This is going to be an odd essay. The argument, in a nut-shell, is that those officially charged with being our youth leaders, whether by religious groups or schools, as well as those who unofficially are youth leaders, simply by being youths themselves that their peers might follow if invited and . . . . Continue Reading »
Whit Stillman fans know that his first three films are a loosely connected trilogy of sorts, with THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO being the film that ties them together by means of our meeting key characters from the other two in its Club. How then, does his recent DAMSELS IN DISTRESS, a rather stranger . . . . Continue Reading »
Having written one , two , three , four ALMOST FAMOUS-driven posts and now this one, I obviously do think it is an excellent film. Its one weakness is a certain complacency, underlined by its ending. I dont have a problem with happy endings per se, but the one it provides really is too easy. . . . . Continue Reading »
Note: I mean “takes” on the subject, not necessarily on the book. 1) Heres a 2009 review of a biography of Helen Gurley Brown , author of Sex and the Single Girl , the landmark 1962 book—both for the Sexual Revolution and 60s feminismand editor-in-chief of . . . . Continue Reading »
Thomas Hibbs has an appetizing preview of Whit Stillman’s new film Damsels in Distress over at NRO. Lots on the importance of dancing, the reason why with suicide, “prevention is ten-tenths of the cure,” and Hibbs’ interesting observation that Stillman’s college scene . . . . Continue Reading »
Everything’s been coming up Whit Stillman for me lately. Re-watched Barcelona, for various reasons found myself reading both Jane Austen and Lionel Trilling, and then my wife gave me the scripts of Barcelona and Metropolitan for my birthday. Here’s a reflection a couples years ago about . . . . Continue Reading »
No, I do not take Zombies with my Jane Austen, so you know Im talking about the musical group of the 60s! Well, theyve reunified for some new songs and gigs, and the fab Dawn Eden reports on their recent DC-area concert over at the Weekly Standard. For those who didnt see the . . . . Continue Reading »
That Austen recognized the absence and failure of the Church in combating individualism makes her a public theologian to reckon . . . . Continue Reading »