America's irreverent, bold, and balanced opinion site. Partner to the Australian version www.thebigs Our aim?
The pool of writers at The Big Smoke are generally not journalists, although some may write for a living. These contributors come from all walks of life—comedians, lawyers, students, pastors, artists, politicians, business owners—the list is almost endless. To provide a single platform America-wide that acts as a stage for the voicing of a broad range of subjects, topical events, and interesting opinions.
James Jay Edwards reviews Smile, a horror film written and directed by Parker Finn in his feature film debut, and starring Sosie Bacon. (Paramount Pictures)
“Despite Smile being basically the movie that it promises to be, it’s incredibly engaging and even boasts a few fun surprises. Parker Finn is a filmmaker to keep an eye on.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/30/smile-is-the-most-fun-a-formula-horror-movie-can-be/
John Michael’s newest Life Is a Sweet, Tender Bruise column, “A Quiet Mind Hears More Clearly,” is about contentedness, quieting your mind and truly listening to the universe.
“I had a dream that the vision for myself was of country music and farm animals, which makes me laugh as I write it. … A quiet mind hears more clearly from the universe.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/29/a-quiet-mind-hears-more-clearly/
James Jay Edwards reviews Blonde, a biographical fiction film about Marilyn Monroe based on the Joyce Carol Oates novel, directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Ana de Armas. (Netflix)
“If you’re looking for an actual biography of Marilyn Monroe, keep looking. If you want a crazy depiction of a troubled young woman, Blonde will fit the bill.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/28/blonde-plays-fast-and-loose-with-the-life-of-marilyn-monroe/
Adam Strong continues his series of stories about life in the ’90s. In this essay, he reflects on his time in college and being a DJ for the college radio station, WUSC-FM 90.5, aka WUSSY.
“Both you and your roommate smoked when you talked, smoked when you didn’t talk, smoked when you were alone, which was most of the time. … Thankfully you had the radio station, WUSC, a station the locals called WUSSY.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/27/wussy-music-college-radio-and-a-network-of-weirdos/
Psychologists say that phubbing is ruining the real-life bonds of partners and decreasing marital satisfaction.
“Have you ever wondered why some relationships are blessed with long life and a few begin faltering even with all the comforts? … Then, what’s the trigger that makes couples drift apart?”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/26/phubbing-is-loyalty-fading-between-spouses-in-the-shadow-of-smart-gadgets/
James Jay Edwards reviews Don’t Worry Darling, a psychological thriller film directed by Olivia Wilde, written by Katie Silberman, and starring Florence Pugh. (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“Actor-turned-writer/director Olivia Wilde’s first feature was the best (and most criminally underseen) comedy of 2019, Booksmart. For her sophomore effort, she decided to give psychological drama a try with Don’t Worry Darling.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/23/the-beauty-of-dont-worry-darling-almost-covers-up-its-plot-holes/
John Michael’s newest Life Is a Sweet, Tender Bruise column, “I Am My Own Man,” shares about his dad, growing up in Lewiston, Idaho, and being his own man.
“It’s odd, I feel like I’m growing closer to you, Dad, all the time, maybe I can feel you some in heaven. I still want to be a cowboy and that ain’t a bad thing.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/22/i-am-my-own-man/
A surreal experience having one of your Beatles die and watching it at the hotel bar where you lived off chili night and popcorn and endless cups of coffee.
“The ghost of John Lennon got confused at his place of residence and asked for a bowl of chili beside me at the hotel bar. He had a bullet in his heart and nobody mourned more for him than me …”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/21/chili-night-and-john-lennon/
Joseph Edwin Haeger reviews Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth. (Vintage)
“The death in the first chapter gets Motherthing kicked off with a bang, but after that it’s a slow burn reminiscent of Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby or Friedkin’s The Exorcist.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/20/book-review-motherthing-by-ainslie-hogarth/
S.M. Park’s column Risen Apes about being a 75-year-old boomer. In “Little Pink Houses,” Park talks about new homes in his neighborhood, downsizing, and past drinking years.
“I’ve spoken to a number of old friends recently who are suffering from booze-related infirmities in their seventies (pancreatitis, cirrhosis, swollen prostates, etc.), and I might be more empathetic if it weren’t for their long runs as drunks.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/19/risen-apes-little-pink-houses/
James Jay Edwards reviews Pearl, a prequel to X and a horror slasher film directed by Ti West, starring Mia Goth, and co-written by West and Goth. (A24 Films)
“While Pearl is, of course, a horror movie, with all of the blood, guts, and gore of one, it’s also a melodrama, striking an interesting juxtaposition between the sweet naivety and brutal bloodlust of its main character. And Goth plays it perfectly …”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/16/pearl-is-a-grimy-and-gory-tribute-to-classic-hollywood/
John Michael’s newest Life Is a Sweet, Tender Bruise column, “Saving the Planet: Value and Celebrate the Spiritual Mother,” considers repairing spiritual damage to save the physical.
