Author Archives: Blowhard, Esq.

About Blowhard, Esq.

Amateur, dilettante, wannabe.

Happy Fourth of July!

Posted on July 4, 2017

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Via Wikipedia: Oliver was one of three judges during the trials held after the Boston Massacre. Thomas Hutchinson was pleased with the work that Peter Oliver did, and made him chief justice of the Superior Court in 1772. Oliver complained often … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Economics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

21st Century Movies: The NYT v. Us

Posted on June 23, 2017

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott, the two main film critics at The New York Times, have released their list of the best movies of the 21st century so far: 1. There Will Be Blood 2. Spirited Away 3. … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged | 7 Comments

The Art of the Opening Title: The Americans, Season 4

Posted on June 22, 2017

Blowhard, Esq. writes: An interview with an animator who created it. He also worked on the opening titles for TRUE DETECTIVE.

Posted in Art, Movies, Television | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Juxtaposin’: Italian Midlife Crisis Death

Posted on June 21, 2017

Blowhard, Esq. writes: The ending of David Chase’s THE SOPRANOS seems too similar to the ending of Elio Petri’s I GIORNI CONTATI to be a coincidence. Petri’s film was never released in the United States, but given that it’s an Italian film … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Movie Du Jour: “Cluny Brown” (1946)

Posted on June 20, 2017

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Lubitsch’s last completed movie which, for some reason, isn’t discussed or cited as frequently as his other classics. Charles Boyer and Jennifer Jones are excellent. Pauline Kael wrote: A girl with a passion for plumbing is terribly repugnant … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Quote Du Jour: This Is Your Captain Speaking

Posted on June 17, 2017

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Anyone who travels very much on airlines in the United States soon gets to know the voice of the airline pilot…coming over the intercom…with a particular drawl, a particular folksiness, a particular down-home calmness that is so exaggerated it … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Juxtaposin’: Wisdom Literature

Posted on June 14, 2017

Blowhard, Esq. writes: In the New Yorker, Richard Brody writes: Of course, “Wonder Woman” is a superhero movie, and it fulfills the heroic and mythic demands of that genre, but it’s also an entry in the genre of wisdom literature that shares … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Philosophy and Religion | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment