February 6, 2026 | Relish

CHASING THE DOLLAR

021020 | sunday

Hollywood will do anything for a buck. Witness the latest news that soon, movie viewers will be treated to a sequel to Ocean's Eleven: Last year's crappy remake of a crappy original. (Read my review here.) The American public will never cease to amaze me for allowing itself to be force-fed mindless tripe. Honestly.

Take the original. A half-assed excuse for the Rat Pack to go to Vegas, drink themselves silly, and get paid. Ok, certainly stranger things have happened and, with the presence of Frank and the boys, one wouldn't have to be a psychic to see that the film would do more than simply survive at the box office. But a good film? Hardly.

Fast forward to 2001… a new group of hipsters, a somewhat (actually, much) weaker story and even better box office results. Movie-goers ate it up. Critics were, for the most part, appreciative of the effort as well and, as usual, producers are clamoring for the "next" Ocean's Eleven. Soderberg et al, not wishing to disappoint the public (or miss an opportunity to make a trunk-full of cash) will deliver the updated product, replete with a full ensemble of "flava de jour" casting and the requisite "To Be Continued?" ending at some point soon. And the public will eat it up. And Hollywood will earn its buck. Just watch out for Beneath the Planet of the Apes: II..

Thoughtful strategy. Practical execution.

Clear thinking, honest perspectives, and experience shaped by years of doing the work. No shortcuts, no borrowed opinions, just lessons learned by showing up, solving problems, and following ideas all the way through.

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February 20, 2026
In case you hadn’t seen these (and also for my friends at Adventure Film ), here are a couple of must-see running movies from Joel Wolpert:  Geoff Roes: Slogging to the Top
By Relish February 9, 2026
Well, this weekend's activities took me to The Summit Course at Cordierra in Edwards which proceeded to kick my sorry ass and let me know that I am not only a poor excuse for a golfer but a bit of a fish-out-of-water when it comes to hangin' with the social elite. I was deemed the first person to sport a chain wallet and earrings (gender: male) to grace the links at Cordierra and am certain that I would have been booted from the joint post-haste had I not been among the company of aforementioned "social elite". It was like caddy "day" at the pool in Caddyshack. Without the boobs and Baby Ruth, of course. I shot about 150 (if you don't count the 73 Mulligans) and managed to donate about 36 balls to the surrounding wilderness. I am definitely no Danny and try as I might, I simply couldn't bring myself to "be the ball". I did carve some wicked divots, however… so the groundskeeper is assured a job for a few more weeks at least. After doing my damnedest to bring shame to my family (both Ma and Pa are excellent golfers), I took in the new film Blue Crush which is not going to win any awards (unless, of course, the Academy is adding "Best Fat Man in a Speedo" or "Teeny-Weeniest Bikini" to their agenda). Which, come to think of it, might not be such a bad idea…
By Relish February 8, 2026
020827 | tuesday