Batteries Not Included
Terror on a Monday Morning
It had been a nice morning. I slept well, woke up on time, had a nice breakfast, and was generally feeling good about life. I took in a deep breath of fresh air as I stood on my front porch in my underwear listening to “More Than a Feeling” by Boston. The neighbors didn’t […]
Batteries Not Included
For Dad
You may have noticed that in last week’s issue of The Loafer, my column was nowhere to be found. That wasn’t a mistake, this was done intentionally. The week that I would have prepared and sent in my column, I was dealing with something. On May 26, my father, Gary Ross, passed away. It wasn’t […]
Batteries Not Included
The Light Bulb Adventure
In the last twenty plus years, lightbulb technology has come a long way. We’ve gone from incandescents and their familiar shape to a wide range of LED powered bulbs that are more efficient. With this evolution, we have begun to place bulbs everywhere. My parent’s bed even has LEDs under it. But one of […]
Batteries Not Included
Summer Stock
It was slated to be a reunion for two of MGM’s most popular duos, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. The pair had starred in nine films together, the last of which was 1943’s “Girl Crazy.” The script was even tailored to bring back memories of the films the two had been made before—the central plot […]
Batteries Not Included
The Seats Are Buzzing: The Films of William Castle (A Rerun)
When my column celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2016 I re-ran a few select columns to celebrate that. It was the first, and only time I had done so. However, this week I’m dusting off a favorite from 2014 and running it again, my piece on Director William Castle. My father is ill and I’ve […]
Batteries Not Included
Oh, No! There’s a Bear!
It was late this past Saturday and I was tired. Not just the “Oh, let’s get to bed early” kind of tired, but the “I’m juggling all the things and coffee is now all I am made of” tired. I got home around 11:00 after a gig, fed my cat, then got ready and climbed […]
Batteries Not Included
A Face in The Crowd
I’ve been aware of director Elia Kazan’s 1957 film “A Face in the Crowd” for well over a decade, but until this past weekend, I had never actually seen the entire movie. I had caught snippets of it, and years ago a friend went so far as to tape it off of TCM for […]
Batteries Not Included
Thoughts While Being Abandoned by the Waiter
I walked into the restaurant alone, feeling OK about life and hungry. It had been a long day and I thought I would treat myself to a nice, quiet meal. It was a Tuesday and the restaurant I had chosen was oddly hopping on that particular weeknight. Did I miss that it was some kind […]
Batteries Not Included
Cleopatra’s Glass Bottom Boat
A pair of really fun, delightful films come to blu-ray thanks to those cinematic curators over at Warner Archive. You wouldn’t immediately think these two films would go together, but as I watched them back to back I found they made for a really grand double feature. First up from 1973 is the soul […]
Batteries Not Included
Weekend Bicuspid
It was a restless night, about three in the morning. I tried like hell but nothing was working to put me to sleep. Not a medication nor a meditation. I gave up and sat in my living room, grumbling, watching the wastelands of late night TV. That’s when the ad came on, that eerily seemed […]
Batteries Not Included
Detour
I was familiar with director Edgar G. Ulmer’s 1945 bleak noir “Detour” in name only. The film was from PRC, a poverty row studio that specialized in low-budget, bargain basement B-films. “Poverty Row” is a term used for studios of the classic Hollywood era that did just that—low-budgets with no name stars. As […]
Batteries Not Included
The Best Albums You’ve Never Heard
I’m going to be very honest with you, I kinda hate the title of this column. It sounds hipster and pretentious. Yet—I can’t think of any other way to get you “in” to what I am talking about, and frankly, the three albums in question are all amazing albums that should be celebrated as much […]
