Sensitive Man

"A Sensitive Man" proves a double-edged label for nice guy Jerry Hart, a play-by-the-rules husband and modestly ambitious executive who finds himself suddenly single again in Nat Colley's bittersweet comedy at Moving Arts in Silver Lake. Featuring versatile Richard Whiten and April Grace in multiple roles, Colley's perceptive, well-written play cuts a wide swath through issues of male identity, relations between the sexes, and race as it traces Jerry's disastrous forays into the dating scene.

"Ivanov," the play in which Anton Chekhov was still testing the formula for his dramatic breakthrough, is usually revived in somberly autumnal shades. So the opportunity to see the play thrillingly brought to life in brazen color, courtesy of director Bart DeLorenzo, is one that no serious aficionado of modern classics should pass up. A co-production between DeLorenzo's the Evidence Room and the Odyssey Theatre, where the show opened last weekend, this deliciously vivid, deliriously accelerated staging respects both the gravity and gaiety of Chekhov's 1889 play (nimbly translated by Paul Schmidt)

A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. So goes the ethos of masculinity from the western right through to some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters. But a funny thing happened on the way to the box office this season: Nobody got "Carter," Sylvester Stallone's latest take on the man's man role, and after yet another big-budget action flop, even the uber-masculine and once ultra-reliable Arnold Schwarzenegger may be reaching the end of his days.

When Rafik Ismail Hamad last traveled from the West Bank to visit relatives in America, he was struck by the pressures one of his nephews was facing. The younger man, an American-born Muslim of Palestinian descent, spoke to his uncle of ethnic taunts by Army colleagues. He was haunted by the wartime disabilities of soldiers he treated as an Army psychiatrist, Hamad recalled, and was overwhelmed by a growing caseload he felt unable to manage. On top of that, the uncle said, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan had drifted apart from his family; he was a sensitive, solitary man bearing his burdens alone.

Both Arles and Van Gogh must be proud because Jerry exposed the world over again to the romance of Van Gogh's life. Jerry is a sensitive man. DAVID JOHNSON Los Angeles

Timothy Dalton on his decision to portray James Bond as a sensitive man of the '80s: "If you go back to the books themselves, you're dealing with a real man, not a superman; a man who is beset with moral confusion and apathies and uncertainties, and who is often very nervous and tense."

Elaine Dutka's ability to get Sylvester Stallone to talk about his failed relationships, his movie bombs, his fears as well as his success was insightful ("Give This Guy $20 Million," May 14). Stallone may be a hard, unemotional good guy in his movies but Dutka's piece makes him a realistic, sensitive man who has stress and makes mistakes just like anyone else. This human side of Stallone that the feature projected makes him more appealing to the public and I plan to see his future movies.

That Arthur Ashe has AIDS is sad news indeed ("Tennis Great Ashe Reveals He Has AIDS," April 9). He seems a decent, sensitive man. And as deceitful as the invasion of his privacy was, it need not be for nothing. George Bush called him. President Bush does not call the patients I work with or the selfless health care providers I am privileged to assist who give their hearts and skills to those patients every day. Ashe is angry. He has a right to be. But when he calms, I hope he will find the strength to address the work that still lies ahead in this field and the legions of people who need medical and emotional support to deal with this insidious disease.

Re "Voters favor McCain over Clinton in '08," Times / Bloomberg Poll, Dec. 14 It sickens me to read that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) would easily defeat Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) if an election were held today. It is not that Clinton would be my candidate of choice. The point is the apparent lack of severe criticism of McCain by the American public. This man has proved himself to be more than willing to suck up to the Bush administration in order to curry favor down the road.

