Do you love going to the movies? Do you enjoy watching ‘Behind the Scenes’ clips and documentaries? Do you like a good novel? If you can answer any of these questions with yes, you should at least consider putting Tom Hanks’ debut novel, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece, on your to-read pile. If you can answer all of them with yes, you should probably go and read it right now. (But finish this review first.)
Tag Archives: Movies
The Environmental Impact of Filmmaking
Two things you should know about me that at first glance might have nothing in common: First, I love to watch movies and series – to dive into other worlds, to escape from reality, and just to have a good time. For me, there’s nothing better than going to the movies or lying on the couch on a rainy Sunday, watching a good movie, or binging a series. I even play a pivotal role in their creation as I work as an actor myself. Second, I consciously try to live sustainably because what we consume or do has a direct impact on the world’s ecosystems. I don’t eat meat, I don’t drive a car; instead, I use my bike or public transport. And I pay attention to labels to support companies dedicated to sustainable production and fair wages for laborers.
Two years ago, when I first read about the environmental impact of filmmaking in The Guardian, I was shocked. I hadn’t realized that my love for movies and for my job could seriously conflict with my dedication to the environment. Because the truth is: Blockbuster films with budgets of over $70 million produce an average of 2,840 tons of CO2 per production. That is equivalent to 11 one-way trips from the earth to the moon!
How to Break a Bookworm’s Heart
Michael Fassbender, Marisa Tomei, and Alexandra Daddario: What do these three actors have in common?
You may not know all of them, but what you need to know is that they’ve all played a character from a book or a comic, and that they don’t look like their book-alikes at all! For some people, this may not be relevant, but for book fans, who’ve lived side-by side with their fictional characters, it’s highly important that an actor who somewhat resembles the protagonist in the book plays the role. I’m an avid reader, and whenever the rights to one of my favourite books are bought, I begin to think about the perfect actor who would best fit the role.
In Memoriam Bobbie Kirkhart
It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Bobbie Kirkhart. Not only has she been my wonderful friend of 35 years, she’s also been one of our most faithful contributors, writing on political topics (“We were Trumped” and “The Long March to Justice”), often interweaving her political insights with personal recollections (“Memories of Government Springs Park”). She also commented on topics of cultural relevance, such as on soccer star Megan Rapinoe, (“Yay! People love her!” or on only ‘old white men’ being nominated for an Academy Award (“The Oscars – Not in Color this Year”). Bobbie, an avid moviegoer, also loved to review films she felt strongly about (“BlacKkKlansman: A Much too American Story” or “When the News was True: The Post”). All in all, we could always rely on her to tell it like it is, whether sprinkled with a dose of humor or a pinch of sarcasm.
Bobbie sent her last blog on Monday, Oct. 25, “A Government of, for, and by the people?” and it appeared two days later – the day she died.
Bobbie was a past president of Atheist Alliance International and a founder of the Secular Coalition of America. This is all the more surprising as she liked to write about religion and religious topics or on patriotic American songs and hymns, like in her great blog “We sing America.”
We’ll miss you, Bobbie.