Featured

Unpacking the Fackham Hall Trailer: Damian Lewis Leads a Hysterically Funny Ride

Christmas is coming early this year! Fackham Hall is Damian’s gift to us, arriving at the movie theaters in the US and Canada (limited) on December 5, and in the UK on December 12! I’m typically first in line to catch Damian’s movies on opening day, but with a surgery coming up, I’m not sure when I’ll get the doctor’s green light to go to the movie theater. And, of course, there’s the extra dilemma—will it even open near me here in North Carolina, or should I be in New York to see it? Either way, I promise a full review as soon as I see the film! (Update 11/12/2025: Yes, this is a nationwide release, and Fackham Hall is coming to cinemas in North Carolina as well. Yay!)

In the meantime, wouldn’t it be fun to dive into the trailer? Did you know there’s a red band version with cheekier jokes and a green band one that’s kid-friendly? I didn’t! The trailer is the perfect sneak peek into the world of the Davenports, and I can’t wait to share my observations of the trailer with you. Please come join me in a first visit to Fackham Hall… Continue reading “Unpacking the Fackham Hall Trailer: Damian Lewis Leads a Hysterically Funny Ride”

Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis at the Royal Shakespeare Company

I was lucky enough to see the Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5 documentary during its opening days at the IFC in New York at a special screening, which was followed by a Q&A with director Raoul Peck. One of the highlights of the evening was getting to ask a question myself — I asked Mr. Peck about how he brought together the film’s striking imagery with Damian Lewis’ narration, and his answer gave a fascinating glimpse into the creative process behind this award-winning documentary. I’m pasting his answer below for those interested in the behind-the-scenes magic.

Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis at the Royal Shakespeare Company”

It’s Veterans Day! We Salute Major Dick Winters – The Rank and The Man

Today is Veterans Day – a day of honoring all men and women that served in the United States armed forces. And it gives us a great opportunity to salute all war heroes, and in particular Major Dick Winters and Easy Company.

I know a thing or two about war. My day job is to study and understand war. I have written academic articles on war, I have taught on war… and even though I can write about war for pages and talk about it for hours as a scholar, the human cost of war is still incomprehensible to me.

Let me take a moment and look at my own family. My maternal grandmother never knew her father because he was a soldier in WWI in the Eastern Front in Turkey, and he literally froze because of the cold as he fought against the Russians. My paternal grandmother never knew her father, either; because he was also a soldier in WWI and was killed by a shrapnel in Gallipoli as he fought against the Anzacs. Continue reading “It’s Veterans Day! We Salute Major Dick Winters – The Rank and The Man”

Watching “Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5” — and Hearing Damian Lewis Bring Orwell to Life

“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” – George Orwell, 1984

Big congratulations to Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5, which just took home two wins at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards — Best Score for Alexei Aigui and Best Narration by Damian Lewis. You can now rent this powerful documentary on Amazon and see exactly why it’s earning so much praise. And please read my full review below and find out what makes Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5 such an unforgettable watch. Continue reading “Watching “Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5” — and Hearing Damian Lewis Bring Orwell to Life”

Throwback Thursday to WWI with Damian Lewis

flandersfields

This coming Tuesday is Remembrance Day. Also known as Poppy Day in the Commonwealth countries, Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed to remember the members of their armed forces who died in the line of duty in World War I. It coincides with Veterans Day in the US that was proclaimed first as Armistice Day at the end of the Great War and that honors all men and women that served in the United States Armed Forces. Remembrance Day is observed on November 11 in most countries because the hostilities of WWI ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month”, in accordance with the armistice signed that day between the representatives of Germany and the Entente. And, red poppies became a symbol of the day due to the WWI poem In Flanders Fields that talks about red poppies blooming over some of the worst battlefields in Flanders.

So I thought it would be appropriate to travel back to WWI today. But you may ask about what Damian Lewis has to do with WWI. Well, firstly, Damian is playing a WWI soldier in Queen of the Desert but also he participated in a WWI poetry reading in 2014 as part of the centenary commemorations of the Great War.

Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to WWI with Damian Lewis”