Confessions of a Not-So-Dangerous Mind*

Happy 59th birthday, Kiefer Sutherland! The son of a legend (Donald) carved his own distinctive path, giving life to 24's Jack Bauer, The Lost Boys' David, Dark City's Dr. Schreber -- one of his own favorites from his career -- and later touring Europe with an indie band in the fascinating documentary I Trust You to Kill Me.

"Joshua by 6th round KO" is the official result from the 12/19/25 bout between Jake Paul and former 2x World Heavyweight Champ Anthony Joshua. Join me for a deep dive into the event and related boxing lore, including the crazy true story of a proposed 1968 boxing match between Muhammad Ali... and Wilt Chamberlain!

On Bill Pullman's 72nd birthday, a look back at Harold Becker's vastly underrated 1993 suspense thriller Malice.

Michael Mann's sensational "Los Angeles Crime Saga" opened December 15, 1995 to widespread critical acclaim and enormous boxoffice. As we speak Mann is preparing a sequel, set to star Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Austin Butler, Bradley Cooper, Ana De Armas, possibly Al Pacino, and others.

Still in a state of shock. Rob Reiner was a fantastic film producer and filmmaker, AFTER having been a brilliant sitcom star as actor. These are my (hopefully coherent) thoughts on his career and he and wife Michele's tragic deaths.

As a kid, Snow Days were almost always fun. As an adult, not so much 😆

Rob Reiner's strong adaptation of Aaron Sorkin's smash-hit Broadway play opened in the U.S. on December 11, 1992. Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, J.T. Walsh, and Kevin Bacon are solid; Jack Nicholson puts the movie on his back and runs away with it.

Released on December 7, 1990, Clint Eastwood's The Rookie disappointed critics and audiences alike. While many in Hollywood believed that Clint's time as a major player was over, The Man from Malpaso's best days were still ahead.

Netflix has purchased Warner Bros/Discovery for $82.7 billion. Join me as I discuss why this is way more important than you think and may signal the end of cinema as we've known it.

Watched the Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd "buddy comedy/horror" film Friendship. Have a lot of thoughts, not all of which are printable.

November 29, 1990: Misery opens. Rob Reiner's strong adaptation of Stephen's King's bruising novel goes through numerous incarnations -- first Robert Redford, then Warren Beatty -- before Kathy Bates and James Caan make movie magic. Ms. Bates stunning turn as Annie wins her the Academy Award for Best Actress.

The fan-favorite 3rd sequel rolled up an astonishing $300 million at the boxoffice, 60% of which came from the overseas market! And why? Because "In Europe, they line up around the block for Stah-Low-Nay."

38 years on, Steve Martin remains hilariously relatable as family man Neal Page, but our biggest takeaway is funny, friendly, deeply wounded Del Griffith, and the genius who breathed life into him, John Candy. 😢

Money Train opened November 22, 1995. Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson fail to recapture the magic from White Men Can't Jump, but Jennifer Lopez registers strongly in her film debut.

The newest entry in our ongoing series is a rare movie in which "the heroes are also the villains," Changing Lanes.

Home Alone opened November 16, 1990. An instant hit with critics and audiences, the film rolled up an astonishing $477 mil at the box office against a budget of less than $20 mil!

"The Arnold Version" of Stephen King's dystopian classic novel The Running Man opened on November 13, 1987.

Ron Howard's fantastic action thriller Ransom opened on November 8, 1996. A commercial and (to a lesser extent) critical success, the film goes on to gross an astounding $309+ mil at the global boxoffice, a CRAZY tally for the era, an R-rated movie, and zero I.P.

33 years on, Passenger 57 stands as a hugely entertaining "Die Hard On A/Die Hard With A/Die Hard In A," with Wesley Snipes firing off epic one-liners from start to finish.

Completed a successful move from Huntington to Coram in the first week of November, 2023. I've made a lot of mistakes in my homeowner era (particularly in the first year), but 2025 has had real-world real-time problem-solving which (I like to think) would make those here before me smile.

Alas, the Dodgers have won World Series titles "back-to-back... and belly-to-belly." Join me for a look at the 2025 W.S. as well as some fascinating history of the Dodgers franchise, their rivalry with the Yankees, and Free Agency.

Early memories of Halloween are all good ones. The section of Massapequa where I grew up (with its geometrically perfect spacing) was perfect for trick or treating. Ironically, I didn't get creative with costumes until my 30s.

"October 26, 1996. The New York Yankees defeat the heavily-favored Atlanta Braves to complete a stunning comeback from 0-2 down to win the World Series in 6 games." True story, weeks prior to the 1996 postseason, my dad secured tickets for W.S. Game 7... six rows back from the field, 60 feet up the first base line. Was I in any way "conflicted" during Game 6 😭🤣 Join me for a look back at an incredible sequence of events.

October 22, 1996. With the Atlanta Braves holding a 2-0 lead in games after crushing the Yankees twice in the Bronx, Game 3 figured to be another easy win in advance of a sweep the following night. But a funny thing happened on the way to that Braves sweep...