“I was reading a thesis stating that any illness in the body was first a spiritual issue that becomes an emotional issue and then a physical issue. … What if it’s the same thing with the environment? That, at its heart, it’s a spiritual issue?”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/15/saving-the-planet-value-and-celebrate-the-spiritual-mother/
Travis Laurence Naught, a quadriplegic wheelchair user, shares about the act of crying, how he experiences it and the ways it impacts him.
“Disney movies have made me cry since I was a child. Really sad commercials during the holidays even make me fuzz up. I’m empathetic to the point of emotional mirroring.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/14/my-face-goes-wet-sometimes/
Kimberly Sheridan explores the world of tattoos in her column Tattoo Ink. In “Isn’t What It Used To Be,” she considers nostalgia and tradition (and gatekeeping) with tattooing.
“One thing that history often teaches us is that innovators and outsiders are usually chastised in the present and deified later. There’s a difference between respecting traditions and clinging to outmoded ways, between being informed by the past and glorifying the past, between teaching what was and gatekeeping to ensure things never change.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/12/tattoo-ink-isnt-what-it-used-to-be/
Trisha de Borchgrave considers what comes next with King Charles III as people around the world reflect on the legacy of the longest-reigning British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.
“Charles will find it difficult to exert apolitical authority and earn the same respect as his mother. He is, after all, simply the latest member of a white, privileged family whose inheritance includes the right to reign over less deferential and more diverse populations.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/10/wherefore-art-thou-king-charles-iii/
James Jay Edwards reviews Barbarian, a horror film written and directed by Zach Cregger, and starring Georgina Campbell and Bill Skarsgård. (20th Century Studios)
“Whatever kind of movie you may think Barbarian is, you’re most likely wrong. And that’s the fun of it. It keeps the viewer guessing for its entire run time. Go into it with no expectations, because it won’t be what you’re expecting anyway. It’s the surprise movie of the year.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/09/barbarian-is-the-surprise-movie-of-the-year/
As cities improve conditions with climate reforms and police reforms, elected Alderperson of Ithaca’s 3rd Ward, Jeffrey F. Barken, reiterates the importance of free speech and a free press.
“Attribute what you will to the general staffing shortages reportedly impacting first responders nationwide, and what you will to our reform effort; the fact remains that our public safety apparatus is crumbling, and this reality cannot be ignored.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/08/entangled-reform/
After recently seeing a Backstreet Boys concert, Maureen Haeger reflects on her experience as a Child Christian in the 1990s, worshiping at the altar of chaste pr***en horniness, when it was Christian Summer Camp versus Every Boy Band.
“Somehow, even though I had never been to one of these concerts, I knew what to expect. I was here for the pandering, the “girl-in-the-crowd” fantasy, the many coordinated outfits, the boy-band dance moves—I don’t even have to describe them, whatever you’re picturing is correct.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/07/backstreets-back-amen/
James Jay Edwards reviews The Movie, a film written and directed by Michael Mandell, and starring Bonnie Root and Jarrod Pistilli. (Gravitas Ventures)
“So, what kind of a movie is The Movie? It doesn’t seem to know itself. There’s a select group of horror fans that will love this movie, but most may just find it wandering in the middle.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/06/what-kind-of-movie-is-the-movie/
S.M. Park’s column Risen Apes about being a 70-year-old boomer. In “Odor Eater,” Park talks about brushes with the law while illegally growing pot for 30 years in his basement.
“There were several instances, in fact (each at the height of the flowering cycle, when the odor was strongest), when I stood at my door chatting with cops. These all occurred in the early Nineties, when the Indoor Ma*****na Task Force was busting up to seven hundred grows a year.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/05/risen-apes-odor-eater/
What does the next generation think of today’s issues? As part of The Big Smoke’s Next Gen program, Zain Hamdia (age 13) explores déjà vu, that sense you get when you think you’re re-experiencing something familiar again.
“This strange phenomenon could have many causes and, while we don’t have one solid answer, there are many theories that attempt to explain why it happens. However, what we do know for certain is that déjà vu is not a glitch in the simulation—sorry, Hollywood.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/04/the-big-smoke-next-gen-deja-vu-already-seen-or-was-it/
James Jay Edwards reviews Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul., a comedy film written and directed by Adamma Ebo, and starring Sterling K. Brown and Regina Hall. (Focus Features)
“For her feature film debut, writer/director Adamma Ebo adapted Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. from her own student short film of the same name. As a story, it’s both believable and engrossing, seemingly ripped from current events involving the state of religion and the modern Mega Church phenomenon.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/02/honk-for-jesus-save-your-soul-puts-unlikeable-characters-into-an-unfunny-situation/
John Michael’s newest Life Is a Sweet, Tender Bruise column, “Without Sadness, There Would Be No Tenderness,” supports adding more kindness and affection to our days.
