Monthly Archives: January 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Bill Rough

Today is my father’s 120th birthday.  Happy birthday, Dad.  I miss you!  Howard Fanning Rough was born on Jan. 31, 1891, in the frontier town of St. Joseph, MO.  He died in 1969, of a stroke and heart failure, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Musings | 4 Comments

Weighing in on the Academy Awards Nominees

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Bill Rough

I am generally not a fan of the Academy Awards.  I rarely stay up late enough to watch them all.  I’ll confess that right up front.  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the “Oscars,” is essentially … Continue reading →

Posted in Film | 3 Comments

On “Let Me Down Easy” @ Arena Stage

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Bill Rough

I’m not ordinarily one to enjoy the new fad in one-man or one-woman “plays.”  On the commercial stage, they are largely either ego-driven or  economically-driven.  You can feel good about yourself, pack in an audience, and you don’t have to pay a … Continue reading →

Posted in Theatre | 1 Comment

On “Black Watch”

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Bill Rough

I saw in the Washington Post yesterday that Black Watch is back, even though a few years ago they had completed umpteen “final performances ever!”   In its current version, written by Gregory Burke and directed by John Tiffany, it’s beginning … Continue reading →

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On “The Company Men”

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Bill Rough

The Company Men is one of the gutsiest little films to come out of Hollywood in the last year.  It opened again on Friday in limited release (but, alas, not yet in Charlottesville — maybe next week?).  I say again, … Continue reading →

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AWARD MATERIAL: “The Kings Speech,” “The Fighter”, and “True Grit”

Posted on January 15, 2011 by Bill Rough

Ain’t it grand when they do it right?  I just don’t know why they have to limit us to intelligent, well-crafted movies for one short period every year.  And the rest of the time they assume we’re perfectly happy to … Continue reading →

Posted in Film | 2 Comments

On “The Tourist,” independent movies, & “The Black Swan”

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Bill Rough

I made myself a lot of promises when I started writing this blog a month or so ago.  And one of them was to offer some thoughts about a crop of recently released movies, most of which I saw when … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Musings | 1 Comment

On Tuscon

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Bill Rough

Oh come on, Sarah (and Glen and camp)!  Yes, of course we all recognize that the responsibility for the murders in Arizona rests with a madman.  No one should be saying you pulled the trigger on this one.  But you … Continue reading →

Posted in Rants | Leave a comment

On “The Big Apple Circus” and “The Vienna Boys Choir”

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Bill Rough

I don’t anticipate that I will write here exclusively about theatre, film and other performances while away in New York.  I do want to at least touch on two “non-theatre” events from my December trip before I move on.   I … Continue reading →

Posted in Other Arts | Leave a comment