Exploring the CSUF Library’s Special Collections Did you know that California appeared as an island on maps drawn from the journeys of early explorers? Thirteen maps dating from 1587 to 1761 show […]
Hidden Treasures in Fullerton
Joyce Mason
In the Heights: A Hit and a Miss
Opening on the Broadway stage in 2008, seven years before “Hamilton” made Lin-Manuel Miranda a household name, his rap opera “In the Heights” garnered attention from audiences and critics. It featured a […]
Film Review: ‘Edge of the World’ Gets Two Misses
The story line will be familiar to many readers and movie goers. Real-life adventurer Sir James Brooke, played by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, disembarked from a British ship when it anchored on a beach […]
Film Review: ‘The Dry’ Gets a Hit and a Miss
Australian director Robert Connolly sets this mystery/thriller in a small town in the middle of drought-stricken Australia, basing his movie on Jane Harper’s best-selling crime novel of the same name. The dry […]
Film Review: ‘The Father’ Gets Two Hits
The April Academy Awards ceremony was somewhat upended by the Oscar for Best Actor not going to the expected winner Chadwick Boseman (although he was honored with a posthumous tribute to his […]
Film Review: ‘Promising Young Woman’ Gets a Hit and Miss
Advertised as a “dark comedy,” this movie is dark but not comic. “Promising Young Woman” is probably best described as a revenge thriller. However, the tone of the film is unsettling and […]
Film Review: ‘The Courier’ Gets Two Hits
Set in England and Russia during the most dramatic and crucial months of the Cold War, “The Courier” takes place in the two years between 1960 and 1962. The C.I.A. and the […]
Film Review: “Minari” Gets Two Hits
Growing up in rural America with Korean immigrant parents, writer/director Lee Isaac Chung was planning to go to medical school when he took an arts class in college on filmmaking. The class […]
Film Review: “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” Gets a Hit and a Miss
Winning the most recent Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama, newcomer Andra Day shed 40 pounds, even started smoking, so that she would look and sound like the iconic […]
Film Review: “Nomadland” Gets Two Hits
It’s rare that a feature film, not a documentary, is based on a non-fiction book. Does the adaptation work? Yes, but mainly because of the extraordinary abilities of the actress who holds […]
Film Review: “The Dig” Gets Two Hits
Set in Suffolk County, England, just before Britain entered the second world war, “The Dig” is based on an actual archaeological dig that uncovered treasures surprising to both scholars and historians. Director […]
Film Review: The Midnight Sky Gets a Hit and a Miss
Shedding his handsome leading-man image and growing a grizzled, grey beard, George Clooney cast himself as the lead in a science fiction drama set in 2049 when a cataclysmic event is slowly […]
Native Fullertonian Goes to Washington
Born and brought up in Fullerton, Ann Carlson attended Raymond School, Wilshire Junior High, and Fullerton High School. After graduating from U.C. Santa Barbara and from Harvard Law School, Ann forged a […]
Film Review: “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” Gets Two Hits
Playwright August Wilson (1945 – 2005) left behind a series of ten plays about Black American life. Most of these are set in Pittsburgh, as was the 2016 filmed version of “Fences.” […]
Film Reviews: “Mank” and “Ammonite”
Looking to something to watch from home? Observer film critic Joyce Mason takes a look at two films currently streaming online, “Mank” and “Ammonite.” Two Hits: Don’t Miss it! A Hit & […]
Film Review: “Rebuilding Paradise” Gets Two Hits
Ron Howard won fame as a child star in “Happy Days” and grew up to be one of Hollywood’s most successful filmmakers, both for feature films, winning an Academy Award for “A […]
Film Review: “The Trial of the Chicago 7” Gets Two Hits
Taking place slightly less than 50 years ago, the events of this film resonate with currency. The issues are different but the nation is troubled and divided; demonstrations meant to be peaceful […]
Film Review: “The Glorias” Gets Two Hits
The title refers to the trailblazing feminist leader Gloria Steinem, glamorous, smart, witty, talented and driven. Director Julie Taymor (“The Lion King”) bases her film about this icon on her autobiography, “My […]
Film Review: “The Personal History of David Copperfield” Gets Two Hits
Based on Charles Dickens’ classic novel “David Copperfield,” this film is set in the 1800s, yet director Armando Iannucci uses post-modern narrative techniques that reflect 21st Century sensibilities. He is color-blind in […]
Film Review: “Tesla” gets a Hit and a Miss
If you are expecting to see a movie about a car, do not rent “Tesla.” But if you are interested in finding out about the eccentric and lugubrious inventor, Nikola Tesla, who […]
Film Review: “Driveways” Gets Two Hits
Pathos and humor walk a tightrope in this delicately-written, beautifully-acted, and sensitively-directed film. Both timeless and current in its themes, “Driveways” is a quiet film that lingers on scenes long enough for […]
Film Review: “John Lewis: Good Trouble” Gets Two Hits
Director Dawn Porter’s documentary film about John Robert Lewis was released just weeks before the seventeen-term Congressman died of pancreatic cancer on July 17, 2020. The serendipitous release of the film adds […]
Film Review: The King of Staten Island Gets a Hit and a Miss
Director Judd Apatow (“The Forty year old Virgin,” “Trainwreck”) has made his fame by directing some very amusing films and has helped launch the careers of several Hollywood actors, such as Steve […]
Film Review: “Marriage Story” gets Two Hits
Premiering at the Venice Film Festival this past August, writer-director Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” next screened at the Telluride Film Festival and then in Toronto, receiving praise and glowing comments in all […]
Film Review: “The Irishman” gets Two Hits
Ever since their 1973 film, “Mean Streets,” director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro have worked together on several memorable films. In 1980, their movie “Raging Bull” won Robert de Niro […]
Film Review: Ford v. Ferrari Gets Two Hits
Director John Mangold creates a movie about fast cars, the people who build them, and the drivers who master them. But he manages to make “Ford v Ferrari” entertaining for all audiences, […]
Film Review: “Parasite” Gets a Hit and a Miss
Winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, “Parasite” is evoking praise from critics and puzzlement from audiences. Korean director Bong Joon-ho has made a film that defies categorizing. Is […]
