The Lady in the Van is the archetypal British indie film. It focuses on a small group of eccentrics who live in an artsy and fashionable neighborhood of Camden Town. Their placid and refined existence is invaded by an unseemly new arrival. The “lady” in the van is at first a kind of bag lady who drives when she’s not parked at the curb, living in her van. She’s eccentric and evasive about her affairs–even when people go out of their way to do her kindnesses. A local playwright (Alex Jennings), feigns disaffection but is slowly drawn to assist her and wonder about her past. British Maggie Smith is captivating in her role as “Mary” and you feel as though she has to get a

Shadows, Holes and Silence by William Hecht   THERE ARE some situations that can only be described by what is missing or absent, some things that are best explained by what they are not. Shadows, for instance, are regions marked by a quantum lack of illumination. Or take holes, spaces amid surrounding matter that imply a vacancy of a specific kind. Then there is silence, so often given physical characteristics for its ability to demonstrate what is not taking place. Other examples abound; Hell is a place of no hope, Heaven, one of no fear. My favorite is apathy, the state of not feeling. Apathy, not hate, someone said, is the opposite of Love. But the point of this expose’ is to convey my experience.

About four months ago, it became clear that very low oil prices and much cheaper gasoline were not a good thing for the stock market. Now, the world’s largest commodity and the global indexes are trading in a near lock-step with correlations over 90%. This is close to cats and dogs living together—until you look at it a little closer; then it only seems slightly bizarre. [pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The most important concept is that of oil as collateral. Borrowing (and lending) for energy has exploded in the last couple decades[/pullquote] For most individuals and many economists, a higher oil price appears as a tax on the consumer because transportation, heating and energy-sensitive food costs represent a meaningful part of the monthly

As I contemplate the Oscar winners, I find myself confronting a modern irony. The nature of today’s politics is more like entertainment, and today’s entertainment has become political. Donald Trump is now the star of the largest reality TV show ever, and Hollywood (along with TV content) is being driven by race and gender issues of equal representation and compensation. Heaven forbid that the politics and entertainment are converging and we will soon be unable to distinguish between them. But the more likely truth may be that we are too easily bored today, and need to be entertained while we consume our politics, and are willing to digest some political cod-liver oil with our entertainment. And so back to the Academy Awards. . . Some

This film brought something fresh to the superhero genre. While there were already superpowered “antiheroes” galore in the Marvel canon, this one has a kind of A.D.D., thought-broadcasting style where he’s practically running a stand-up act during the fights. He’s witty, self-deprecating, ruthless, down-to-earth, and fearless at the same time; he has a heart, but if you have any connection to hurting the people he loves, you’re toast. [pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The film is entertaining and manages to parallel the personality of its main character: it’s quirky, unpredictable, and doesn’t take itself too seriously; but it manages to be true to itself and lovable–to a special audience.[/pullquote] The title comes from a very tough bar where mercenaries hang out. The deadpool is

After the film, my biggest regret was that—despite the selection of great seats—there was almost no one in the theater. And anyone who lived near me would have had to have driven 40 minutes to see it. Okay, it was a weekday evening, but my regret was that people weren’t watching this film because they were watching “Deadpool,” for example, instead. And I am among the guilty because I saw Deadpool first, though that film played much closer to home. [pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Would you let convicted murderers live in a prison with few constraints? How about letting people use drugs when and where they like?[/pullquote] Michael Moore presents ideas in a very effective way. Despite the often oversimplified and deliberately selective

Hail, Caesar, the new Coen Brothers film, is not so much a story to enjoy as it is an experience to savor. I marvel at how in each their films the setting, costumes, and characters (actors) are impeccable. Every scene is a sublime creation. I am trying to convey the idea that you could get more from this film if you simply relish the marvel and spectacle of each scene rather than wait for some larger impact. It is not unlike walking through a gallery of masterworks; you pause before each one, feeling awe before the highest levels of Art and craft. If someone asks you later what you thought, you are likely to describe the effects on you of specific artists (or periods or

[Note: This post is for education and entertainment only. Investment decisions should be made on the basis of suitability and risk tolerance and with the help of a professional.] Investors and planners should be aware of an important phenomenon called the “wealth effect.” The wealth effect occurs when asset prices rise, causing investors, savers, or property owners to feel wealthier. As a consequence of feeling more secure, they revise their spending and business investment budgets higher. Those higher levels then drive jobs, earnings, and asset prices still higher and the process feeds on itself. Sound simple? It is. [pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] When asset prices go down, however, the wealth effect works in reverse: people don’t feel as wealthy, they don’t spend as

Review: The Finest Hours This film is another based on a true story from the 1950s (Bridge of Spies, Brookyn). As I mentioned in an earlier post, settings in this era are very popular right now. In the Finest Hours, everyday people rise to the occasion and demonstrate the right stuff in the face of calamity and for the sake of others. I was pleasantly surprised by this film. Even though the two hours I spent watching it were not the “finest hours” I have spent in a theater, it was an enjoyable look into what is considered the most daring sea rescue in Coast Guard history. I like the way that two actors in particular showed some range. Chris Pine, who starred as a

One of the more overrated developments of the digital revolution is the concept of “big data” or “data mining.” In the last decade, computing power and easy access to inconceivable amounts of data have combined to create the ability to find meaning in vast amounts of correlations, interpolations, extrapolations, and so forth. According to economist and scholar Dr. Horace Brock of SED, Inc., the tendency toward induction, or using data to project future trends, is a major flaw in today’s research. An example of induction (using oversimplified variables and hypothetical values) might be as follows: “In the past 100 years, we never went into recession within 12 months of having 5% unemployment, therefore, because unemployment was just 5 percent in December, our chances of recession