seanessay.com “…Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life…” Samual Johnson January, they say, is when people make a resolution to travel. If so, dear reader, I suggest London. I can’t offer a reasonable bird’s eye view as a travel agent can, but I may offer a few snapshots from […]
Tourist Breaks the Ice to Talk to Strangers
seanessay.com When traveling, some folks despair, wondering how to “break the ice” with strangers: One tourist said he just couldn’t engage with locals, “not even in bars and cafes.” A couple, planning to travel to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, feared they wouldn’t speak with a single soul. To that couple I offered specific advice, […]
Bella Baxter As a Victorian Man From Mars
seanessay.com Having already seen the show in London, I just had to gleefully stride into the lobby of Calgary’s arthouse cinema, The Plaza, and proclaim at the counter, “One adult for Bella Baxter!” They knew I meant the controversial movie Poor Things, which several female journalists at a certain British well known progressive newspaper had […]
Secrets Tourists Don’t Tell about London
seanessay.com (Dateline London) Everybody likes London—I’ve been here a half dozen times. I tell people I stay in Central London, as “90 per cent of the tourist attractions” are there: Museums and Galleries, gardens and theatres, monuments, the science place and the zoo… And of course the shopping, including the world famous Harrods department store: […]
Contemplating the Death Penalty after Leaving the National Gallery
Visiting London, I am under the spell of great art, while back in God’s own country a mother’s son is on death row… We normally regard the issue of having a legal death penalty as a binary: Yes or No. But long ago I challenged that binary: Maybe our society could protect itself by giving […]
Could the film Poor Things be feminist?
seanessay.com (Includes a new footnote for film critics) Opening Credits A “mainstream movie” is where I can confidently tell strangers how good it is; an “art house movie” is when I can’t rate it for you unless I know you. Sean C Teaser A dirty, disgusting movie? Disempowering? With much nudity, and much sex? Well, […]