Reflections on films, politics, and everything else.

I still haven’t seen Once Upon a Time in Hollywood , and the longer I wait, the less interested I am in the film. I’m sure this will sound baffling to many, and others will say it’s because I’m a woman and/or too old. Of course, I’m younger than Tarantino, and, woman or not, I loved True Romance , which he wrote, and Pulp Fiction , and the Kill Bill films when they came out. What I’ve noticed lately is that as I age and evolve, a number of films I loved or at least liked, I have a hard time with now. Woody Allen was my true north for so much of my earlier years, yet I find it harder to watch his films now, unable to shake off the personal issues surrounding him. Earlier this year, I re-watched Ghost World , which I’d loved, when in came out in the early 2000s, yet now I was creeped out by the really inappropriate sexual relationship between the Steve Buscemi and Thora Birch characters. Their age difference hadn’t been a factor to me when I was much younger, yet I was une...

I was at IndyShorts last weekend, which was the second year Heartland Film Festival has provided a separate four-day venue for short films. It’s always hard to get back to real life after being away, but, for me, it seems especially hard after being at film festivals. Whether you’re a filmmaker or a film lover, the atmosphere at a film festival becomes contagious. At times I daydream about just going from one to another, constantly watching films that I might not get a chance to see otherwise (although with streaming that’s becoming less true). Of course, I know I’d get tired of the constant need to search for food I might actually be able to eat, and would miss my husband and cat, but for brief periods of the year, it’s not a bad time to spend away from home. I particularly like the set up of this festival with most of the films and programs taking place at Newfields , with beautiful grounds that are accessible to clear your head and move your body, ample ...