By Chic DiCiccio “Mary Poppins Returns” is a peculiar movie. It’s the type of movie that is impossible to dislike … while you’re watching it. Afterwards, you quickly realize that nostalgia, clever acting and the over-abundance of Disney-induced joy had overridden your common sense and caused you to overlook several flaws. It’s also about 30-minutes […]
By Nancy Black I never used to do it. At least I don’t think I did. It must be something that happens with age — winking at people. So, I must be getting old because, during the holidays, I caught myself winking at someone. I wasn’t flirting. I wasn’t responding to a shared secret with […]
By Chic DiCiccio Here’s a word you wouldn’t expect to see regarding a movie based on a Rudyard Kipling book: traumatizing. That word isn’t being used from a child’s perspective either. “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle” will not only make you quite sleepy, it will leave your retinas permanently scarred with a shockingly depressing image. […]
By Nancy Black They don’t know it yet, but they are our future. The sixth and seventh graders I spoke to on Tuesday have no idea how important they are. But one day, hopefully, they will. The students are part of a journalism class at Robert T. Hill Middle School. Taught by professional journalist and […]
By David Mullen After a frustrating opening to the 2018 NFL season for the Dallas Cowboys, who would have thought two of the most interesting — and often abrasive — personalities in professional football would have gotten together to help immediately improve the Cowboys and make them playoff contenders? In October, Jerry Jones and Jon […]
By Nancy Black It’s really not their fault. They are a product of their upbringing. But it was a harsh reality shocker in my life this past week when I found out my youngest child did not know how to use a vacuum cleaner. Granted, said teenager grew up in my elderly mother’s home, which […]
By Nancy Black I don’t know about Buzz Lightyear, but I was pretty darn excited when I saw the InSight Mars Lander touch down on the red planet this past week. But what was even more fun for me to see were the NASA scientists celebrating. By this time next week, I predict that the […]
By Nancy Black Now is the time of year I do three things: start freaking out about the holidays; pull out all our hats, coats and gloves; and head to a German bakery for Advent calendars. (I know I can find them elsewhere, but it just puts me in a festive spirit to walk […]
By Chic DiCiccio At one point in one of the 10 episodes of “The Haunting of Hill House,” simultaneous shrieks reverberated off the walls of this house. It was a jump scare so unexpected and jarring that you’ll easily glaze over and forget that it interrupted some truly gut-wrenching, smart dialogue. It is so damn […]
By Nancy Black I’m blaming Snoopy. Yes, Snoopy, the beloved dog from the “Peanuts” comic strip. Curse him! If I hadn’t grown up watching Snoopy interact with Charlie Brown and his friends, I wouldn’t be the softy (read: sucker) for animals that I am now. I’m not sure if it’s me or my van, but […]