Haven't two hundred years of failed missionary work overseas taught anybody anything? You can't convert people to anything - whether religion or something as inane as our flicks.

The spread of civilisation may be likened to a fire first a feeble spark next a flickering flame then a mighty blaze ever increasing in speed and power.

Unfortunately 'chick flick' has become a term to describe most movies that I don't even like. They're these movies that yes have women in them but they really don't reflect who women are and there's something kind of silly or shallow or gossipy about them.

Movies for adults sucked in the 1980s and music for adults sucked even worse whether we're talking about Kathleen Turner flicks or Sting albums the decade's non-teen culture has no staying power at all.

Young love is a flame very pretty often very hot and fierce but still only light and flickering. The love of the older and disciplined heart is as coals deep-burning unquenchable.

Happiness for you we walk on a knife edge. To the eyes you are a flickering light to the feet thin ice that cracks and so may no one touch you who loves you.

It's sort of an action flick. You can't be that funny trying to steal diamonds.

Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame very pretty often hot and fierce but still only light and flickering. As love grows older our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals deep-burning and unquenchable.

Grief is a bad moon a sleeper wave. It's like having an inner combatant a saboteur who at the slightest change in the sunlight or at the first notes of a jingle for a dog food commercial will flick the memory switch bringing tears to your eyes.

'American Horror' goes for a very specific kind of Seventies suburban downer ambience - 'Flowers in the Attic' paperbacks Black Sabbath album covers and late-night flicks like 'Let's Scare Jessica to Death.' It even has 'Go Ask Alice'-era urban legends.

I'm noticing a new approach to art making in recent museum and gallery shows. It flickered into focus at the New Museum's 'Younger Than Jesus' last year and ran through the Whitney Biennial and I'm seeing it blossom and bear fruit at 'Greater New York ' MoMA P.S. 1's twice-a-decade extravaganza of emerging local talent.