It was nice to see Silver Linings Playbook on the list of nominees for Best Picture this year. Mind you- I’ll lay odds it won’t win, and fun as it is, against the field it faces it probably shouldn’t. Still, it’s reassuring that Oscar can pay tribute to a comedy with its most important award. Remember the story of the … More Details

I found it interesting (if not particularly surprising) that the top box office performers of the last several decades have tended to be longer movies. For example, blockbusters like the Lord Of The Rings series clock in at about three hours per installment, while Avatar and The Dark Knight Rises are both well over the two and a half hour … More Details

Several weeks ago, I was sitting at lunch opposite my twenty-eight year old second cousin once removed, with a host of other family members. It being a reunion of sorts, the mood was jolly. I have always liked my cousin- she is smart, brassy, funny- extremely well spoken and well educated. The kind of person that gives you hope for … More Details

Anyone who missed Matt Richtel’s piece in last Sunday’s New York Times (“Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction”) should lay hands on it now. It’s a sobering if not downright frightening report on eroding attention-skills among today’s high schoolers, who increasingly forsake their summer reading- and sustained reading of any sort- in favor of video games and sites like Facebook … More Details