Art Blakey uttered this wonderful line in the superb documentary on Jazz by Ken Burns. I am presently watching the 10th and final episode of a film that taught me a new understanding of American history.
Cars
The two previous blockbuster movies by Pixar, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, became such an artistic success because the animal and cartoon characters were more human than most characters in films populated by humans. I was skeptical whether you could turn automobiles into believable human characters. After all, people often love their cars, but they 
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[Read More] A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a film about the live radio show presenting a mixture of folk music and comedy for the heartland of America every Saturday night. Periodically I would stumble upon show on my classical radio station, but never listened more than a few minutes because the humor was not my cup of 
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[Read More] For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn
Ernest Hemingway proved that it is possible to write an entire novel in one line.
The Departed
The Departed is an exceedingly well-craft piece of work. But I left the theatre disappointed because the story feels repetitive and fundamentally wrong. Just as in many of his films, Sorcese suggests that violence for violence’s sake is the general condition in America. Without question America is violent. Too violate for my taste. But no 
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[Read More] The Devil Wears Prada
The Devil Wears Prada does not offer any meaningful drama but it gives a wonderful peek into the world of high fashion magazines. If you read fashion magazines regularly, you will enjoy this behind the scenes look. If you never open such magazines, you will probably enjoy getting to know this world. I did. Based 
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[Read More] Just My Luck
If you have thought deeply about the role of fate in life, Just My Luck is not going to offer you any new insights. If you are looking for a nice little romance movie that you can let your kids watch, this is just the right movie for you. I suspect that kids don’t mind 
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[Read More] Little Miss Sunshine
For most of its history, the United States has existed in the minds of people from all around the world as the place of freedom and unparalleled economic opportunities. Real as they always were, these opportunities never fell into everyone’s hands in equal amounts. Nonetheless, America has produced millions of success stories that coalesced into 
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[Read More] McLintock!
Drawing on the plot of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, Mclintock shows you what the fourth of July was like in the Wild West. They did not have fireworks but plenty of fun. The Wild West in this film is a comedy land. The place is Arizona and it is dry. My historical knowledge 
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[Read More] Barcelona, Spain
Flashback: Entering the visitor center of the Temple of the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City, I was greeted by two young believers who welcome everyone with a warm and open heart.
I could sense right away why this religion is expanding vigorously: It is offering you a family and community feeling that promises to 
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