Life is filled with Crossroads. Choosing those which fire the imagination
As we move through life we are met with choices. If you move slowly, the choices are bountiful, and sometimes too many.
So you speed up a bit, travelling past successive crossroads at a pace where a decision isn’t an option. Then, you find you’re moving faster and faster, and the intersections slip by in a blur, leaving you to fly on without the knowledge that a choice even exists.
What on earth does this have to do with my biography, you ask?
I have seen my life at various speeds, and I have to say I’m enjoying this one…
ILLUMINATION STORYBOOK SERIES
Related stories by Stuart Englander
Get a little more bang from your viewing pleasure
Introduction
If you are exhausted from watching an endless stream of regurgitated Superhero movies or bad sitcoms, or you’ve had your fill of cop shows and hospital dramas, please join me on my quest to reignite the passion for thought-provoking cinema entertainment.
Author Bio
Chapters
CLASSIC CINEMA
MYSTERY & SUSPENSE
THE WESTERN MYTH
ILLUMINATION / FICTION STORIES
At least, my family thinks I am
The play on words aside, a better fiction writer is what I aspire to be, and reading better writers like Liam Ireland and Britni Pepper inspire me to pick up my game. Finding these terrific writers on ILLUMINATION-Curated and ILLUMINATION has somehow lit a fire in my brain.
Their inspiration and my own love for ‘the story’ has become the spark that propels me. Money is a lovely and useful thing to have with the right perspective, but writing stories that resonate are for me, the ultimate prize.
As a filmmaker, I have always been drawn to visual narratives and…
Cinema — Myths and Meaning🎥
How to get more from your viewing experience
Movies of the past still hold magical powers of imagery and symbolism that resonate today.
If you appreciate the artistry and detail that goes into filmmaking and you would like to explore cinema’s rich and diverse history with a discerning eye, please join me on a journey of rediscovery. You may even find a few new surprises along the way.
Each month, I will offer up two or three titles for viewing at your leisure. My goal is to explore these selections in detail and how they connect with today’s world. Exploring genres and film conventions in ways you may…
I think Japan's struggles through the middle of the 20th century are lesser-known but equally as important. I wrote a film review of Akira Kurosawa's, Rashomon which he made post-WWII. You may be interested in it because it speaks to the changing attitudes in Japanese culture. A very important film.
Arsons, Anchormen, and Adversaries
Welcome to my daily feature where each day on the calendar marks a part of our shared history.
Conspiratorial Actions
Four weeks after Hitler is sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, the Reichstag parliament building is set ablaze in 1933. Burning down the former German democratic symbol of government allowed Hitler to enact a decree preventing anti-Nazi behaviour and the authority to imprison his opponents. A Dutch communist named Marinus van der Lubbe was arrested, convicted and executed for the crime deeming that he acted alone.
A much-debated view has been held for many years that the Nazi party had…
To a kindness such as this?
An unexpected notification popped up on my screen before retiring last night. The notice told me I had been mentioned by another writer on Medium.
Now, this in itself is not unusual. Writers including me, often tag their counterparts either at the bottom of a story or somewhere in the body of the piece. It’s a very simple and efficient way to keep people who are important to you in the loop with what you are doing, and thank them for their continued support.
I wasn’t quite ready to close down my laptop for the night, so I decided to…
Radar, Radicalism, and Racial Profiling
Welcome to my daily feature where each day on the calendar marks a part of our shared history.
A Discovery In Detection
Robert Watson-Watt demonstrated RADAR which in case you didn’t know, stands for Radio Detection and Ranging, for the first time in 1935. Originally developed to anticipate incoming storms, Watt realized his method for bouncing radio waves could detect more than just the weather. Watt and his assistant, A.F. Wilkins set up a demonstration for British brass where an RAF plane was passed over a field three times.
On each pass, Watt’s RADAR system detected the approaching aircraft in…
Cash, Cassius, and Castaways
Welcome to my daily feature where each day on the calendar marks a part of our shared history.
Money Talks
The United States Congress formally adopts the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing for the printing of new paper currency, in 1862. In a switch from demand notes to legal tender, the new bills which featured green printing on the reverse side were the first formal circulation of paper money in the United States.
The term for American money commonly known as greenbacks got its origin from these notes. …
Freedoms, Fear Mongering, and Final Verdicts
Welcome to my daily feature where each day on the calendar marks a part of our shared history.
Early Release
After serving two years of a six-year sentence, Mahatma Gandhi was released from prison because of failing health in 1924. British officials had laid the charge against him for sedition when Gandhi led protests against British colonialism.
After pleading guilty to the charges, Gandhi was allowed a closing oratory where he spoke of non-violent resistance. …
