Category Archives: Movies

Racism and Sexism, treated by The Good Doctor.

Posted on January 25, 2018 by hessd

If you were here, I would dearly love to turn to you, as I did to Bette, and say, “What just happened?” Here is what I think happened. In the first season of The Good Doctor, they have developed a … Continue reading →

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The Good Patient

Posted on December 25, 2017 by hessd

I have very slowly become a fan of the ABC show The Good Doctor. The friction that is the basis of the show—Dr. Shaun Murphy is better than everyone else at the hospital in diagnosis and treatment and worse than … Continue reading →

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Stronger. Also wiser.

Posted on October 17, 2017 by hessd

In Stronger, Jeff Bauman, played superbly by Jake Gyllenhaal, learns a really hard lesson. It isn’t all that easy to say what it is, but at the very core, it involves being willing to be who people need for you … Continue reading →

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Is “the good doctor” candid?

Posted on October 14, 2017 by hessd

You can ask questions so that they are easy or so that they are hard. This one seems hard to me. [1] The doctor—the titular doctor in the new ABC series, The Good Doctor—is a very young man. Also autistic. … Continue reading →

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Jesus and Nicodemus in The Matrix

Posted on October 3, 2017 by hessd

The question of what kind of life is worth living is addressed in compatible and complementary ways by the Gospel of John and by the Wachowski brothers movie, The Matrix.[1] John’s account of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus is … Continue reading →

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The Book of Henry

Posted on July 2, 2017 by hessd

I’d like to invite you to see one of the most thought-provoking movies I have seen in a long time. It is The Book of Henry, directed by Colin Trevarrow. If you are going to see it, you might want … Continue reading →

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Inclusio

Posted on June 30, 2017 by hessd

I have, in mind for today a tactic to help me watch movies. I ran into it in biblical studies, where it is called “inclusio.” [1] I’m going to spend a little time on what this technique is, but let’s … Continue reading →

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Gifted, the story of “The Continent Uncle”

Posted on April 17, 2017 by hessd

Let’s get the invidious comparisons out of the way right here at the beginning. McKenna Grace is much cuter than Matt Damon has ever been. OK, having said that, Good Will Hunting is a much richer movie than Gifted. Both … Continue reading →

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Welcome to the multiplex

Posted on April 6, 2017 by hessd

Have I got a deal for you. You buy your ticket to a “theater” showing…oh…half a dozen movies. This ticket will get you into the multiplex theater anytime you want as many times as you want, and when you are … Continue reading →

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The Last Word

Posted on March 29, 2017 by hessd

I am married to a librarian and every now and then she dips into whatever bag of tricks librarians have and produces just the right observation. That happened last weekend and I want to tell you about it. Telling you … Continue reading →

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