Ashley Vaught | Erstwhile Flâneur, Philosopher

Tour of Turret Two of the USS New Jersey

The Turret Two Tour of the USS New Jersey was a moment to reflect on the astounding machinery of war.

2021-11-21
Idle Reflections On Ideas, Concepts, Intuitions

Cynthia Ozick’s “Trust”: Exegesis | Tom Hanks on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Ruminations on Cynthia Ozick’s knotty, profound prose counterposed to some armchair commentary on Tom Hanks’ eminently forgettable appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel Live.

2021-11-07
Reading Journal Viewing Journal

Read, Viewed: October 2021

When you begin the month with a film like "Incendies," it’s downhill for the remaining 30 days. Luckily I started reading "Trust."

2021-11-02
Monthly Reading, Viewing Report

Denis Villeneuve’s “Incendies” (2010): Seeking Expiation

In Denis Villeneuve’s 2010 film "Incendies" siblings seek a brother and father never known to deliver letters from their recently deceased mother.

2021-10-17
On Film, Movies, Cinema Viewing Journal

Read, Viewed: September 2021

During September I finished reading "Shadow of the Torturer" a short story by Adalbert Stifter, luminary of 19th century German literature, and watched "Forbidden Games."

2021-10-10
Monthly Reading, Viewing Report

René Clément’s “Forbidden Games” (1952): Mourning as Indifference

"Forbidden Games" (1952) tells a story of how children, uninitiated in the rituals of mourning, recognize the loss of those dearest through substitution.

2021-09-20
On Film, Movies, Cinema Viewing Journal

Read, Viewed: August 2021

Moments of grace: finishing Lois Lowry’s "Number the Stars," Edith Wharton’s "Ethan Frome", and viewing again the 2000 film "Sexy Beast."

2021-09-04
Monthly Reading, Viewing Report

Read & Viewed: July 2021

What I read—James. M Cain, Galileo—was more memorable than what I viewed—”The Glory Stompers,” “Marnie”—during the month of July. The former does not include “Portnoy’s Complaint.”

2021-08-03
Monthly Reading, Viewing Report

Ain’t it cool?!: “John Wick” (2014)

The culture of the exotic, fascinating underworld thrills us in “John Wick,” not merely the well-choreographed gun-fu.

2021-07-26
On Film, Movies, Cinema Confessions of a Bad Movie Watcher

Read, Viewed: June 2021

In June, read Cain’s “Serenade,” watched Bogart’s “Sahara” (1943), carefully perused Red Sonja, and erred into surprising reflections on time and history in “Star Trek.”

2021-07-04
Monthly Reading, Viewing Report

“Collateral” (2004): Notes on Michael Mann and Modern Urban Space

Notes on the debt to “Miami Vice,” the treatment of urban space, and stylistic gunplay in Michael Mann’s 2004 film “Collateral,” which stars Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise.

2021-06-27
On Film, Movies, Cinema Viewing Journal

May 2021 Reading and Viewing: Glorious Consumption, Indeed

Any month (like May) that includes a viewing of “Miller’s Crossing” and a reading of Schiller’s “Don Carlos” is a monument to glorious, edifying cultural consumption.