Movies of the 2010s: Second Draft

ROMA
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
A SEPARATION
THE TREE OF LIFE
TOY STORY 3
THE MASTER
PHANTOM THREAD
12 YEARS A SLAVE
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
THE IRISHMAN
CAROL
GET OUT
STORIES WE TELL
PATERSON
20TH CENTURY WOMEN
MOONRISE KINGDOM
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI
BLACK PANTHER
FRUITVALE STATION
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
THE SOUVENIR 
THE GRANDMASTER
PARASITE 

Books I’ve been reading this year.

THE FEMALE GAZE: ESSENTIAL MOVIES MADE BY WOMEN by Alicia Malone
IT’S GARRY SHANDLING’S BOOK edited by Judd Apatow
ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS: A BIOGRAPHY OF ROCK HUDSON by Mark Griffin
BLACK STEEL MAGNOLIAS IN THE HOUR OF CHAOS THEORY (poetry) by James Cagney
CARRIE FISHER: A LIFE ON THE EDGE by Sheila Weller
SAL MINEO: A BIOGRAPHY by Michael Gregg Michaud
THE BEATLES FROM A TO ZED by Peter Asher
THE BEATLES IN 100 OBJECTS by Brian Southall
I WILL DESTROY YOU (poetry) by Nick Flynn
COLLAPSE (poetry) by Cassandra Dallett
THE CONTENDER: THE STORY OF MARLON BRANDO by William J. Mann
A DREAM ABOUT LIGHTNING BUGS: A LIFE OF MUSIC AND CHEAP LESSONS by Ben Folds
WHAT WE CLAIM...WHAT WE ARE (poems and fables) by Garrett Murphy
THE VIRGIN TURTLE LIGHT SHOW: SPRING 1968 (poetry) by Elizabeth Iannaci
SEDUCTION: SEX, LIES AND STARDOM IN HOWARD HUGHES’S HOLLYWOOD
by Karina Longworth
ORSON WELLES: ONE-MAN BAND by Simon Callow
A LIFE IN MOVIES by Irwin Winkler
SOULLESS: THE CASE AGAINST R. KELLY by Jim DeRogatis
SOUTHERN ACCENTS (33 1/3 series) by Michael Washburn

Movies of 2019: Disappointments of the Year First Draft

In no specific order:
QUEEN & SLIM
DOCTOR SLEEP
GEMINI MAN
LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE
THE DEAD DON’T DIE
THE KITCHEN
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
EXTREMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL AND VILE
CAPTAIN MARVEL
GLASS

Movies of the 2010s: First Draft

In no specific order:
ROMA
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
A SEPARATION
THE TREE OF LIFE
TOY STORY 3
THE MASTER
PHANTOM THREAD
12 YEARS A SLAVE
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
THE IRISHMAN
CAROL
GET OUT
STORIES WE TELL
PATERSON

One bright shining moment: a Pushcart Prize nomination.

Thanks so much to Marie Lecrivain and the staff of POETIC DIVERSITY for making this possible.  To be nominated is a win in itself; here’s a link to the honored poem:
https://www.poeticdiversity.org/main/poems-cp.php?recordID=2592&date=2019-11-01

Best Movies/TV of 2019: First Draft

Final version will appear in January.

From what I’ve seen from January-November in no specific order:
THE IRISHMAN
THE REPORT
WHEN THEY SEE US
THE SOUVENIR
KNIVES OUT
HER SMELL
US
PARASITE
ONE CHILD NATION
LEAVING NEVERLAND
HALSTON (Director’s Cut)
APOLLO 11
CHARLIE SAYS
QUALIFIED (Janet Guthrie ESPN documentary)
WHERE’S MY ROY COHN?

Honorable Mention:
ONCE UPON A TIME....IN HOLLYWOOD
DOLEMITE IS MY NAME
AD ASTRA
JUDY
COUNTRY MUSIC
WILD ROSE
FORD V FERRARI
THE MUSTANG

New Poem: TALKING GOP IMPEACHMENT TALKING POINTS BLUES

we stay on message
no matter how much it changes
sing What’s Wrong With That
over and over and over
make light of crimes
we’d crucify Democrats for doing
say Ukraine doesn’t rise to parking ticket status
trot out our two insult comics
keep sending messages to the public
turn off your TVs
plug your ears
yell Womp Womp at holiday dinners
when lefty relatives talk back
>
but know this
some of us are as sick of Trump
as you are
>
tired of justifying his disingenuous
distorted disrespectful behavior
weary of waking up to the stench
of fresh burning trash
not knowing when the train stops
and we’re ejected from club cars
waiting at the depot in a strange town
aware no one will arrive

New Poem: LOOKING FOR THE NEXT BARACK

Loosely inspired by Colin Hay’s long-ago song “Looking For Jack”

media pundits looking for the next Barack
admiring Pete Buttigieg’s bomber jacket
waking up to read about Deval Patrick
some day, some way
the electorate will swoon like Chris Matthews

Democratic donors looking for the next Barack
someone cool, mostly unflappable
makes people rest easy after Trump
respects the markets and past trade deals
won’t raise the 1%’s taxes

some day, some way
a majority  will find him excellent
and they’ll cheer him, boo obstruction
drink in his aspirational smile
again accept change only in increments