Friday, April 12 2013
‘This Ain’t California’: Skateboarding, Filmmaking, and Finding Freedom
In Alexanderplatz, the skate punks find the perfect place to stretch out and fly, to resist and have fun, they find "corners, edges, and smooth surfaces everywhere: it was fantastic."
Monday, August 6 2012
Standing at the Edge of a Cliff: China in Two Books
Like the scene in romantic movies where two lovers see each other from across a crowded room and begin running towards one another, culturally the US seems to be rushing towards China as fast as China is rushing towards the US.
Monday, May 14 2012
Systemic and Subjective: The Violence of ‘The International’ and the Global Financial Order
The weapons deals in The International and the back-door negotiations between corporate lobbies and Congress are two sides of the same coin; both use overwhelming systemic violence to further their ends.
Friday, November 4 2011
The Quest to Understand Tribe
This is supposed to be a documentary, not a fan letter. So how about some balance? It's big picture time when it comes to telling the story of hip-hop.
Thursday, November 3 2011
Barbarians Against Barbarians: Henry Kissinger’s ‘On China’
The diplomat believes he’s a skillful player, he believes he’s in control; but the game is much bigger than he is, and defines what he can and cannot do.
‘Maxwell Street Blues’ Is a Toe-Tapping Time Capsule
Viewing Maxwell Street Blues paradoxically stirs simultaneous emotions of melancholy and elation. Much like what happens when singing the blues.
Monday, October 3 2011
What’s the Word? With Obscure Language Like Music Speak, It’s Hard not to Feel Like a n00b
Music writers and IT guys have a lot in common – at least when it comes to their cultivated, insular jargon.
Wednesday, August 24 2011
The Museum of Modern Art Highlights ‘Images of War (At a Distance)’
Visual artist Harun Farocki's MoMA installation fuses images of war and violence with the documentary mode to create a bold, confrontational hybrid.
Thursday, June 16 2011
‘Vanishing of the Bees’ Could Do with More Honey, Less Vinegar
Vanishing of the Bees flits about from topic to topic -- and loses its way.
