Yearly Archives: 2023
Writing Music For Rolling Boulders
"Composing for movies, often mischaracterized as auxiliary to the primary work of filmmaking, is an art form in its own right. At its best,...
The Woman With The Many Languages
With (far) more than 350 dialects of indigenous languages spoken across the United States, and few interpreters, vital information can fall away. "When you...
Tearing Down Old Buildings To Build New Ones Is So Pre-Climate Emergency
The second word in the three Rs of environmentalism is reuse for a reason, writes Rowan Moore of planned London construction. "The most sustainable...
Wolf Biermann Is A Singer Whose Music And Moral Stances Once United East And...
"Biermann was born under Nazism, in 1936, and raised in West Germany. As a teenager, he defected to the East and made a career...
Let’s Just Calm Down About AI And Music
All right, recent events are alarming for actual musicians. But "even a more radical artists-rights activist like Kevin Erickson, director of the Future of...
The Secretive YouTuber Recording, And Changing, Amusement Park Design
Come for the scoop about people getting conceived on a Garfield ride in Pittsburgh, stay for the philosophy: "Perhaps if we better understand amusement...
The Czech Film Festival Karlovy Vary Has Brought A New Old Filmmaker To The...
That is to say that Japanese director Yasuzo Masumura, who died 37 years ago, is enjoying a renaissance thanks to the festival. "There is...
The Women Who Have Interpreted Dylan
Cher "ran into Dylan in a New York recording studio as her version was climbing the charts. He told her that he dug...
Even The Best Directors Are Going Franchise, But Why?
Chloe Zhao followed up Nomadland with a Marvel tentpole. Greta Gerwig is about to release Barbie. Barry Jenkins is directing ... a Lion King...
How The Heck Did ‘Barbie’ Find Itself At (Cold) War With China?
A crayon drawing, maybe. "Vietnamese censors have banned or altered several other movies that showed disputed areas as being under Beijing’s control. The list includes...
Actors Step Up Strike Preparations, Share Them On Social Media
"The union that is in the midst of tense contract negotiations with Hollywood’s major studios published a 42-second video on that showed members wielding...
Pianist, Crossover Artist, And Pops Conductor Peter Nero Has Died At 89
"Nero was a national treasure. He appeared with Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis and other headliners; released 72 albums; conducted the...
Watermelon Woman Finally Gets Long Overdue Honors At The Criterion Channel
Why did this take so long? Blame the GOP. "In 1997 Michigan Republican Congressman Pete Hoekstra derided The Watermelon Woman as 'possibly pornographic.' ... He decried...
When A TikToker Approached A ‘Looking Defeated’ YA Author, You Won’t Believe What Happened...
Or, you might. "The video was posted to TikTok on Sunday and was flooded with supportive comments. ... On Monday, Warner tweeted that the...
One Dance Principal’s Mission Is To Be ‘As Human As Possible’ In Classical Ballet
American Ballet Theater principal Cassandra Trenary says, "I’m trying to find a balance between being the most human and the most stripped down and keeping it...
How Indigenous-Owned Record Labels Are Changing Canada’s Music Scene
The people are doing it for themselves: "Indigenous musicians are building their own foundation within Canada's music industry after years of feeling excluded from...
Macron Blames Protests And Riots In France On Video Games – A Long-Debunked Theory
"Seeing him mention this is almost anachronistic. The evidence is very clear that whatever may be going on in France, whatever violence is occurring,...
Drawing Birds Can Change Your Life
David Sibley: "Drawing is a way of slowing down to take the time to look at something, and drawing also gives you a record...
Libraries Across The Country Made Digital Books Accessible To All Students, So Mississippi Banned...
The openly homophobic and transphobic law means that "even if granted parental permission, minors may not have materials available to them." Texas is likely...
The Rise and Fall Of “Smooth” Jazz
It really was just a marketing niche. This pressure to program for the broadest, least attentive listenership possible could lead to absurdity. - The New...
Taylor Swift Studies: A Growing Number Of Universities Are Offering Courses On Her
Rather than an excuse for fans to talk trivia and swap comfort songs, these courses seem to incorporate a measure of academic rigor. For...
Using VR At The Theatre
He realised that in this case technology had triggered deeper emotions than a stage performance. "VR is a very personal experience as opposed to...
Graydon Carter Takes To The Air
Over the decades, Carter had formed a “repertory company of writers, editors, designers, illustrators, and photographers,” as David Kamp, a member of the troupe,...
The World’s Last Remaining Silent Movie Theatre
For most of the world, silent films died out in the 1930s. But in Brussels, the Cinematek — the only remaining cinema in the world with...
The Difference Between Nationalism And Patriotism
The words nationalism and patriotism are sometimes used as synonyms, such as when Trump and his supporters describe his America First agenda. But many political scientists, including me, don’t typically see those...