"Ivanov," the play in which Anton Chekhov was still testing the formula for his dramatic breakthrough, is usually revived in somberly autumnal shades. So the opportunity to see the play thrillingly brought to life in brazen color, courtesy of director Bart DeLorenzo, is one that no serious aficionado of modern classics should pass up. A co-production between DeLorenzo's the Evidence Room and the Odyssey Theatre, where the show opened last weekend, this deliciously vivid, deliriously accelerated staging respects both the gravity and gaiety of Chekhov's 1889 play (nimbly translated by Paul Schmidt)

Re "Voters favor McCain over Clinton in '08," Times / Bloomberg Poll, Dec. 14 It sickens me to read that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) would easily defeat Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) if an election were held today. It is not that Clinton would be my candidate of choice. The point is the apparent lack of severe criticism of McCain by the American public. This man has proved himself to be more than willing to suck up to the Bush administration in order to curry favor down the road.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art's film department is celebrating the life and career of the actor with a two week-retrospective, "Gregory Peck: An Actor and a Gentleman," which kicks off tonight at the Leo S. Bing Theatre with two of his earliest films, "Spellbound" from 1945 and 1947's "Gentleman's Agreement." Peck, one of Hollywood's favorite sons, died in June at 87.

A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. So goes the ethos of masculinity from the western right through to some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters. But a funny thing happened on the way to the box office this season: Nobody got "Carter," Sylvester Stallone's latest take on the man's man role, and after yet another big-budget action flop, even the uber-masculine and once ultra-reliable Arnold Schwarzenegger may be reaching the end of his days.

The following is from the journal of a Hollywood reporter who's suffering a bout of clarity. Wednesday, 8:42 p.m. "Random Hearts" press screening. Directed by Sydney Pollock. Starring Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas. How long, Lord, how long? This movie is a three-hour slow-motion train wreck.

"A Sensitive Man" proves a double-edged label for nice guy Jerry Hart, a play-by-the-rules husband and modestly ambitious executive who finds himself suddenly single again in Nat Colley's bittersweet comedy at Moving Arts in Silver Lake. Featuring versatile Richard Whiten and April Grace in multiple roles, Colley's perceptive, well-written play cuts a wide swath through issues of male identity, relations between the sexes, and race as it traces Jerry's disastrous forays into the dating scene.

Elaine Dutka's ability to get Sylvester Stallone to talk about his failed relationships, his movie bombs, his fears as well as his success was insightful ("Give This Guy $20 Million," May 14). Stallone may be a hard, unemotional good guy in his movies but Dutka's piece makes him a realistic, sensitive man who has stress and makes mistakes just like anyone else. This human side of Stallone that the feature projected makes him more appealing to the public and I plan to see his future movies.

For 29 years I have been taking life, as the old saying goes, like a man. That's American-speak for keeping your face as dry as the Sahara. No tears allowed. Like most men of my generation, this code of emotional conduct was ingrained in me at an extremely young age. The shrieks and howls I let loose upon emerging from my mother's womb were just about the last tears I shed without a pack of men immediately shouting at me to "walk it off" or "suck it up."

The following is from the journal of a Hollywood reporter who's suffering a bout of clarity. Wednesday, 8:42 p.m. "Random Hearts" press screening. Directed by Sydney Pollock. Starring Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas. How long, Lord, how long? This movie is a three-hour slow-motion train wreck.

For 29 years I have been taking life, as the old saying goes, like a man. That's American-speak for keeping your face as dry as the Sahara. No tears allowed. Like most men of my generation, this code of emotional conduct was ingrained in me at an extremely young age. The shrieks and howls I let loose upon emerging from my mother's womb were just about the last tears I shed without a pack of men immediately shouting at me to "walk it off" or "suck it up."

That Arthur Ashe has AIDS is sad news indeed ("Tennis Great Ashe Reveals He Has AIDS," April 9). He seems a decent, sensitive man. And as deceitful as the invasion of his privacy was, it need not be for nothing. George Bush called him. President Bush does not call the patients I work with or the selfless health care providers I am privileged to assist who give their hearts and skills to those patients every day. Ashe is angry. He has a right to be. But when he calms, I hope he will find the strength to address the work that still lies ahead in this field and the legions of people who need medical and emotional support to deal with this insidious disease.