Movies
Peggy Sue Got Sabotaged
Peggy Sue Got Sabotaged By David Benjamin “Well, Mr. Snelgrove, I happen to know that in the future I will not have the slightest use for algebra, and I speak from experience.” — Kathleen Turner, in Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) PARIS — Having long ago shut down our link to French broadcast, we use…
Read MoreThe Goliath dialog
The Goliath dialog by David Benjamin “Anybody throwing stones, rocks, like they did… to the Mexican police, where they badly hurt police and soldiers of Mexico… we will consider that a firearm, because there’s not much difference where you get hit in the face with a rock.” — Donald Trump MADISON, Wis. — Strangely enough,…
Read More"The hard…"
“The hard…” by David Benjamin “JUST a bit outside.” — Bob Uecker, as Harry Doyle, Major League MADISON, Wis. — As long as Japan, Korea and the Dominican Republic keep sending talent to the Major Leagues, no one can credibly claim that baseball is exclusively “America’s pastime.” However, the U.S.A. — specifically, Hollywood — can…
Read MoreHail, hail Freedonia
Hail, hail Freedonia! by David Benjamin “The last man nearly ruined this country./ He didn’t know what to do with it./ If you think this country’s bad off now,/ Just wait ’til I get through with it!” — Rufus T. Firefly PARIS — The latest burst of palace intrigue in the Trump White House sent…
Read MorePlus ça change…
Plus ça change… by David Benjamin “In the noisy aftermath of babble and talk and jokes and laughter, the junior Senator from Wyoming exchanged a look of open hostility with the senior Senator from Utah; the senior Senator from South Carolina, looking as sleepy and somnolent as before, gave one small chuckle and slapped the…
Read MoreBreaking good, eventually
Breaking good, eventually by David Benjamin “I was sure I was going to get that scholarship. My dad of course was sure I wasn’t. When I didn’t, he was real understanding, you know. He loves to do that. He loves to be understanding when I fail.” — Cyril, in Breaking Away MADISON, Wis.— Movie scenes haunt…
Read MoreJack Palance takes charge
Jack Palance takes charge by David Benjamin “Net neutrality requires internet services providers to charge equal rates and offer equal speeds for all data usage. Without the policy, a telecommunications company — like Pai’s former employer Verizon — would be allowed to impose blocks on websites at its discretion or allow providers to create so-called…
Read MoreDaddy-O meets Quentin Tarantino
Daddy-O meets Quentin Tarantino by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — Guns are the thing. As the latest massacre reports trickle in, we’re beginning to grasp the disturbing banality of Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik. Yes, Tashfeen grew up in a hotbed of Muslim fundamentalism in Pakistan and pledged her troth, before pulling the trigger, to…
Read MoreWhen cool was still cool
When cool was still cool by David Benjamin “Bond is important: this invincible superman that every man would like to copy, that every woman would like to conquer, this dream we all have of survival. And then one can’t help liking him…” — Sean Connery MADISON, Wis. — With every release of a new James…
Read MoreThe movie drumstick
The movie drumstick by David Benjamin PARIS — This familiar movie scene is always guy-intensive, with squads from the Tactical Police, the bomb unit, the FBI and a few Homeland Security kibitzers, along with our unattached hero and — for gender balance — one gorgeous starlet with no lines and very little control over her…
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