To kick off my attempt to watch 43 films in 2005, I had decided to start with Twilight Samurai, which swept the Japanese Academy Awards in 2003. But, I didn’t get to it until tonight. The character portrait of a low-ranking samurai, Iguchi Seibei (aka Tasogare—Twilight—Seibei) is effective and affecting. Here’s a guy who [...]

The new Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings threatened PBS with a withdrawal of public funds if they went ahead and aired the planned Feb. 2 episode of Postcards from Buster in which Buster meets a Vermont girl who has two moms. The moms’ lesbianism is not central to the episode, there’s no mention of their [...]

So this is the movie that’s credited with ushering in Japanese “new wave horror”? It pretty much bored me. Ringu had the potential to be interesting, and I can see why it might have created some stir (but that’s all relative—typical Japanese horror films are usually pretty lame anyway). Any intriguing element in the film [...]

MLB sources say that the Cubs are close to a deal to trade Sammy Sosa to the Orioles. Being one Cub fan who has had enough of Sammy’s crybabyness and lack of output over the last two years, I am relieved that he’s leaving. But, it is sad too. I loved Sammy on the Cubs. [...]

I don’t how how I missed this Dubyaism of 10 January 2005. Must be the result of my Dubya Media Blackout Policy:
“I’m also looking forward to the Iraqi elections on January the 30th. This is an extraordinary year, when you think about it. In the first month of a new year, there will be an [...]