Posted 5:00 AM by Gerald So
Wednesday this week Amazon announced the choice of Denis Villeneuve to direct the first James Bond movie since it took creative control from Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
Villeneuve is one of the most respected and bankable directors today, and his hire continues Amazon's show of commitment to Bond. While I was hoping for a lighter touch, the tone of Villeneuve's previous films (SICARIO, BLADE RUNNER 2049, DUNE, for example) seems in line with Daniel Craig's run, and may make a seamless transition, dispelling the air of uncertainty.
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Very Much So
St. Mary's, Hofstra, Queens College...That Gerald So
Friday, June 27, 2025
Thursday, June 05, 2025
Life after Death
Posted 12:30 PM by Gerald So
Last Sunday I heard a homily by one of our parish deacons. He began with how short this life is, how our souls are much more important than our bodies. From there, he pondered what we lose when a loved one dies. He had trouble summing that up. Many may feel a loss too great to fathom after all.
I've now lived through my parents' deaths, yet I don't feel I've lost them. Their bodies gave out on them, but in so yielding, freed their spirits. I believe their souls have attained their reward. I no longer worry for their health. I also believe they've become part of me. In that sense, we're closer than we could've been in life. Everything they tried to teach me, I still pursue.
The right lesson from life is to make the most of every moment, so when a loved one's time is up, you all don't feel you've missed the chance to do anything more.
Last Sunday I heard a homily by one of our parish deacons. He began with how short this life is, how our souls are much more important than our bodies. From there, he pondered what we lose when a loved one dies. He had trouble summing that up. Many may feel a loss too great to fathom after all.
I've now lived through my parents' deaths, yet I don't feel I've lost them. Their bodies gave out on them, but in so yielding, freed their spirits. I believe their souls have attained their reward. I no longer worry for their health. I also believe they've become part of me. In that sense, we're closer than we could've been in life. Everything they tried to teach me, I still pursue.
The right lesson from life is to make the most of every moment, so when a loved one's time is up, you all don't feel you've missed the chance to do anything more.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Rewatching DREAM ON
Posted 6:30 AM by Gerald So
Created by Marta Kauffman and David Crane, the raunchy HBO half-hour sitcom DREAM ON premiered four years before their NBC mega-hit FRIENDS and ran six seasons totaling 120 episodes. Brian Benben stars as New York book editor and divorced dad Martin Tupper, trying to move on as his ex-wife Judith (Wendie Malick) is engaged to fantasy man Dr. Richard Stone.
Old TV and movie cuts depicting Martin's thinking are the show's signature. Casual sex is the show's point in part, but it is cleverly shot. Despite the double entendre of tupper, Martin packs condoms and an unassuming way you imagine would be widely appealing.
While most of Martin's sex partners appear only once, their chemistry is often more than physical attraction. I remember some vividly. Martin tries a few commitments during the series, but remains tacitly in love with Judith.
The first two seasons got a 2004 DVD set. The full series only recently reunited on The Roku Channel.
Here's an interview with Brian Benben from Fresh Air with Terry Gross, dated October 26, 1994.
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Created by Marta Kauffman and David Crane, the raunchy HBO half-hour sitcom DREAM ON premiered four years before their NBC mega-hit FRIENDS and ran six seasons totaling 120 episodes. Brian Benben stars as New York book editor and divorced dad Martin Tupper, trying to move on as his ex-wife Judith (Wendie Malick) is engaged to fantasy man Dr. Richard Stone.
Old TV and movie cuts depicting Martin's thinking are the show's signature. Casual sex is the show's point in part, but it is cleverly shot. Despite the double entendre of tupper, Martin packs condoms and an unassuming way you imagine would be widely appealing.
While most of Martin's sex partners appear only once, their chemistry is often more than physical attraction. I remember some vividly. Martin tries a few commitments during the series, but remains tacitly in love with Judith.
The first two seasons got a 2004 DVD set. The full series only recently reunited on The Roku Channel.
Here's an interview with Brian Benben from Fresh Air with Terry Gross, dated October 26, 1994.
Embed from Getty Images
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