Tag Archives: films

A Much Better Man Than Me

I’m not proud of the article I wrote last week. My heart wasn’t in it, but I didn’t know how to refuse to write it. An amazing reader of mine named Jay had sent me a complete summary of how … Continue reading

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The Big Lebowski Has Symmetry to Spare

With apologies to my wonderful reader Jay, I have to admit this has been the hardest of the four movies he sent me to write about. Perhaps it’s because Goodfellas was crammed with so much violence, foul language, and drug … Continue reading

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Goodfellas Is a Chiasmus, as Far Back as I Can Remember

As far back as I can remember, there have always been symmetrical movies. All the way back to the Buster Keaton classic The General, where the film is structured (appropriately enough) like a railroad track. Well, today we’re going to … Continue reading

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Die Hard Isn’t Just a Christmas Movie, It’s a Chiasmus Movie

The story structure of Die Hard forms a really cool chiasmus, meaning that its first and second halves mirror each other. This is the second film I was sent by a reader named Jay. He mapped it all out for … Continue reading

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It’s Time for Me to Knuckle Down

I have been both looking forward to and dreading this moment for a long time. I suppose that’s true of any major undertaking in my life. And this certainly fits into that category.

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Dumb and Dumber Shows Why a Fool and His Money Are Soon Parted

Halfway through Dumb and Dumber, the story transitions from a road trip to a wish-fulfillment fantasy. The titular dumb and dumber friends Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne take a briefcase across the country to try to return it to a … Continue reading

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George Lucas’s Most Admirable Quality to Me

I once heard the story of when a young George Lucas was in a recording studio working with a sound mixer. The man said he needed Reel 2, Dialogue track 2, but he shortened all of that information to simply, … Continue reading

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I Want to Be Kinder

This is probably a no-duh statement, but I think it’s easy to criticize and think we’re better than other people. It’s harder to be kind, thoughtful, and forgiving of others’ weaknesses. I recently had an experience I’d like to share … Continue reading

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The Truth Shall Set You Free

I recently received an email saying that I had been caught on a Web camera doing horribly lewd things. The sender wanted me to pay a lot of money to keep it quiet. It sounded like I was in quite … Continue reading

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Always Listen to Your Parents

My mom and dad love great Steve Martin comedies. That means I grew up enjoying movies like Three Amigos, Roxanne, and Father of the Bride. So, as a child, when I saw Steve Martin’s first movie The Jerk on TBS one time, I thought I … Continue reading

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