Category Archives: Film

A Merry Middle Earth Christmas

Posted on December 4, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Now that we have officially entered the Christmas season in the U.S.A., what could be more festive than a claymation special starring Gollum and the Hobbit gang. Christmas in Middle-Earth is the wickedly charming musical brainchild of actor/musicians Brendan Dalton. … Continue reading →

Posted in Animation, Art, Books, Film, Music | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

It’s a small world

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The older that I get, the more often I stumble on snippets of information online that immediately triggers personal memory links to my own experience. In this category, I recently saw a reference to the innovative science-fiction short La Jetée by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Books, Europe, Film, Middle East, movies, Photography, South America, Tourism, Travel Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The true home of Halloween ?

Posted on October 29, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Did you know that Halloween began on the island of Ireland? 🎃 The spooky season began as an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”), celebrated over 2,000 years ago. Marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Film, History, Tourism | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Trans-Global Express

Posted on October 22, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

If you love train travel as much as I do, I’m certain that you will enjoy this charming, award-winning film about international train travel. Alan Dransfield had an inspiration for “Trans-Global Express” and here is his story: “A tapestry of … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Europe, Film, Public Transport, Tourism | Tagged | 1 Comment

“Get on the stick”

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

While I was watching the new Marvel spin-off TV series “Agatha All Along”, which revolves around a coven of witches, I wondered when witches were first depicted flying on broomsticks. Thanks to the net the answer involved the image pictured … Continue reading →

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Iceland in a nutshell

Posted on October 6, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

It’s been a hot minute since I indulged my Iceland obsession, so here’s a marvelous video that will have you packing your bags for a Winter trip to the otherworldly travel paradise. SNÆFELLSNES – ICELAND IN A NUTSHELL by Alessandro … Continue reading →

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Below down under

Posted on September 29, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I’ve been pondering a trip to Antarctica ever since I sat by a beach near the bottom of New Zealand’s South Island and saw a sign that pointed south reading “South Pole 4897 km”. Now, 4897 km is no short … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Photography, Tourism | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Puffling

Posted on September 26, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Regular visitors to TBTP will be aware that I am enamored with all things Iceland. Of course that includes the unofficial symbol of the country the puffin. In coastal cities in Iceland, including on the Vestmannaeyjar islands, it’s common to … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Film, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Magic Lantern

Posted on September 22, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

These days Prague is another victim of European over-tourism, but 30 years ago it still was a place of history and mystery. I recently saw the marvelous 1993 documentary below that has had me waxing nostalgic for the Prague that … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Books, Europe, Film, History, Libraries, Museums, Theater, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

When Ray Bradbury channeled Herman Melvile

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I was today years old when I learned that the iconic American Sci-Fi writer Ray Bradbury was also a Hollywood screenwriter. The Los Angeles Review of Books recently published a fascinating story on the fraught collaboration between Bradbury and the … Continue reading →

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