It stinks!

In our daily lives, we often quote the great cartoon critic, Jay Sherman, with a hearty "it stinks"!  But why?  It seems like an almost visceral reaction that we, as human consumers of food, culture, and entertainment, have to the less-than-ideal circumstances around us.

But I think it is more than that.  Criticizing art by clearly describing why it did, or did not, live up to our expectations is also a way to better understand ourselves, and even better appreciate that which meets and exceeds our idea of the "good".  Likewise, I hope that people who read this blog gain a better understanding of themselves and their tastes by agreement or disagreement with my assessments.

This is a blog that criticizes art in all forms: film, TV, food, beer, literature, music, photography, etc.  I don't pretend to be an "expert" in any one of these particular artistic fields, but I do have pretty good sense of what I deem to be pleasant, moving, or just plain important, work.

So let's get started ...