One of my favorite writers is the late Patrick O’Brian, author of the 20-plus-volume Aubrey-Matarin series — set mostly on the high seas during the Napoleonic wars, circa 1790-1815. It is a great work of historical fiction, centered on the title characters — the English navy captain Jack Aubrey and his “particular friend”, Stephen Maturin, […]

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Finally saw The Post, the Steven Spielberg movie about the Washington Post and the Pentagon Papers. It was an afternoon screening at the multiplex at the nearest semi-big town. And it was in English. So. I recommend that all former newspaper journalists see the film. And most certainly those over the age of 50, for […]

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This was something celebrated on at least one Facebook account: Seeing Star Wars: The Last Jedi today, a day before Everyone Back Home had a chance. Movies in France tend to open on Wednesday. In the States, an opening often is Friday, especially for big movies like this one. So, at least one of us […]

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It wasn’t only because we found meals in Vienna to be expensive, compared to nearby cut-rate European capital cities Prague and Budapest, that we avoided Vienna’s restaurants for most of our stay in the Austrian capital. Though that was much of it. Another major factor? A chance to binge on American-made movies in VO (version […]

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I was prepared to like The Book Of Mormon, the musical that deeply involves the South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The show made its debut in 2011, but only last night did I get around to seeing it, at the Prince of Wales Theater in London’s Soho district. I have a sense […]

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It has been out only a few days, but the quirky director Wes Anderson is getting rave reviews for his latest piece of work. It is an uplifting and very Wes Anderson commercial set on a train and starring Adrien Brody as Conductor Ralph, three minutes and 52 seconds in length, for the Swedish clothing […]

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Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice … and you know how the rest goes. Today in Paris I went to see Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, the second movie based on the Reacher character in Lee Child’s novels, and again starring Tom Cruise as Reacher. And, again, we learned that Cruise may […]

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