Rich Monetti
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I am, I write.
Stories (1022)
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I Am Not Depressed
"This is what depression looks like," says the pharmaceutical commercial. As my blood boils, we see a pathetic looking person who looks simply like they've give up, thus validating what the strong have always conferred upon those who've been hit by mental illness. A $40 co-pay to see a therapist shouldn't be a surprise then or that New York State's public health plan does not cover mental illness. It doesn't help either that "depression" suffices as a medical term, which misrepresents anyone who's experienced this condition. Let me clarify.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Psyche
Untraceable is Too Much Gore, Not Enough Story
For those who have long surpassed the DVD, you may remember that the case usually provides a positive review to ensnare your attention. Untraceable with Diane Lane references Seven to draw comparison to this like-minded creepy thriller. And while the sheer horror and gore will keep you on the edge of your seat, it’s not really enough to stomach the nausea of this 2008 Gregory Hoblit film.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Geeks
Donald Trump: Despicable and Deplorable
I’m gonna blow. We have this thing called social media that let’s you sound off whenever something rubs you the wrong way. Hello, Donald Trump. But the election taught me how impulsive posts only elevates anger, alienates without resolving anything and makes Facebook fertile ground for unfriending. So my responses have been to encourage people to get involved rather than seething with each unsettling factoid. But after seven months, I just have to vent.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in The Swamp
Cats In the Cradle Means a Man In the House
As a young child, the cats in my house were a couple of pet rabbits. That was simply the best I was going to do. A dog was clearly out and my mother was allergic to cats (which all moms say when their kids pine for a pet). But my senior year in high school had my mom unable to say no to a precocious little cat named Tiffany. Here, I began to receive my education on the merits of a cat's meowing.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Petlife
Jodorowsky’s Dune: What Might Have Been
Frank Herbert’s Dune is largely considered the Holy Grail of science fiction novels. Serving as a cross section study of politics, religion, ecology, technology, and human emotion, it has not lost its relevancy. The scramble for the rights would culminate with David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation, but the cup he gave us left Hebert’s vision empty and almost ended the director’s career. However, an earlier production approached the futuristic envisioning on as grand a scale as the galactic stage the story covers.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Futurism
Nocturnal Animals with Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal Will Definitely Keep You Awake
Nocturnal Animals, written and directed by Tom Ford, begins with a rather large, fat naked woman dancing the stripper pole as part of an upscale LA art exhibit. Unsettlingly paradoxical, the metaphor does reveal itself as the drama eventually unfolds. In other words, there’s much to wince at in waiting for this 2016 tale of love lost and revenge to play out.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Geeks
For New York City Actor Yaron Urbas, Late is Never Bad and Ignorance is a Strength
As good as a set up alongside the punchlines on The Jim Gaffigan Show is, Yaron Urbas has run in tangent with quite a number of roles in indie feature films and television. These include parts with Paul Sorvino, Navid Negahban (Homeland) and Michael Angarano (The Knick) as well as roles in The Blacklist and Orange is the New Black. A down to earth guy with a strong background in almost everything, Urbas got his first glimmer when he landed a part in the History Channel Mini-Series, The Men who Built America. But the "big break" stood in jeopardy after an on-set mix-up meant Urbas wasn't sent a two-page speech the night before and was given only ten minutes to memorize it before shooting. With an entire production on hold, not only did the Israeli born actor refuse to fold, he actually felt relatively secure with everything on the line.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Geeks
New Documentary Explores the 1967 Newark Riots and Racism in America
In 1967, the arrest and beating of an African-American taxi driver by a white cop sparked a riot that killed 26 people, caused millions in damage and led to a mass exodus from the beleaguered city of Newark. These racism in America impacts were easy enough to identify. But when documentary filmmaker Kevin McLaughlin begins Riot by stating that, "The week changed the world forever for everyone who lived there," he's also referring to subtleties that weren't so easy to spot - yet had far-reaching consequences.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Geeks
No Matter the Facts of Real Life Escape From Alcatraz - Clint Eastwood Does Just That In 1979 Film
Long before Tim Robbins (as Andy Dufresne) endured the injustice and indignity of Shawshank Prison and turned the tides on his duplicitous, righteous jailers, Clint Eastwood engineered his own real life Escape from Alcatraz in the 1979 prison break film.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Geeks
Anatomy of a Murder Exhibits Stark Change in America’s Sociological Perspective
Anatomy of a Murder says a lot about how much things have changed in America since it was made in 1959 and makes for a very interesting study in the vast difference in sociological perspective. At the same time, the reluctant charm of Jimmy Stewart holds up as well as ever and still finds no actor today who can carry a movie by simply asserting uncertainty.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Geeks
What Just Happened Amuses Without the Typical Hollywood Movie Excess
The front cover of the DVD case for What Just Happened declares, “laugh out loud funny.” Sorry, the 2009 Barry Levinson film starring Robert De Niro as a big wheel Hollywood movie producer does not live up and appears to have no inclination to even try. But don’t move on, that’s because the Art Linson penned comedy refuses to settle and lets the punchlines play out as if the double-take doesn’t just apply to the titular character’s downfall.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Geeks
Long Island Lawyer Recreates Williamsburg Neighborhood in the Brooklyn Banker
Five years ago, Michael Ricigliano had an idea for a mob movie script, and decided he never wanted to lament what might have been. Taking care of his part from his basement as a Long Island lawyer, the old adage of who you know got him to the next step. “I think he read my script more as a courtesy to our mutual friend,” said Ricigliano of Federico Castelluccio, who played Furio on the Sopranos cast. Of course, being able to write what he knew proved the most important factor in forever keeping any regrets at bay.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Geeks
