Tag: Reviews
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Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen — A Garratyverse Reflection on Memory, Music, and Emotional Truth
Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen — A Garratyverse Reflection on Memory, Music, and Emotional Truth There’s a moment in the closing voiceover of Summer of ’42 that lingers long after the credits roll: “Life is made up of comings and goings. And for everything we take with us, there’s something we leave…
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Music Appreciation: My First Encounter with Berlioz’s ‘Symphonie Fantastique’
🎼 A Fever Dream in Five Movements: Remembering My First Encounter with Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique One of the most memorable experiences from my college years—now four decades ago—took place on a rare cool afternoon in South Florida. I was sitting in my Humanities class at Miami-Dade Community College, where Professor Jay Brown, a talented musician…
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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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On Writing and Storytelling: ‘Comings and Goings’ Gets a New Review on Amazon UK!
Across the Pond: Comings and Goings Receives Its First International Review Some mornings begin quietly—but this week, one brought a small, extraordinary ripple. Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen just received its first international review, courtesy of Amazon UK. Meg Learner, a thoughtful reader and longtime fan of Jim Garraty’s journey, offered…
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Music Album Review: ‘Billy Joel – 52nd Street’
52nd Street Revisited: Billy Joel and the Art of Returning There’s something hauntingly familiar about the first album that makes you feel seen. For me, it was 52nd Street—acquired through teenage negotiation, a bulky eight-track cassette wrested from my sister when she moved out. At the time, “My Life” felt like rebellion’s anthem, its defiance…
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Music Album Review: ‘Superman: The Movie – Original Sound Track (1987 CD Edition)
💫 Superman: The Movie (1987 CD Soundtrack Review & Reflection) Before Rhino Records unveiled its deluxe 2-CD edition 25 years ago, the 1987 Warner Bros. release was the lone CD version of John Williams’ score for Superman: The Movie. Conducted by Williams and performed by the mighty London Symphony Orchestra, this abridged album still captures…
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Music Album Review: ‘Billy Joel Greatest Hits, Volume III’ (1997)
Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits, Volume III: A Late Discovery Worth the Wait I’ll admit it — I nearly passed this one by. When Greatest Hits: Volume III dropped in 1997, I hesitated. Joel’s post-An Innocent Man output hadn’t exactly lit up my radar, and with my classical collection growing, I wasn’t keen on spending limited…
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Music Album Review: ‘Amadeus: Original Soundtrack Recording’ (1984)
Amadeus: Original Soundtrack Recording Artist(s): Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Label: Fantasy Records Year Released: 1984 Amadeus and Me: A Soundtrack That Never Stops Echoing I first met Mozart on the silver screen. Milos Forman’s Amadeus didn’t just introduce me to the genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart—it gave me an emotional blueprint. The…
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Book Review: ‘Starring John Wayne As Genghis Khan: Hollywood’s All-Time Worst Casting Blunders’
Starring John Wayne as Genghis Khan: Hollywood’s All-Time Worst Casting Blunders By: Damien Bona Publisher: Citadel Press Year of Publication: 1996 Genre(s): Film, Film History, Humor 🎬 A Rollicking Ride Through Hollywood’s Casting Catastrophes What separates a “good” film from a “great” one? The answer is delightfully complicated. A truly great movie needs a sturdy…
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Being Seen (and Reviewed): A Small Request from the Author’s Desk
Asking for help has never come easy for me. Especially when it feels like the line between authentic connection and shameless self-promotion blurs under the weight of algorithms and sales metrics. But here I am, doing just that. Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen is out in the world now, carrying within…
A Certain Point of View, Too 