Category: Reviews
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A Night at the Famed Gabziadze Theatre
Finally, on my third attempt, I was able to attend a marionette theatre show at the famed Gabziadze Theatre in Tbilisi, Georgia. The other two times I was there I found myself shut-out because of a sell-out. The theatre is a quaint place which seeps in reverence for the theatrical traditions of the stage. These…
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Verdi’s NABUCCO – and on Never Giving Up
I had the rare privilege to attend the marvelous opera Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi at the fabulous Tbilisi Opera House. It’s one of those old world European style stunners of a place as you’ll see from some of my photos of the evening. Nabucco is about the story of King Nebuchadnezzar from the book of…
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What Makes a Second-Rate Movie Second-Rate?
Flew home today. 11 hours. Means two things: I’m gonna be tired for the next week, and I had to endure a string of probably-not-great movies. The final film I chose to watch today was a 2021 western from Lionsgate titled “Catch the Bullet.” It was not great. It wasn’t even very good. I watched…
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West Side Story: A Worthy Re-Make
I don’t make it to the movies much these days. Mainly because what Hollywood puts out typically bores me. But musicals, yes, I can’t resist. My last film was IN THE HEIGHTS which was fabulous. When I heard Steven Spielberg was remaking WEST SIDE STORY I had two reactions: 1) why? It’s such a great…
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Upon Reading the First Half of Atlas Shrugged
645,000 words. 1200 pages. Ayn Rand’s classic epic, first published in 1957, is not for the faint of heart. It requires time, patience, and – in my opinion – a thoughtful demeanor to allow it to resonate. I’ve been wanting to read it for years. I had even bought a paperback copy and had it…
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Review of MOSES THE SINGER
Author Colleen Chesebro posted a great review of my latest novel. Here’s her first paragraph: “I’ve been a fan of Mark Sasse’s books for around six years, now. What makes his writing most memorable is how his characters often require lessons to learn and various problems to overcome before they reach redemption. Many of his…
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In Defense of: Cats?
The critics seem to agree. Tom Hooper’s CATS is a disaster, and it is bombing spectacularly at the box office. It is set to lose tens of millions of dollars and will surely never recoup its 100 million dollar budget. I’ve seen the stage version of CATS once. It was in London’s West End many…
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Album Review: Johnson & Keaggy’s Cappadocia
If one could wear out the ridges of a digital LP, “Cappadocia” might be reaching critical mass. Jeff Johnson and Phil Keaggy have created a lush, intriguing, and satisfying album that I can’t stop listening to. “Cappadocia”, named after the semi-arid, beautiful region of Turkey, is really a stunning achievement. Johnson is a master of…
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First Review: A PARTING IN THE SKY (Forgotten Child Trilogy Book 3)
Book reviewer Michelle Clements James has become the first reviewer of A Parting in the Sky which releases on March 20, 2019. In part, she says: “With colorful characters and vivid scenes, the story has a bit of everything–riveting suspense, sensational action, plausible crime, and mystifying fantasy. I was genuinely sorry to finish reading A Parting in the Sky.”…
Author Mark W Sasse 