Jamesian Philosophy Refreshed

I recently saw the movie Black Mass, based on the criminal career of Whitey Bulger and his protectors in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was a fine movie, and as cineastes by now know, it features a subtle performance by Johnny Depp in the leading role. Surprisingly subtle, in that Depp's career has been built on characters he paints in very broad strokes -- Captain Jack Sparrow comes first to mind, The one scene that sticks to my mind is a dinner at which Bulger and his two FBI buddies (Connolly and Morris, IIRC) are sharing barbecue, while the wife of one of the G-men is upstairs in her bedroom, feigning sickness. Yes, there is an intense after-dinner confrontation between Bulger and Mrs. Connolly in this context, but that is not the bit I'm thinking of right now. The bit that sticks to my mind is at the dinner table, where Bulger tells Morris, who has been working at the grill, that the b-b-cue sauce he's using is delicious. Morris boasts it is a family ...

SPOILER ALERT. I'm about to discuss a movie still in theatres. I will do so without regard for whether you want the various twists and turns to come as a surprise. So if you're going to this movie, and you do want to be surprised, stop reading now. It isn't that I'll spoil all the twists, but I'll simply write in a way indifferent to what I spoil. Clear? Good. Still with me? Better. Here's the thing. The central female character in the movie is famous, in a way she does not welcome. She is named "Amy," and is the daughter of a husband/wife writing team who have created a successful series of books collectively entitled  Amazing Amy . The fictional "amazing" character's life is a somewhat fictionalized version of the actual Amy's life growing up. The police detective who first investigates Amy's disappearance buys into this confusion, at least early on. She recognizes "Amazing Amy" related materials around the h...