Tom Stoppard | Lightnews

Brice Ezell

@briceezell.bsky.social

590 followers 450 following 2K posts

Writer, critic (@PopMatters), teacher. ATL.
PhD in English, University of Texas.
Modern drama, theatre, and philosophy.
Writing a book on Tom Stoppard.
Also a denizen of debate-land.
https://boxd.it/1rEO5

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Sir Tom Stoppard is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and political freedom, often delving into the deeper philosophical bases of society. Stoppard has been a playwright of the National Theatre and is one of the most internationally performed dramatists of his generation. He was knighted for his contribution to theatre by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997. .. more

Art 49%

Philosophy 16%

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Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · Jan 14

Years ago, I started noticing that post-2016 America could best be divided into days that felt like SOUTHLAND TALES and days that felt like TRUE DETECTIVE season two. I put this theory of mine into words for the good folks at @mid-theory.bsky.social: mid-theory.com/2025/01/14/t...

The Southland-Vinci Theorem

Using Los Angeles as a synecdoche for the nation, these stories ambitiously try to chart the scale of America’s degradation, only to find that it’s easy to become artistically inchoate in the proce…

mid-theory.com

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 1d

But some rando on TikTok the other day, as so many people do, said that the best advice for those who want kids but fear the finances is: "Don't worry, you'll make it work." Sure thing!

Dana Fried @leftoblique.bsky.social · 1d

This is an insightful but deeply upsetting article about why everyone in the US feels poor, and why the current political situation emerges as a direct result.

www.yesigiveafig.com/p/part-1-my-...

Part 1: My Life Is a Lie

How a Broken Benchmark Quietly Broke America

www.yesigiveafig.com

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 1d

@brofromanother.bsky.social’s review of TRAIN DREAMS aptly speaks to why, as much as I like the movie for what it’s trying to be, I can never fully love it for the adaptation that it is. What they did with the wolf-boy scene alone keeps me at arm’s length. boxd.it/bQnR5P

A review of Train Dreams (2025)

Back in September, a friend visiting the city for TIFF pressed a copy of Denis Johnson's novella into my hands—his copy, as it turned out. He wanted me to have it and to read it before I saw the movie...

boxd.it

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 1d

JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH, by the by

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 1d

I get why studios think they can put out slop in the theatres when this is the kind of box office return you can get from a movie whose only reviews I’ve read are “this is one of the worst things ever made”

Reposted by Tom Stoppard, Kate Jackson, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Dana Fried @leftoblique.bsky.social · 1d

This is an insightful but deeply upsetting article about why everyone in the US feels poor, and why the current political situation emerges as a direct result.

www.yesigiveafig.com/p/part-1-my-...

Part 1: My Life Is a Lie

How a Broken Benchmark Quietly Broke America

www.yesigiveafig.com

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 2d

Ok, maybe there is such a thing as take addiction

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 2d

My one indulgence in this year’s B&N Criterion sale, a masterpiece of our time.

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 2d

I cannot wait to see what your collection looks like if (a) you keep up with this habit and (b) this is the type of art you keep going for

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 2d

I have finally gotten good at grading essays at a resonably quick pace and it is one of the best things I've done for myself professionally. Still, with that said: I begin every stack with the same sense of dread.

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 2d

Signing a guy who looks like former Vine star Nick Colletti... very LA-vibes move for the Lakers.

Shams Charania Tweets @shamsbot.bsky.social · 2d

The Los Angeles Lakers are signing center Drew Timme to a two-way NBA deal from their South Bay team, agents Deddrick Faison and Rich Gray tell ESPN. Timme played for the Nets to finish last season and then joined Lakers' G League, averaging 25.5 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists.

Reposted by Tom Stoppard

Shams Charania Tweets @shamsbot.bsky.social · 2d

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 3d

I'm not convinced Frank will be the long run guy, but one thing I know for sure is that if we continue to do a roulette wheel of managers we aren't going to get any more stability or improvement.

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 3d

A lot of Spurs fans seem to think that the Europa trophy was an indiciation of future trophies, rather than the dying (but glorious) gasp of the Kane/Son era as it ended. We finished SEVENTEENTH last year for God's sake.

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 3d

Seeing Spurs fans call for Thomas Frank to be fired immediately is sending me into more of a doom spiral then losing 4-1 to a team that is decidedly better than us on every metric, even if that team is a hated rival.

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 4d

THE LIFE OF CHUCK really surprised me. It’s not perfect, but it’s much more ambitious and free-spirited than its trailer let on (its vibes were “what if CLOUD ATLAS was THIS IS US?”). It’s certainly the best artwork in 2025 to have THE LIFE OF as its first three title words.

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 4d

All-time odd bumper sticker just seen in ATL: “I used to listen to Five Iron Frenzy”

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 5d

It’s not a good movie (not sure the original musical is much better), but the recent TICK… TICK… BOOM film has some catchy tunes that feel like direct homages. “30/90” is Billy Joel’s “Angry Young Man,” and this is straight up Prefab Sprout (attn @jessehawken.bsky.social) youtu.be/zmSprl2moqI?...

Andrew Garfield - Johnny Can't Decide (feat Vanessa Hudgens & Joshua Henry) (Official Audio)

YouTube video by Garfield

youtu.be

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 6d

Was friends with the family of the Orthodox priest in my hometown (12 kids!), and I was told that the Orthodox actually got the trinity RIGHT, unlike those dastardly Catholics. To me the answer seemed to be "Yes to the Trinity... but also kinda not really..."

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 6d

My wife tells a story of her time seeing the musical on Broadway, her first time ever seeing a stage musical, in which she stood up, applauded, and got ready to leave right after "Defying Gravity." The right reaction!

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 6d

ENDYMION and THE RISE OF ENDYMION are great novels, but both arguably didn't need the connection to HYPERION to tell the story they tell. (Though what a prescient connection the now-crank Simmons made in the '80s and '90s: interstellar AI collapse leads to Catholic theocracy. On point, Simmons!)

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 6d

There's an article to be written about artworks that are structured around having a second part, sequel, or series, that are not made better by the story playing out that way. Dan Simmons' novel HYPERION is a masterpiece, and THE FALL OF HYPERION is so not-good that I almost never return to it.

Corey Atad @coreyatad.com · 6d

ah man, yeah, Wicked 2 really can’t overcome the play’s shoddy second act. in retrospect, maybe the best reason to have split it into two movies was allowing the first act to stand on its own. as is, Part 2 has not a moment of spark, and it somehow looks even worse than the first.

Reposted by Tom Stoppard

Corey Atad @coreyatad.com · 6d

Brice Ezell @briceezell.bsky.social · 10d

The universe gave us a quarterback with more wow and talent than Brady who immediately got results, but (1) the QB has an actual division, unlike Brady’s Pats, (2) racist mascot, (3) uneven defensive performance. Brady Luck truly cannot be overcome.