Twelve years before she roared into immortality as Catwoman in Batman Returns, Michelle Pfeiffer played a different type of cat, a B.A.D Cat, to be precise. A what, you ask? Well, I’ll tell ya what. After starting her career with guest spots on television series like Fantasy Island and ChiPs, Michelle nabbed a regular gig … Continue reading Samantha “Sunshine” Jensen
Category: movies
Marilyn Deserves Better
Remember the other day when I said I was going to give the new, overhyped movie Blonde a shot, despite all of my anxieties when it comes to Marilyn Monroe “biopics,” thanks to a long history of them being tawdry and disrespectful to her legacy? Yeah, well, I changed my mind. I should have stuck … Continue reading Marilyn Deserves Better
“The Sink’s Not Braced!”: Mother! Turns 5
A film that inspires either loving or loathing, but rarely anything in between, Mother! opened five years ago this September. I saw it in the theater by myself, but with a decent number of other moviegoers. As the madness intensified over the film’s running time, I slid lower down in my seat, as if trying … Continue reading “The Sink’s Not Braced!”: Mother! Turns 5
“Do You Think I’m Crazy?”: American Mary, 10 Years On
Mary Mason has built a diverse resume: medical student, illegal underground surgeon, and dark avenging angel. Slightly detached and desperate for money to pay for school, Mary auditions for a job at the local strip club. The manager Billy seems smitten. Later he even fantasizes about Mary performing an erotically charged dance—one of several instances … Continue reading “Do You Think I’m Crazy?”: American Mary, 10 Years On
Blonde on Blonde
The controversial new movie Blonde will be streaming on Netflix later this month. Based on Joyce Carol Oates’ novel and featuring Ana de Armis as a sort of fictionalized Marilyn Monroe, the movie is sure to stir up animosity among Marilyn’s most ardent fans, like yours truly. I’ve owned the novel for years but haven’t … Continue reading Blonde on Blonde
Twenty Years of Blogs That Inspire Me
I've been thinking a lot lately about writing. What got me into writing, and then what brought me back to it. The ways in which the internet has largely democratized writing—for good and bad—and how several of my writing inspirations over the last two decades have been online, at both "establishment" hubs and small, one-person … Continue reading Twenty Years of Blogs That Inspire Me
A Journey in Three Moods, or, How My Brain Works
1. The light bulb moment: sudden, powerful jolt of inspiration for my next creative endeavor. 2. The details of making it happen start crashing and careening around in my head. 3. *distracted by another light bulb flickering in the distance* Special thanks to Michelle Pfeiffer's expressive facial reactions as one of my favorite cinematic inspirations, … Continue reading A Journey in Three Moods, or, How My Brain Works






