Movies
Land of the aggrieved, home of the whiny
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2015 The Weekly Screed (#732) Land of the aggrieved, home of the whiny by David Benjamin “I am the most fabulous whiner. I do whine, because I want to win.” — Donald Trump MADISON, Wis. — Excuse me for a moment while I compare Donald Trump, red-state narcissist, to the Rev. Martin…
Read MoreWhen Oliver Stone mishandled Michael Caine
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2015 The Weekly Screed (#727) When Oliver Stone mishandled Michael Caine by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — In my newspaper days as editor of a Massachusetts weekly, the Mansfield News, I probably had too much fun. There was, for example, a summer day in 1981 when I needed to fill space in…
Read MoreThe fresh eye dances, the jaded eye drifts
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#703) The fresh eye dances, the jaded eye drifts by David Benjamin PARIS — A.O. Scott, the Times’ venerable movie critic has named his Ten Best Films of 2014. I confess that I didn’t pay it much heed, despite my respect for Scott’s erudition. A guilty glance told…
Read MoreThe first thing we do, let’s kill all the spies
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#697) The first thing we do, let’s kill all the spies by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — Americans tend to learn most of what we know about our “intelligence” establishment by watching TV. For example, I consumed a whole season of “Homeland” and discovered that your typical CIA…
Read MoreMovie treatment: "North by Southwest by Way of Queens"
FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#673) Movie treatment: North by Southwest by Way of Queens by David Benjamin (Opening scene, the Oak Room of a luxury New York hotel) Ad exec Roger Thornhill [played, ideally, by George Clooney but Matt Damon would be OK] phones his mom. Afterwards, he’s intercepted by suited thugs.…
Read MoreBack to the Future IV
FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#668) Back to the Future IV by David Benjamin “You ain’t nothin’ but a gutless yellow turd.” — Mad Dog Tannen MADISON, Wis. — Have you noticed how it’s downright freakish sometimes the way foreign affairs imitate art? I mean, I know I’m not the first to observe…
Read More“Now it’s time to say goodbye to all our company…”
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013 The Weekly Screed (#623) “Now it’s time to say goodbye to all our company…” by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — With her death this week, the swiftly-reached media consensus about former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher is that she was a “transformational” figure. Perhaps so, but… overshadowed by the obituaries and…
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