I have scratched together a living, in one way or another, as a writer for more than 60 years now. I was a free-lance writer during the early stages of the Vietnam War. I was the Southwest Division Overnight News Editor for United Press International back when UPI was a legitimate news gathering organization. Following that, I went to the Dallas Morning News where I became the first person to write about rock 'n' roll on a daily basis for a Texas metropolitan newspaper. I later became the News' entertainment editor. Following some stints with a couple of prominent PR firms, I had the extraordinary good fortune to team with two communications legends, Ken Fairchild and Lisa LeMaster, as part of one kick-ass media consulting/crisis communications team. That was followed by stints as a department head with the City of Dallas (and its public information officer); the Dallas Northeast Chamber of Commerce where I had the good fortune to meet and work alongside some of this city's business and political titans; and editorial director for QuestCorp Media until that company went out of business. Now officially retired, concentrating on this blog.
6 Souls * Julianne Moore, Jonathan Rhys Myers, Jeffrey DeMunn. Directed by Måns Mårland, Björn Stein. A female forensic psychiatrist discovers that all of one of her patient’s multiple personalities are murder victims. A preposterous supernatural thriller that inexplicably managed to sign up Moore to star.
Inescapable * Alexander Siddig, Joashua Jackson, Marisa Tomei. Directed by Ruba Nadda. Years after he left Damascus under suspicious circumstances, a man must confront what he left behind when his daughter goes missing. The film spins its wheels for almost an hour until collapsing under the weight of exposition that renders the mystery nearly besides the point. It’s like Taken without the tension.
Tai Chi Hero ** Yuan Xiaochao, Qi Shu, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Peter Stomare. Directed by Stephen Fung. Picking up where the off-kilter Tai Chi Hero 0 ended, this sequel follows Yang Lu Chan’s training under his master, and new bride, Yu Niang. His new kung fu skills come in handy when Yu’s brother launches an insidious plot against their village. Merely fills the eye, offering little that stays with you. It’s sluggish and rote where its predecessor was aggressively perky and desperate to please.
The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu **** Directed by Andrei Ujica. Explores the image of the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu using unknown official footage from the Romanian National Television and National Film Archives. Manages to be intimate and impersonal at the same time, a trait constantly reinforced by Ujica’s portrayal of not only Ceausescu but the populace he led, represented, and controlled for nearly three decades.
Venus and Serena *** Directed by Maiken Baird, Michelle Major. This documentary follows tennis megastars Venus Williams and her younger sibling Serena throughout 2011, when disabling injuries and illness threatened to end their careers. One of those documentaries that is more testimonial than investigation. What comes across most strongly is the genuine, overpowering love these two women have for each other, even when they’re in direct competition.
The Girl **½ Abbie Cornish, Will Patton, Martiza Santiago Hernandez, Giovanna Zacarias, Luci Christian, Raul Castillo, Geoffrey Rivas, Austin West. Directed by David Riker. A young Texas mother who loses her child to foster care begins smuggling Mexicans across the border. Writer-director Riker, who previously made the accomplished 1998 Paisan homage The City (La Ciudad), has a great eye for detail: He sketches the narrow boundaries of Cornish’s sad life in Austin expertly while bringing a village square across the border to vivid life. He also gets another fine performance out of Cornish.
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