“The more I allow myself to grieve my past and grieve the losses that come along for everyone during a life, the more tender my heart feels. Kindness and affection are what flow from a tender heart.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/09/01/without-sadness-there-would-be-no-tenderness/
Jason Arment continues his interview with JT Colfax after his time as a mortuary transporter and a JonBenét Ramsey suspect, and talks about his experiences in various jails.
[Jason Arment:] “So, you’re telling me, if Reagan hadn’t closed institutions beneficial to the mentally unstable, you might not have stabbed someone?”
[JT Colfax:] “Yeah. There was nowhere to go. And I never could be homeless. I’ve done it, but I can’t do it as well and professionally as some people can.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/08/30/from-mortuary-transporter-to-jonbenet-ramsey-suspect-an-interview-with-jt-colfax-part-two/
James Jay Edwards reviews Funny Pages, a coming-of-age film written and directed by Owen Kline, and starring Daniel Zolghadri and Matthew Maher. (A24 Films)
“Funny Pages combines subtle comedy with raw emotion and wraps it all up in a story that is both inspiring and disturbing.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/08/27/funny-pages-is-a-raw-and-emotional-coming-of-age-story/
James Jay Edwards reviews Three Thousand Years of Longing, a fantasy film directed by George Miller, starring Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton. (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc.)
“The pasts of the characters is brought to life in a vibrant visual style, full of stunning color palettes and slick visual effects. George Miller is at the top of his game as a filmmaker, and the technical aspects of Three Thousand Years of Longing show his intense creativity coupled with his years of experience.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/08/26/george-miller-does-aladdin-in-three-thousand-years-of-longing/
John Michael’s newest Life Is a Sweet, Tender Bruise column, “Music (and Elvis) as Inspiration and Healing,” looks at the influence that Elvis has played on his life.
“Elvis died in August of 1977. I’m sure my mom broke the news to me, but I don’t really remember. But I do remember the absolute heartache. Don’t take the word “hero” lightly, because a hero shows you where your dreams are.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/08/25/music-and-elvis-as-inspiration-and-healing/
S.M. Park’s column Risen Apes about being a 70-year-old boomer. In “Typecast,” Park talks about going from fast typing to pot cultivation, and some experiences in Amsterdam.
“I carried a camera everywhere in the Nineties and early Aughts and—judging by those snapshots (much less the ones in my photo albums from the period)—I’m either the worst photographer who ever lived or the most stoned.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/08/22/risen-apes-typecast/
James Jay Edwards reviews Beast, a survival thriller film directed by Baltasar Kormákur, adapted from a story by Jaime Primak Sullivan, and stars Idris Elba. (Universal Pictures)
“There’s not much new in Beast, but that’s not the point of it. It is what it is. It’s suspenseful, exhilarating, and downright scary.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/08/19/beast-pits-idris-elba-against-an-angry-lion/
Nancy Townsley imagines what the atmosphere must have been like for Trump the day following his impeachment acquittal in 2020.
“WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 6, 2020 — It was like a giant mafia dinner party, a private affair with only the best people receiving invitations, dressed to the nines to witness his big celebration speech.”
https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/08/17/the-day-after-2020-trump-post-impeachment-acquittal/
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Instead of sending the police to respond to mental health emergencies, New York City has started dispatching social workers and paramedics in their place. Content Warning: The following piece discusses suicide https://thebigsmoke.com.au/2022/02/17/ny-stops-sending-police-to-mental-health-emergencies-mental-health/
This month we celebrate #WomensHistoryMonth. A month dedicated to reflecting on the often-overlooked contributions of women to United States history. Our founder @AlexandraSenter is a native Australian working here in the US with the aim to provide a single platform that acts as a stage for the voicing of varied, topical, and interesting opinions. @The.Big.Smoke and @TheBigSmokeUSA wouldn't exists without her!
Is the worst yet to come? Are there more waves? Who knows what COVID holds in store? The fact is it’s difficult to accurately predict the future trajectory of COVID-19. It may be or may not be the beginning of the end: https://thebigsmoke.com/us/2022/02/06/what-is-the-future-of-covid-19/
What happens to our brains just before we die?
Martyrs Lane is a spooky-as-hell ghost story written and directed by Ruth Platt, and starring Kiera Thompson and Sienna Sayer. Available to watch on Shudder, you do not want to miss this one. Click this link to read the entire review by the talented James J Edwards. https://thebigsmoke.com/2021/09/10/martyrs-lane-creeps-its-way-through-a-slow-burn-mystery/ Follow our page for more content like this! #TheBigSmoke #MovieReview #HorrorFilm #GhostStory #StreamYourFears #scarymovies #datenight #weekendplans #martyrslane #edfilmfest #filmcommunity #Filmisnotdead #indiefilm #cinema #movieblog #edfilmfest21 #horrorfilms #nowwatching
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