Advice From a White Belt: Try It!
by Jennifer Struzziero We call it training. Not because we are training for Jiu-Jitsu. But because we are training for life. Chris Matakas A visit from an old library pal, a controlling micromanager and a new self-care routine introduced me to Martial Arts. Spring 2021, post-vaccination, our friend, who was a Dean of Libraries at a midwestern college, near a corn field somewhere south of Chicago, had been looking forward to some...
The Spotlight: My Summers with The Boss
Now those memories come back to haunt me they haunt me like a curse Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true Or is it something worse that sends me down to the river though I know the river is dry That sends me down to the river tonight – Bruce Springsteen, “The River” My first memory of hearing Bruce Springsteen’s music occurred on a late summer evening; darkness reigned outside the window in...
Take This Waltz
Take This Waltz 2011 116 mins. Rated R. Margot: “I’m afraid of being afraid.” Daniel: “Sounds like the most dangerous thing in the world.” During a recent girl’s night, I was faced with the dreadful, if not tired, question: “Who is YOUR girl crush?!” (Yick)! It occurred to me I had no idea. My incredulous friends replied, “But come on… Mila Kunis, Angelina Jolie?”...
Straight Time
1978 114 minutes. Rated R. “Please God, don’t let him get caught!” I debated whether or not to include a review featuring Dustin Hoffman. These days my feelings for him, amidst the recent allegations against him, caused me to reconsider this post. In fact, I debated whether or not to publish this review at all. Hoffman comes from another generation. A generation that lauded movies about white dude characters. The lack of...
Premium Rush
2001 91 minutes. Rated PG-13. “Brakes are death.” Premium Rush gives viewers an inside peek at the adrenalin-pumped world of Manhattan’s bike deliverers. With popping triceps and the endurance to qualify for a Ritalin script, the main characters ride (“Like Hell”) freely through the unpredictable city streets, earning cash along the way. The main character, Wilee, (played naturally by the...