During a press conference in 2007, Matt Damon figured that he was all done playing amnesiac badass Jason Bourne. He said, “So all of that internal propulsive mechanism that drives the character is not there, so if there was to be another one then it would have to be a complete reconfiguration, you know, where do you go from there? For me, I kind of feel like the story that we set out to tell has now been told.” Damon said this while promoting The Bourne Ultimatum. It was something of a rarity in the world of franchise filmmaking, an ending. The third film in the Bourne series, it... Read More

We in Colorado may hike more than anyone else in the U.S., but did you know there is science behind the benefits of hiking beyond the cardiovascular?   Research shows that exercising outdoors is beneficial on many levels.  For example, outdoor air might be cleaner than indoor air. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that indoor air is more than twice as polluted as outdoor air. Not only is hiking a great cardiovascular activity, it also strengthens your hips and legs and provides great core and stability training. In addition to the physical benefits, you can also get vitamin D while... Read More

We need Star Trek right now. Badly. The America of Stardate 2016 is fractured. Paranoid. Raging. We’re locked into a presidential election that rejects hope and embraces fear. The vast majority of us plan to vote against a particular candidate instead of being inspired by one. Our country is beset by problems and, when we should be coming together, we seem to be moving further apart. 1966 was a year not dissimilar to 2016. We were trapped in a seemingly endless war against a foe we barely understood. Public trust in institutions was eroding. But in Los Angeles, an ex-cop and television... Read More

If you haven’t heard about Pokémon Go, you may have been hiding under a rock.  Although just released here earlier this month, Pokémon is already famous – or infamous- for the chaos it is causing.  Complaints about disturbing the sanctity of memorials and cemeteries and other bad behavior have been reported just about two weeks after Pokémon Go made its U.S. debut.  My local park looks like some version of a zombie apocalypse, with teens and young adults walking, standing, sitting and even riding bikes and skateboards, staring intently at their phones. In spite of my introduction,... Read More

As moviegoers, we’re conditioned to sigh in resignation whenever we hear about a remake. “Oh, God, there are no original ideas in Hollywood anymore,” we say, as we roll our eyes so far back we can see our brains.  But remakes have been a part of American film since the beginning. Cecil B. DeMille made The Straw Man in 1914, remade it in 1918, then remade it again in 1931. If remakes were an issue for you, you probably should have started complaining about them 98 years ago. It bears mentioning that just because a remake exists, it’s not simply an inferior copy of the... Read More

You may have already heard about the health benefits of apple cider vinegar.  Some of its uses include treatment for weight loss, leg cramps and pain, upset stomach, sore throats,  sinus problems, high blood pressure, cholesterol redand fight infection.  While there is insufficient scientific evidence to substantiate all of the claims made about apple cider vinegar, I want to share with you my anecdotal experience with apple cider vinegar (ACV). ACV is fermented juice from crushed apples. The vinegar contains significant quantities of acetic and citric acid which are used to make medicine.... Read More

Most of us approach the summer movie season with a kind of resigned dread. We’re confronted with a vast wasteland of sequels, remakes, terrible comedies and cheap horror movies. It can feel like you’re getting punched in the face by CGI, or walloped by an obnoxiously loud kid’s movie. Worst of all is the feeling of, “Oh, dear God, not this again.” It can seem like the summer is where creativity goes to die, where art is thrown into a cell and left to rot. Yet as much as we complain that movies are more terrible than ever, there’s always something original... Read More

24 years old isn’t far from childhood. It’s far enough that you have lingering memories, but you’re anxious to be a grown-up, particularly when everyone else seems more grown-up than you. It seems like everyone else knows what they’re doing, so you maybe have to fake it a little. It’s likely that these thoughts went through the 24 year old head of Roald Dahl. World War II had begun, and he had joined the Royal Air Force to do his bit. He was assigned to fly a Gloster Gladiator, the last biplane aircraft that was used by the RAF. It must have been worrying to know... Read More