Category: Movies & Television
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A Bridge, a Bomb, and a Birthday Treat
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in 4K UHD Blu-rays, A Bridge Too Far (1977 film), Amazon, Blu-ray & DVD Collection, Blu-ray Collection, Films by Stanley Kubrick, Florida Weather, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in South Florida, Movies, Movies & Television, Personal Thoughts, Spring in FloridaSunday, March 22, 2026, Orlando, Florida Hi there. It’s another warm early‑spring day here in my corner of Orange County. As I write this, it’s 80°F (26°C) under sunny skies. With a west wind at 5 mph (7 km/h) and humidity at 33%, it feels closer to 86°F (30°C). Today’s forecast calls for a high…
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A Thursday Musicale
Hi everyone. Well, it’s already mid-afternoon on a chilly day in March 2026, by Florida standards, and I haven’t been able to write a proper blog post. As hard as I try, I can’t think of anything interesting to say, even though I have a lot on my mind on this cloudy and cold Thursday.…
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Movies That Built Jim Garraty (and, Let’s Be Honest, Me Too)
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in A Bridge Too Far (1977 film), Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Casablanca (1942), Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 40th Anniversary Edition, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Films by Steven Spielberg, Garratyverse, Indiana Jones Movies, Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures (2012 Blu-ray Set), Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Movies, Movies & Television, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Star Wars, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Summer of ’42 (1971), Superman: The Movie, The Longest Day (1962), West Side Story (1961 Film)🎬 The Movies That Built Jim Garraty (and, Let’s Be Honest, Me Too) Somewhere in the middle of revisiting old scenes from Reunion, I stumbled onto a realization that made me laugh out loud: Jim Garraty’s 1983 movie shelf is basically a psychological X‑ray of who he was at seventeen — and who I was,…
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Year’s End, Big Thoughts
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Films by Ken Burns, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick, U.S. History, U.S. PoliticsThings On My Mind as 2025 Ends
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Music Album Review: ‘Band of Brothers – Music from the HBO Miniseries’
Band of Brothers – Music from the HBO Miniseries: Music Composed and Conducted by Michael Kamen Label: Sony Masterworks/Sony Classical Artists: London Metropolitan Orchestra and Chorus Genre(s): Motion Picture/TV Scores, Classical, Orchestral Music Year of Release: 2001 Discontinued? No Michael Kamen’s Band of Brothers: A Requiem for Heroes Few television scores have achieved the emotional…
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Music Album Review: ‘Victory at Sea – Richard Rodgers, Robert Russell Bennett & the RCA Symphony Orchestra’
Victory at Sea – Richard Rodgers, Robert Russell Bennett & the RCA Symphony Orchestra Label: RCA Victor Genre: Classical/Film and TV Score Released: 1992 Although Richard Rodgers is best known for his legendary musical theater collaborations with Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II—especially the emotionally resonant scores for South Pacific and The Sound of Music—his…
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Book Review: ‘Close-up on Sunset Boulevard: Billy Wilder, Norma Desmond, and the Dark Hollywood Dream’
Close-up on Sunset Boulevard: Billy Wilder, Norma Desmond, and the Dark Hollywood Dream By: Sam Staggs Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin Publication Year: 2003 Genre(s): Film history, Making of Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood history, Classic cinema 🎬 Book Review: Close-Up on Sunset Boulevard by Sam StaggsEven if you’ve never seen the film, the drama behind it is…
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Weekend Update: How I Spent My Sunday
Early Afternoon, Monday, November 25, 2024, Miami, Florida Hi, there, Constant Readers. Yesterday was a tranquil Sunday in South Florida. As my television and Blu-ray player were not yet set up, I was unable to watch my extensive physical movie collection. Although I have 72 titles on Movies Anywhere, including Star Wars, Casablanca, and Jurassic…