Ann Silverthorn

Lady Bird earned five Oscar nominations in 2018, and when I say earned, I mean earned. I’d also say it was robbed of wins, but that would begrudge the winners. Lady Bird operates on many levels that can speak to just about anyone watching.  For myself, I can relate to the mother’s character, Marion McPherson (Laurie Metcalf). When…

This post originally appeared on the DVD Netflix blog “Inside the Envelope.” That company folded in 2023, and the blog was shut down, but you might find some good stuff here. What is it about mothers in film? Walt Disney often did away with them, devastating the protagonists (like Bambi), and in many other films,…

This post originally appeared on the DVD Netflix blog “Inside the Envelope.” That company folded in 2023, and the blog was shut down, but you might find some good stuff here. One of the most-rented movies from 2006, and one of my favorites, is The Holiday, starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet. The plot centers around…

I barely remember the first time I saw The Room, that quirky film from 2003 that people love-to-hate-to-love. According to my DVD Netflix history, I received it in September of 2015, and I gave it only one star. When I watched The Room last weekend, I hardly remembered it. It’s possible that the first time around, I packed it up and sent…

The past few years have marked a century since the war that promised to end all wars. We know that the world didn’t learn its lesson, and so the Great War became World War I. This is the story of Russell Silverthorn, Lee Silverthorn, and Josef Wäschle, my great uncles who fought on opposite sides…

Each year when the Oscar nominees come out, it’s fun to review the list and add the ones that look interesting to my DVD Netflix queue. This year’s movies are just starting to arrive in my mailbox, and the gem we watched over the weekend was best-picture nominee, Call Me by Your Name. This film won the 2018…

It seems that Tommy Wiseau has had the last laugh. Fifteen years ago, he spent $6 million to make The Room and grossed only $1,900 on its first release. Now, it’s become a cult phenomenon, and even though I’ve already seen the movie, I want to see it again. It’s so popular though, that my Netflix DVD queue says…

A spouse’s passing devastates. A Widow’s Story, by Joyce Carol Oates, illustrates the first year after her husband, Raymond J. Smith, died on February 18, 2008. Oates was fortunate to have many devoted friends, but she still felt isolated and often overwhelmed by the weight of the estate and legacy of her beloved. Just two weeks…

Recently, I visited with my daughter, son-in-law, and two-year-old grandson for three weeks around the birth of my new granddaughter. Not 24-hours in, I remembered why I was so tired when my three kids were small in the 80’s. How did we survive? Well, we had youth on our side, I guess. Many things have…

You’ll find a thousand tofu scramble recipes on the Web and in cookbooks, but none more easy and delicious than this one. I took my favorite recipes and combined them into a one-pan dish, ready in about 30 minutes. Best-Ever Tofu Scramble Total Time: ~30 minutes Yield: 4-6 servings Per serving: ~250 calories (Protein 10g, Carbs…