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In 2007, he turned to writing fiction: his Nathaniel Hawthorne Flowers literary trilogy was published by Wheatmark (paperback, Kindle, Audible). Two distinctly different novels and a short story collection are in the works. You can follow his writing and read his Saturday Book Reviews at JackBoston, his innovative website.
Jack spends a lot of his time mentoring writers. He specializes in ghostwriting business books, but has also ghosted works as diverse as a personal growth book and an historical novel. He counsels writers one-on-one and in writing workshops across the country.
He’s the co-founder of The Fictional Café, an online ‘zine publishing fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, fine art, photography, and fiction podcasts for over 800 subscribers in 47 countries. “The Strong Stuff: The Best of Fictional Café, 2013-2017,” was published in a limited edition in 2019.
Jack earned a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature from California State University at Sonoma. He grew up in South Dakota and Wyoming, spent many years on the West Coast, and now lives in the Boston area with his wife. An avid cyclist, he owns five bicycles. As he likes to say, no moss grows beneath his feet.
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
The Long Goodbye (1973)
A Snide Satire on The Film Noir Detective
P-eww! No the right kind of movie for Altman to make and neither for Elliott Gould to star in. The genre deserves better than a treatment striving for satire - or ennui? - and unable to get there. A cigarette in the mouth (of a non-smoker) does not a Philip Marlowe make. I watched this years ago and did not appreciate how truly bad this film is. The best and really only thing about it is callow L. A., a la "Day of the Locust" based on the novel by Nathaniel West's or Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia." Don't forget James Ellroy's "L. A. Confidential, a top-notch cop thriller, directed by Curtin Hanson.
The Tangle (2019)
Fell asleep watching it
The idea had potential but perhaps Kelly was on too tight a budget to make a real movie, so he put everyone in the same room and had them blather philosophical poesy he cribbed when he was in college. What else can I say?
Alienated (2021)
When you need a break from shoot-'em-up sci-fi
A fun rom-com sci-fi with just enough interpersonal and science stuff to make it interesting. Glad they got it to the screen. I thought a 5 rating a bit low, if for no other reason than the delightful and quite alluring performance by Gracie Lacie.
The American Revolution (2019)
West Coast Bias = East Coast Bias? Saying "not true" isn't true. Yes, Tom Donohue broke the radio rules on KSAN in San Francisco - perhaps the night he played the long version
Saying "not true" isn't true. Yes, Tom Donohue broke the radio rules on KSAN in San Francisco - perhaps the night he played the long version of "Light My Fire" by the Doors. But the truth is all this repressed energy in American youth burst out at about the same time (as it did in Paris, and on Radio Luxembourg, too). Who's to say just what the flashpoint was? Maybe it doesn't matter. What matters is we all caught on to how we were being oppressed socially, politically, and beaten and conscripted into subservience by the government which was supposed to preserve our freedoms. So yeah, I was bi-coastal, coming from the West Coast to the East Coast and I loved listening to Tom Donohue and his Southern California brethren at KPPC and others and once in Boston to WBCN, each and all great, earth-moving radio stations.
Tenet (2020)
Woof! Woof!
Didn't expect Christopher Nolan to make such a dog of a movie. A series of been-there, done=that set pieces, a theme which is clearly over his head and beyond his intellect, and characters as flat as a pancake run over by a dually pickup. Didn't even finish it because it was so trite and overblown it couldn't hold my attention. Back to Inception and The Dark Knight for me.
Scotch: A Golden Dream (2018)
A Golden Dram Is All It Takes
I recently read that documentaries are growing in popularity. The reason for that is evident in watching Andrew Peat's most excellent film, "Scotch: A Golden Dream, also referred to as "The Golden Dram."
Please note that last word is "dram," not "dream." A dram is the quantity in which Scotch is served in Scotland (and likely elsewhere, to be sure.) But in watching this film, it becomes quite evident that having a sense of the dram is awfully important to Scots and the manner in which they consume their illustrious homegrown spirit. As a unit of measure it's rather technical, but with regard to the amount of Scotch whisky poured into a glass, (preferably designed specifically for this purpose) and adding just the right amount of spring water to it, the dram is quite important.
Mr Peat's documentary sets out to tell the story of Scotch, and to a great extent the national character of Scots, and succeeds in both respects. We see the Scottish Highlands, the Isle of Islay, the rivers and streams, the peat bogs so necessary in providing fuel to the distilleries, the magnificent Highland cattle, the people.
We meet many delightful and interesting Scots. They portray such a love of Scotch whisky and the culture in which it thrives. They are so sweet, so cultured, so charming, so funny, so not-about-getting-drunk-on booze, that even a teetotaler would want a dram to see what all the adulation is about.
We learn how Scotch whisky is made, to be sure, but in such a skillful way that it never once feels like a lesson. You might be surprised to find out how important American oak casks (recycled from casking bourbon) are in creating the Scotch whisky's taste and fragrance. You'll hear tales that will have you laughing out loud. You're also likely to frown when you learn how heavily the UK government taxes its most treasured produce.
But at the film's core, it's the story of Jim McEwan, who started in the business as a lad, an apprentice cooper, and retired 52 years on as a Master Distiller, ultimately responsible for every aspect of the whisky-maker's art.
Mr Peat, through varied interviews, recognizes that any story good enough to be told is more about people than things, and such is the case in this consistently charming and interesting documentary. It never lags, whether filming people, distilling equipment, or the beautiful Scottish landscapes. We slowly but inexorably come to the conclusion that today's story of Scotch is one that could not have been told without telling the story of Jim McEwan. "Scotch: A Golden Dram" is so good you don't even need to be a Scotch drinker to enjoy it.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
A Stylish Guy Ritchie, but more Average than not
The original TV series had its tongue firmly planted in its cheek, but this movie seems to have trouble doing that. The BEST reason to watch it is because of Alicia Vikander. The second best reason is Armie Hammer. Otherwise, feel free to leave the DVD running while you get up to make popcorn.
Timbuktu (2014)
Beautiful cinematography but as for plot, not so much
This film's story was, for me, a chef's salad where it should have been a whole tomato. Or a steak, perhaps. It purports to be the story of a small village into which the Taliban, or generically "the jihadists" move in to run the show. There are scenes of these men barking orders to the villagers about what to wear or what not to do, but the center moves to a man, his wife and their 12yo daughter living in a tent on the village outskirts, and another man who fishes with nets in a river which he seems to think is his own property. Then there are the pointless scenes of the jihadists spinning cookies in a Toyota pickup. And the crazy woman in the village. And, and....none of these events seem to bear a relationship with any other.
Eventually a murder is committed which has absolutely nothing to do with the jihadists having taken control of the village, except they mete out a death sentence to the confessed murderer. There is never any suspense concerning the man's fate so this isn't really a spoiler alert, but after the jihadists gun him down they all jump in their pickups and take off, leaving the viewer with the impression they won't be back.
After watching, I read a few other reviews extolling its message and power, but to me it was an unsatisfying mish-mash of unconnected events. None of the jihadist dictums were a surprise, not adding anything to what we've known for many years about these sick thugs and their perversion of the Muslim faith. But what bothered me more than anything else was that "Timbuktu" was absolutely devoid of emotion.