Avengers is a great comic book movie, but nothing more. That is no insult from me, because I enjoy comic books movies the way I enjoy Edgar Rice Burroughs novels: quickly, but without remembering much about them. There are moments of Avengers that makes me laugh out loud, shout, and shudder and for Whedon fans the news is good: it is more television Firefly than Serenity Whedon. The self-indulgent Whedon of Dollhouse, working out his hangups is mostly gone, and... Read more
On Star Wars Day As you gather around your Life Tree and watch the Star Wars Christmas special, take some time away from the hustle and bustle of Star Wars Day and reflect on what this day really means. When I was a boy, the movies hit a rough patch we call the 1970’s. People paid to see Jane Fonda pretend to be a prostitute. Even Disney could not make a great animated feature following the death of Walt. And... Read more
On Self-Esteem It is commonplace to think that this generation has too much self-esteem and a quick Google shows that there is data to back up this belief. My students, honor students, often think they know more than they do. They have piles of medals, many meritless, and stacks of certificates. And yet most of my students struggle more with self-loathing than the other form of pride. Could it be that our culture is so toxic to our self-worth that... Read more
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