by Sam Juliano
By the time the next Monday Morning Diary is posted Christmas will be a day old. Hence I want to wish all our readers and staff and friends here and overseas a Merry Christmas. On a personal note it has been the worst year in memory. Losing the dearest of friends – one who served as a pillar of this site and as a staple in our lives – was a calamity still unthinkable. I also lost my young nephew and a brace of people who had reached ripe old ages. But this is the way of the world, and no doubt many others will identify 2016 as a year to blot from our collective memories. We can look forward to 2017 as a kind of rebound year – one where positive energy and happy events will help to alleviate at least some of the pain of the prior year.
I did see a few films this past week, but have to decided to combine the round-up with the viewings that will be negotiated over the next seven days. I also managed a second viewing of Nocturnal Animals, and I am happy to report the result was a positive one. (4.5)
Thanks to all those who have placed comments on the Caldecott Medal reviews. Typically, I have gone overboard, displaying a level of obsessiveness worthy of institutionalization, but the series is moving toward its final phase. Well, maybe not final – it does after all run until January 20th, but it is shall be say well underway. (more…)