Max’s View
Now On Demand: Borg vs. McEnroe: ***1/2
In 1980, the sport of tennis was dominated by a mad man. He had behavior problems and anger issues; he made life miserable for everyone around him. His name was Björn Borg. “Borg vs. McEnroe” is a college course in psychology and sociology masquerading as a sports movie. It explores the troubled psyche of champions. And it exposes the ugly but pred...
Howard Zinn: A People’s History of the United States Part I (1900-1920): Bread and Roses: ****
History books tell the Great Man version of history. American history starts with great man Cristopher Columbus, continues with great men George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and moves forward quickly to great man Abraham Lincoln. When the history of our time is written, future generations will read about Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. “But what abo...
The Show that I am Currently Binge-Watching: Vikings
When I was a teenager, I took a bus to New York City by myself. My most vivid memory was being confronted by a mentally ill homeless person. He stated passionately that the government is out to get him and that the President is destroying the country and is personally responsible for his homeless predicament. Everybody talks about the leaders of ou...
Now Playing at the Savoy Theater: BlacKkKlansman:**
Once upon a time, Capital One pitchman and big time Knicks fan Spike Lee was a serious filmmaker. At the height of artistic prowess (1992), Lee released an important cinematic classic: “Malcolm X.” Spike Lee presents Malcolm X as an articulate, visionary, hateful philosopher. In X’s version of history, the black race was the first and intrinsically...
Death of A Nation
(For Rightist Viewers:) *** (For Leftist Viewers:) Negative 117 stars This is a sad time for polite public discourse. But there is a happy silver lining: Fake News has been added to the national vocabulary. No matter what side you’re on and what newspaper you are looking at, there’s a voice in the back of your head telling you that you’re reading s...
Coming Soon to the Savoy Theater: Eighth Grade: ***1/2
I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I think that our country’s child labor laws are strict and hypocritical. Our policy seems to be something like this: Dear Pakistan, We Americans are morally superior to you. In our enlightened country, we toss industrialists in federal prison if we catch them employing young people. Shame on you. Sincerely,...
Now Playing at the Savoy Theater
Three Identical Strangers:*** Since the beginning of time, people have been asking themselves the same three questions: 1. How did this all begin? 2. What is the purpose to all of this? 3. Do we have free will or are we mere slaves to our destinies? [Spoiler Alerts ahead] In 1960, famed Freudian psychiatrist Peter Neubauer conceived of an epic stud...
Superstars, Long-term Contracts, and the Uniqueness of Baseball
Modern sports are built on the foundation of superstars. Even if you don’t watch the NBA, you know that Lebron James will play for the Lakers next year. And you can bank on the fact that Los Angeles will be in the Western Conference finals against Golden State. Even if you don’t watch the NFL, you know that Tom Brady is going to dominate in 2018 un...
Now Playing in Select Cities, Sorry to Bother You: ****
Some people say that the American Dream is dead. I suppose that depends on your definition of what the American Dream is. But if your dream is to find a corporate job and make solid money, the Dream is very much alive. I have been working in the same corporate office since 2001. So the blueprint I’m going to share with you isn’t an idealistic Conse...
Now Playing at the Savoy Theater
Won’t You Be My Neighbor: **** Because I write this column, I’ve watched plenty of movies over the years that I didn’t really want to see. I even break down and watch a family movie from time to time even though they are terrible. I didn’t even enjoy the kiddie movies that everyone else liked – like “Toy Story” and “The Incredibles” and “Coraline.”...