Barry Sonnenfeld's fantastic adaptation of Elmore Leonard's bestselling novel Get Shorty opened October 20, 1995. Among my "second tier favorites" from Hollywood's Greatest Decade, it's a sparkling entertainment.

This year's Dodgers team seemingly underachieved until the postseason, in which they have thus far been dominant. Join me for a look at some cool history, as well as the notion that regular season records are mostly irrelevant in October.

Bernard Rose's ingenious adaptation of Clive Barker's 'The Forbidden' greatly expands upon the source material. For those of you watching for the first time, turn out the lights, look into a mirror, and say his name five times. Currently "free" w Amazon Prime and MGM+.

Wes Craven's New Nightmare opens October 14, 1994. It's my first semester at NYU Film School and my favorite academic class ever, 'The Horror Film.' Objectively speaking, the film is ahead of its time, yet I walked out of the theater as angry as I've ever been after a movie, because it should have been an all-timer, as opposed to a frustrating miss.

Even among the countless distinctive talents she worked with, Diane Keaton was still a unicorn. Join me for a look back at her unique magic and the way in which she seems to have left virtually everyone she crossed paths with, better for having met her.

The humorous story of finishing my '24 tax return just before the extended deadline. Dare I say that my dad, the CPA, would be proud.

October9, 1996. Yankee Stadium, The Bronx. Yanks-O's, ALCS Game 1. 13 year-old Jeffrey Maier's blatant interference with O's outfielder Tony Tarasco turns the 2nd out of the 8th inning into a game-tying homer. With no instant replay -- that rule change is still a decade away -- Ump Rich Garcia's inexplicable "miss," stands 😭😂. An hour later, The Yanks walk it off in extras.

Martin Scorsese's strong sequel to 1961's The Hustler opened on October 8, 1986, to critical acclaim and big boxoffice. Join me for a look back at a classic which proved to be a key film for Tom Cruise's upward trajectory.

The Sylvester Stallone/Richard Donner/Wachowskis collab Assassins opened October 6, 1995. A bizarre mix of 90s action and art cinema, the movie bombs in the states, then does well overseas, "Because in Europe, they line up around the block for Stah-Low-Nay." - Robert Sklar, NYU Film Professor.

In a game which began on October 4th, Jim Leyritz' 15th inning walkoff HR at 1:23am gives the Yankees a 7-5 win in Game 2 of the ALDS, in (IMHO) the best game ever played at any iteration of Yankee Stadium.

October 3rd: Bobby Thomson's legendary walkoff HR in 1951. Dave Winfield was literally born the same day. In 1995, the Yanks played their first postseason game in 14 years. Today, the 2025 Yankees prepare for the next round of the postseason.

50 years ago today, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier "entered the ring as champions. And left, as old men." Their third and final battle was for Ali's 🥊title, and it remains a devastating showcase of how far they pushed one another beyond rational limits of pain and endurance. Both are gone now. Champions forever.

With the two teams tied after 161 games of the 2025 MLB season, the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays have settled... nothing at all. The events of September 28, 2025 will determine the winner of the A.L. East. Join me for a bit of fascinating history, as the 1978 Yanks simply had to beat a weak Cleveland squad to clinch that year's A.L. East on the season's final day.

Very much a product of its time, the unconventional action thriller/buddy movie The Peacemaker opened September 26, 1997. Featuring solid performances from George Clooney and Nicole Kidman, the film goes into areas not normally seen in standard Hollywood actioners.

If I've learned anything from a lifetime of watching baseball, it's that the game is "predictably unpredictable." The 2025 Yankees are in the midst of a furious late season rally which now has them tied for 1st, with 4 games left.

OTD 1994: The Shawshank Redemption opens... and bombs at the boxoffice! Somehow, the film draws 7 Oscar nominations, then finds an audience during a pre-Oscars theatrical re-release (when I first saw it), then later on home video, where incredible word-of-mouth causes a sensation, ultimately leading to its current status: one of the most beloved movies of all time. PS: Audio recorded 2 years ago, hence why I "mistakenly" say TSR turns 29 🙂

Sean Penn's searing adaptation of Jon Krakauer's runaway nonfiction bestseller opened September 21, 2007. A substantial boxoffice hit, Into the Wild is the sort of film which hits different depending on "where you are" in life.

My favorite sports movies are Chariots of Fire and The Natural. The two leads in Chariots of Fire -- Ben Cross and Ian Charleson -- are gone, as is key supporting actor Brad Davis. Robert Redford's passing made me think of Ben (who lived into his 70s), but especially Brad and Ian, who both died of AIDS at ages 41 and 40, respectively.

A towering figure in cinema. Legendary movie star, Oscar-Winning filmmaker, and key figure in the continued evolution of American Independent Film, via his own Sundance Film Festival.

Isidore 'Baron' Breitkopf was born OTD 1911. Join me for a brief, humorous story about my mom's dad, the most intimidating man I've ever known.