As we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, it might be a good time to discuss the extraordinary man whose name became part of a cherished holiday — and not only by people of Irish ancestry. As the saying goes, we’re all a little Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. more

What a triple whammy. more

I’m willing to argue that “Scream” is the greatest slasher movie franchise of all time. Not only is the 1996 original a meta-horror classic, but prior to “Scream VI,” three of the five movies in the series were halfway decent. Can any other slasher property with at least five installments boast that kind of ratio of good to bad? “A Nightmare on Elm Street” got too silly with jokes that didn’t land, “Friday the 13th” was overrated in the first place, and fans got sick of “Halloween” constantly reinventing itself. “Scream” has thus far needed only one clear reboot, and last year’s fifth installment was a rousing success. A mere fourteen months later, we’ve got a sixth chapter, and it… keeps the property out of trouble. more

To Whom It May Concern (and you know who you are): more

From the time they were big enough to make their own beds, my girls always had rooms of their own. more

As popular as it is to complain about Hollywood’s lazy reliance on reboots, re-imaginings, spinoffs, and legacy sequels to older properties, all evidence suggests that “Rocky” continuation “Creed” has worked out for the best. I’m not just talking about the first “Creed” from 2015, but the entire “Creed” sub-franchise, including the first sequel from 2018, and of course, new movie “Creed III.” These movies have done well creatively (all above 80% with both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes) and commercially, with the first two making over $100 million at the domestic box office, and the third almost certain to follow suit after a $58 million opening weekend. Keeping in mind that I’m calling the whole trilogy is a success, I don’t think it’s out of line to say that “Creed III” is the weakest entry. more

What would some of us do without worry? In Matthew 6:27, Jesus asked, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” Worry has no positive side effects. It subtracts moments from your life in heart stress and rising blood pressure. You can’t be happy if you worry. Quit worrying! You can’t be the person God wants you to be if you worry. more

Fear Not… more

A lot of the reviews I’ve seen for “Cocaine Bear” contain some variation on the line, “This movie delivers exactly what it promises.” I’m going to say that’s not entirely true. To be sure, there is a bear high on cocaine in this movie. Nobody is going to say that this movie delivers less than what it promises. more

As a little kid, I loved the book “The Little Engine That Could.” It was published in the 1930s, and it’s a story about the power of positive thinking. The star of the book – a little blue train engine – realizes that when he “thinks he can,” he chugs up the big hill and saves the day. more

According to my Missouri Department of Conservation’s Natural Events Calendar, Monday, March 20 is the first day of spring, and it seems that most of us think we are ready for it! I’m not a big fan of the severe weather that often comes with it, but there sure are a lot of great things about this upcoming season. more

March 1, here at last — again. more