I’ve been a fan of Woody Allen’s films, books, plays, and stand-up comedy for years. He’s led an interesting life, and I was looking forward to reading his book. Then it was announced that his publisher was pulling out of publishing it, bowing to pressure from the #MeToo movement and others, like Ronan Farrow. I’m a rebellious person by nature,…
The 60s are my favorite decade. I was born in 1960, however, so I was too young to really understand a lot of what the country was experiencing at that time. As I grew older, I came to appreciate the 60’s much more. I’m drawn to books about the 60’s – the music, the politics, the culture – and I…
I’ve always been a fan of comedy, and the 1980s were a golden age. This is a well-researched book about many of the groundbreaking comedians of the era, and how they made the transition from television to film, changing the face of cinematic comedy forever. Filled with juicy stories about Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, John Candy,…
I go through phases where I don’t think about the movie Harold and Maude very much, and then I become obsessed with it again. It’s my favorite movie; I find the humorous bits hilarious and the philosophical bits poignant and uplifting, and whenever there’s some kind of crisis (like 9-11 or the current corona pandemic), I find myself immersed in…
Harold & Maude is my all-time favorite movie. Every ten years or so, I get nostalgic for the film and I watch it again and obsess over it. (I have it on Blu-Ray, of course.) I knew the movie was based on a screenplay written by Colin Higgins, a UCLA film student. Higgins sold the screenplay, and then wrote a…
I’ve been a fan of John Waters for over 40 years. I’ve seen all of his films and read all of his books. I’ve met him twice, and he autographed his book Crackpot for me. His books have been hilarious, and this one doesn’t disappoint. The guy is completely nuts. The first part of the book deals mostly with Hollywood…
Excellent night last night at Radio City Music Hall!! Celebrating Peter Fonda and the movie’s 50 years, “Easy Rider” was shown with Steppenwolf singer John Kay and The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn performing the soundtrack LIVE! They were terrific. Great vibe. Great finale, too. “Easy Rider’s” iconic soundtrack includes Steppenwolf classics like “The Pusher” and “Born to Be Wild,” as well…