Discover More from This Category: Movie Diary
A stroke of bad luck
April 17, 2024
The Masters ended this past weekend, and like so many other golf fans, I was glued to my phone and television for four days as the pageantry and competition unfolded. The event did not disappoint as the world’s No. 1 Scottie Scheffler struck precision golf shots for four days, outlasting any challenges his competitors made.…
Even the nights are better
April 10, 2024
Growing up, I was never the kid who caused a lot of trouble. I did my homework, played sports, and did my best to endear myself to girls. I suppose you could call me boring, but I looked at it as the easiest way to navigate childhood. Not surprisingly, I had an older brother who…
The Movie Diary: Finding the right footing
April 3, 2024
Parents and children, if they’re lucky, will find a multitude of ways to bond. My son and I have been fortunate in this respect because we’ve always found common activities that have brought us closer together. Early on, we bonded over Legos. I grew up enthralled with the plastic building blocks and subsequently passed this…
The Movie Diary: Fighting for a cause
March 27, 2024
When I was growing up, my father loved to watch boxing on the weekends. I don’t remember him ever attending any in-person matches, but he would spend hours scrutinizing fights on television. Since he controlled the dial, I watched a lot of boxing by default. I got to know the major fighters and their stats…
Movie Diary: You’ve got a friend
March 20, 2024
In life, inevitably, you will accumulate a group of people who traverse major milestones with you. You may not necessarily pick these people as much as haphazard circumstances bring you together. This certainly has been the case for me. After college, I moved back to my hometown; my college sweetheart followed soon after. We found…
Livin’ the Dream: Two feet of snow!
March 13, 2024
The only light was coming from the street lamp, giving my car an almost ethereal glow. Snow was falling from the sky, as it had been for the past few hours while I worked my final shift at Liquid Art. It was one of those nights where so much snow was falling, the plow trucks…
The Movie Diary: I’ll stand by you
March 13, 2024
During college, a friend and I got into a bit of a predicament after a long night of partying. We were highly compromised and foolishly thought it might be fun to break into the school’s gymnasium to shoot baskets. At the time, I was in charge of the men’s intramural basketball program and therefore had…
The Movie Diary: The final frontier
March 6, 2024
I love the United States. I feel lucky to live in this country and be afforded the liberties and opportunities made available to me here. We’re not perfect, by any measure, but I think we’ve done far more good in the world than bad. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I’m a…
The Movie Diary: Be careful what you wish for
February 21, 2024
There are several families who live in my neighborhood. Most are either retirees or younger couples with adolescent children. I know all of them somewhat but none of them deeply, meaning, I’ve had wonderful conversations and interactions with many of them over the years, but very few are coming over for drinks. One neighbor who…
The Movie Diary: Listen to what the man said
February 15, 2024
I’ve mentioned many times how much I love listening to podcasts and audiobooks. I listen to them in the car while commuting or traveling. I listen to them while I run and play golf. I listen to them when I’m puttering around the house doing chores. I even listen to them when I go to…
The Movie Diary: Tripping the light fantastic
February 7, 2024
I had landed in Paris after an overnight flight, found my hotel room in the city center, and was now ready to begin my adventure. I had been planning this trip for years, and now the events were finally unfolding. Looking back, it may have been a bit of a midlife crisis. I was…
The Movie Diary: The gift that keeps on giving
January 31, 2024
For the first 10 years of my marriage, my mother-in-law gave me pajama pants for Christmas. She was a self-avowed horrible gift-giver and upon gracing me with the sleepwear, would announce, “Yeah, it’s another pair of pajamas. Just switch them out and keep quiet.” The pajama pants were generally good quality, usually flannel, with some…
The Movie Diary: Fun in the Sun
January 17, 2024
In 1950, a young George Martin, having been educated at the acclaimed Guildhall School of Music and Drama, joined the British record label EMI as a producer. Five years later he became the head of Parlophone Records where he specialized in classical and comedy recordings. Martin, however, was always on the lookout for ways to…
Movie Diary: Back from the dead
January 10, 2024
In the summer of 1816, Mary Shelley, along with her future husband Percy Shelley and a few friends, spent time at the beautiful Villa Diodati near Lake Geneva in Switzerland. This was known as the “year without summer” due to the volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora (which disrupted global weather patterns), so they experienced less…
The Movie Diary: Not fast enough
January 3, 2024
By Dom Cioffi Once the presents were opened, the wrapping paper was discarded, the food was served, the dishes were cleaned, the relatives had exited, and the decorations were taken down, my wife and I sat in our living room and discussed the holiday. We both agreed that it was an exceptional year, but also…