ABOUT ME

I was asked to be the film liaison for the Town of Carrizozo by Mayor Ray Dean. I had been hosting a “Made in New Mexico” film series for ENMU-Ruidoso, traveling to rural towns in Lincoln County, New Mexico, prefacing each film with a little background and mediating discussions afterwards.

Not that I was enamored with film. I graduated with humanities and psychology degrees in college and went on to finish a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies, concentrating on writing, English and history. Film was not part of my studies but, to this day, I enjoy looking for commonalities and patterns, discovering seemingly disparate components being not as different as believed originally.

I was drawn to several films in the series–the ones considered classic film noir from the 1940s and 1950s: “Ride the Pink Horse” and “The Leopard Man,” “Leave Her to Heaven,” and”Ace in the Hole.”

Then there were the more recent dark movies filmed in New Mexico. “The Feast of the Assumption: the Otero Family Murders,” “21 Grams,” and “No Country for Old Men.”

There is something unique in these movies. I believe they are remarkable, not just because of the classic use of film noir techniques but because of the underlying myriad landscapes, people and customs being shown on the big screen.

I wrote reviews for the local paper and many of these articles serve as the starting point for more in-depth musings.

I hope you enjoy them.