"Dopesick" is an eight-part drama miniseries created by Danny Strong based on the non-fiction book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy. I watched the first episode last night and thought the story, acting, and message were terrific. I became interested in the subject matter - the Sackler family's production and marketing of OxyContin - after reading an article about it in "The New Yorker" several years ago. At that time an investigation had just started of the Sackler claims that this painkilling drug was only one percent addictive. You'll have to watch the miniseries on Hulu to see if those claims were true and how OxyContin use affected some communities in rural America. So will I. The second episode goes live tomorrow, Wednesday, October 27, 2021. What makes this series even more watchable is the great cast - lead by Michael Keaton who plays a rural doctor who starts giving the pain killer to one of his female patients who … [Read more...]
I loved the movie, Rebel in the Rye
I don't care what the reviews say or what the rotten tomatoes score is, I loved the movie, "Rebel in the Rye." It kept me enthralled from beginning to end. Maybe it's because I was and still am a huge fan of J.D. Salinger and his novel and short stories. And maybe it's because I am a writer. My first thought as I left the theater yesterday is that I must tell my writer friends to see it. I think every budding writer should see it. The teaching of Salinger's professor Whit Burnett, a lecturer at Columbia University, editor of Story magazine, and a mentor of young Salinger, played by Kevin Spacey, and the encouragement he got from Dorothy Olding, the loyal agent who supported the young Salinger throughout his career, played by Sarah Paulson, is something all writers should strive for. This movie also gave me a greater understanding of Salinger's decision to become a recluse and never publish again. He suffered from post traumatic stress syndrome as a result of his World War II … [Read more...]
