Tag Archives: woody allen

The Zen of Woody Allen

Posted on August 21, 2013 by

From a recent interview: It’s just an accident that we happen to be on earth, enjoying our silly little moments, distracting ourselves as often as possible so we don’t have to really face up to the fact that, you know, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine” with Cate Blanchett in a Blanche DuBois Echoing Role

Posted on July 25, 2013 by

Woody Allen continues his staggering productivity as a writer and director. His latest film, Blue Jasmine, is getting rave reviews, such as this from David Denby at The New Yorker: Woody Allen, in his startling new movie, “Blue Jasmine,” has adopted … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Jonathan Rauch Powerfully Defends Free Speech

Posted on November 21, 2012 by

“We’re not delicate flowers.” __________ I like Rauch’s distinction between purism and pluralism: purism, on his account, protects from offensive speech, presuming that the community must be kept clean from the public expression of certain ideas; pluralism protects dialogue, presuming that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Bit of Life Perspective from Woody Allen (and Owen Wilson)

Posted on November 20, 2012 by

In the below video, Woody Allen offers some unsettling and thought-provoking responses to some questions. Owen Wilson is also interesting. _________ Allen’s resigned and melancholy answers remind me that the winter holiday season is here and that my favorite Christmas … Continue reading →

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

Smile Research

Posted on April 13, 2012 by

How much you smile, and how wide that smile tends to be, may correlate with your lifespan. Really. Here’s researcher Ron Gutman, at a TED conference, discussing what science has discovered about smiling: _____ And here’s the closing scene from … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

“Magic Woody Allen Jesus” on the Mall in D.C. on March 24th, 2012?

Posted on March 23, 2012 by

Tim Minchin is scheduled to sing at noon today (Saturday, March 24, 2012) on the Mall in D.C. during the atheist Reason Rally. For a taste of what the crowd can happily look forward to, here’s Minchin singing “Magic Woody … Continue reading →

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

Quentin Tarantino’s List of the 20 Best Movies Made Since 1992

Posted on January 25, 2010 by

Battle Royale leads his list, and Woody Allen’s Anything Else is on the list too: Since Tarantino doesn’t include any of his own films on his “best” list, I’d suggest, if you haven’t already seen them, the following: Death Proof Jackie Brown

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Film about Noticing Life’s Small Graces: Woody Allen’s “Whatever Works” (2009), Starring Larry David, is a Funny and Profound Meditation on Existence

Posted on January 15, 2010 by

Woody Allen’s movie, Whatever Works, offered up in the fall of 2009, sassed and summarily dismissed by critics, and quickly sent by SONY to DVD, was seen at home by my wife and I last night. We loved it. And laughed throughout. And … Continue reading →

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

“Another Woman”: An Obscure Woody Allen Film from 1988 That I Thought was Exceptional

Posted on January 12, 2010 by

My wife and I own—with perhaps the exception of one or two titles—all of Woody Allen’s films on DVD. That doesn’t mean, however, that we’ve actually watched all of them. We have favorites, for example, that have endured multiple viewings—Husbands and Wives and Matchpoint—and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Last Cancer Generation?

Posted on October 13, 2009 by

Yesterday, when I walked into a class of (mostly) 20 year olds all staring back at me, I had a thought: this may be the last cancer generation. 80% of all cancers are diagnosed in people after the age of fifty, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Existential Confusion for a Sunday

Posted on October 10, 2009 by

I don’t know how the can opener works either: And the universe is expanding:

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

For Those Who Have Just Arrived: A Little Something for Keeping the Future in Perspective

Posted on July 21, 2009 by

A quick primer to life’s prospects:

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

My Favorite Agnostic Joke

Posted on July 16, 2009 by

I don’t remember Woody Allen’s exact words, but in one of his films he’s having one of his characteristic existential crises and asks his elderly father whether or not he believes in the existence of God, and whether the universe has any … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Whatever Works”: Woody Allen Teams Up with Larry David in a New Film

Posted on June 20, 2009 by

And it comes out this week. The buzz is that it has the pop and energy of Allen’s Diane Keaton days:

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

The New York Times on the PSA: Maybe Prostate Cancer Screening Doesn’t Matter Too Much

Posted on March 18, 2009 by

If you’re a male, and a Woody Allen-like hypochondriac (like me), perhaps you feel anxiety each year when you go to get your PSA blood test. Today the NY Times reports on a big study that suggests that all that … Continue reading →

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

What I Mean When I Say I’m an Agnostic (and Not an Atheist or Theist)

Posted on March 14, 2009 by

I think that my agnosticism extends, when it really comes down to it, to keeping an open mind to the possibility that MIND (or telos) somehow preceeds MATTER in some fashion—or even that there might be something recognizably human at the end of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

My Uncle on Television with Woody Allen—and Forty Years Later

Posted on February 28, 2009 by

In February of 1967, Marty Allen and Steve Rossi were on the television show, What’s My Line? and Woody Allen was on the panel. Steve Rossi is my uncle, and “Rossi” is his stage name. His actual last name is … Continue reading →

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