stories
I stayed up until 3:30 in the morning reading Rob Lowe’s book, Stories I Only Tell My Friends. The late hour was not due to any exceptional interest in the book (though I am a sucker for good Hollywood gossip) nor any other particular qualities. I just really wanted to finish reading it. To those who would shame my interest in decades-old drama, be content with the knowledge that I did not get what I came for. As an author, Lowe pulls his punches. […]
Please don’t make me defend a Nazi sympathizer
In Dietrich & Riefenstahl, Karin Wieland compares the lives of two famous German movie personalities. On the surface, Marlin Dietrich and Leni Riefenstahl seem very similar. Born a year apart, both harbored big dreams. Both defied their parents, studied dance and worked as actors. Both took lovers and refused to live their lives the way others demanded. But when Hitler ascended to power, the two women reacted very differently. Dietrich became an American citizen and entertained Allied troops during the war, and Riefenstahl supported Hitler, […]
Nothing Will Make You Feel Better Except Doing the Work
Until recently, there were only a few ways to “make it” in the entertainment industry. You’d move to LA or New York, try to get a spot writing for a late show or a sitcom, and slowly move your way up a rigid, hierarchical ladder, until you were finally creating your own content. But thanks to the Internet, that’s changing. New writers are discovered writing fanfiction. Youtube bloggers are publishing their own books. And people producing their own content online are able to reach millions […]
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