Adina Bernstein

We all know the stereotype of a fairy tale princess (who may or not be unconscious) waiting for a man to rescue her and save the day.
The new Hulu movie, The Princess, takes this stereotype and smashes it into pieces. When we first meet the title character, simply known as the Princess (Joey King), she is laying on a bed and wearing a beautiful white wedding dress. Opening her eyes and sitting up, she discovers that her hands and legs are chained together. After refusing to marry Julius (Domi...

Learning to write can only be described as a process of trial and error. For every polished piece or story that is published, there are others that are still in messy draft form.
Many writers (myself included) started writing via fanfiction. Fanfiction is fiction that is based on previously released work. The beauty of this genre is that there are so many opportunities to take the narrative in a new direction. The story can be a prequel, a sequel, go inside a character’s head, take place in a...

The new non-fiction book, Pandemic, Inc.: Chasing the Capitalists and Thieves Who Got Rich While We Got Sick, by J. David McSwane, was published in April. Since Covid-19 entered the United States in January of 2020, the government has spent billions of dollars to keep the nation economically afloat. One million lives have been lost. While I feel that we have to remember that this virus is new to us and therefore a medical hurdle in its own right, we also have to recognize the chaos, corruptio...

There is something about a British accent that is compelling to the American audience. It makes the viewer sit up a little straighter and pay attention. It helps, of course, if the voice is that of a redhead. Below is a list of six female British redhead performers to watch (if you’re not watching them already).
Rebecca Mader
This Cambridge-born actress is best known for playing Charlotte Lewis on Lost and Zelena/The Wicked Witch of the West on Once Upon a Time. Known to her fans as Bex, she ...

Thirty years ago, A League of Their Own hit theaters. Starring Geena Davis, Madonna, and Tom Hanks, it told the true story of the AAGBPL, an all-female baseball league that played in the lieu of the men who were fighting overseas during World War II. At the time, the movie was a massive hit. It was supposed to open the door to more on-screen female-based narratives that were based on more than love, marriage, and motherhood. “Supposed” is the keyword here.
Can There Be More Than the Token Fem...

The best stories are universal. Regardless of the period it takes place in, the language, and the culture, there is something or someone for the audience to understand as their own.
In 2002, the indie film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, became an unexpected hit. The heroine of the film, Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) is far from the usual romantic comedy female lead. She is not a size 2, not a blonde with blue eyes, and is, well, ethnic. Put upon by her large, and outspoken Greek-American family...

As an adult, it’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind. Work, marriage, kids, etc., can eat up our day before we know it’s gone. Sometimes we need a proverbial kick in the behind to remind us to take time to breathe and bring out our inner child.
The 1991 film, Hook, is a sequel to the beloved childhood novel Peter Pan, by J. M. Barrie. It stars the late and still beloved Robin Williams as the adult Peter Pan and Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook. When his children are kidnapped by Hook, Pet...

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A Lesson About The Health Release of Emotions That is Universal, Regardless of Age
Meowy and Ruffy is a whimsical children's book that follows best friends, Meowy and Ruffy on a typical day. They imbue simple wisdom through the questions they pose while discovering the world around them. "What do you do when you feel blue?" asked Ruffy, "I close my eyes and let some yellow in," said Meowy. Coupled with magical illustrations that take a dive deep into their imaginations, the friend...

After nearly two years of living with COVID-19, I think it is pretty safe to say that most of us have been touched by the COVID-19 virus, either directly or indirectly.
Recently, two people that I am very close to have caught COVID.
In early January, one of my relations was hospitalized and caught the virus in the process. Thankfully he was home in a few days. This person is older and has a number of health problems. When I was told that given his age and medical condition, he would have been...

In 1953, a new play premiered. Written by the legendary playwright Arthur Miller, The Crucible is loosely based on the Salem Witch Trials. Though the narrative is based on historical events, Miller was indirectly talking about McCarthyism and its destructive effects. The claim was that Communists had somehow infiltrated the United States. When the movement finally died down a few years later, it was not without consequences. Lives and careers were forever ruined, even when it was revealed tha...

Every religion has its own formal way of asking for forgiveness of our sins. In Judaism, the High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) are two of the most important days of the Jewish calendar. During that time, we ask both G-d and our fellow mortals to exonerate us from our negative actions during the previous year.
This is the second year in which Covid-19 has drastically changed the way the High Holidays are celebrated. In the before times, the shul (like many shuls across the world) wh...

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A self-help book that is unimaginative and fails to inspire readers to move on.
Love and loss collide and intermingle in this brave autobiographically inspirational story. Well-watered is an authentic depiction of the author’s strength – a strength born out of her vulnerability, and a deep bond which she shared with her mother.
Her command of the English language, as well as a French based creole allows her to interweave a discourse on a mother’s love with grief; access the humour a...

A few weeks ago, my best friend from college and her husband came for a visit. They live in upstate New York, near where we went to school. We’ve been friends for nearly 20 years. As much as I appreciate the conversations over social media and text, there is nothing like having a conversation in person. It was a lovely weekend that I will forever treasure.
Then the message popped into the text app on my phone the Tuesday after they returned home. My friend said that she had a fever. I was hop...

I love a good romance. The first spark of something, the quickening heartbeat of the growing attraction, the crescendo when the couple comes together, and the happy moment when they walk off into the sunset. It brings a smile to my face that compares to few things within the world of fiction. The problem is that too many narratives insert a romantic storyline that feels forced, unnecessary, or half-written.
The Last Letter from Your Lover, based on the book of the same name by Jojo Moyes, was...

When considering whether to accept a job or not, one of the factors is the work-life balance. In an ideal world, we would be able to leave at the same time every day and have the rest of the evening or weekend to ourselves. But some jobs require more time than others, even when they bleed into our non-work lives.
One of the most appreciated and loved mainstream films of the first decade of the 21st century is The Devil Wears Prada. Based on the book of the same name by Lauren Weisberger, the ...