Nothing matters except character development. In "The Widow's Broom," an actual broom takes center stage. It once belonged to a witch. But it lost its power to fly. That doesn't mean it has fully lost its magic--it can still sweep on its own, play the piano, and chop wood. It can also feed the chickens. At least from Salem onward, stories involving witches have tended to touch on gender politics. In "The Widow's Broom," the men among the townspeople despise the broom. They find it unnerving. By contrast, the women notice that the broom is quite helpful with domestic chores. The broom's new owner--Minna, a widow--becomes inspired by the broom's resourcefulness. She plays a "witchy" trick to ensure that she will have the future that she actually wants. I live in a small town, and I sometimes deal with meanness and stupidity (and this is often when I'm communicating with someone who works within my son's school district). To me, ...
The Times had a terrific piece about Madonna's dance career this weekend. A friend of Madonna's--Stephen Sondheim--was especially fond of Madonna's sense of self-discipline. The NYT supports Sondheim's verdict. For me, the Times helped to "reposition" one of the classic Madonna numbers, "Express Yourself." (It's stunning to me that--for four music videos--Madonna's team selected a director who would go on to make "Panic Room," "Mindhunter," and "Zodiac." Can any other pop star claim anything like that?) The film for "Express Yourself" was--in its day--among the most expensive music videos ever made. It is a "dystopian industrial pop epic influenced by Fritz Lang." On its surface, the song seems to borrow from Merry Clayton: "If you wanna know if he loves you so...it's in his kiss." But it's a bit less passive than Merry Clayton. "He" has to express himself--but ...