Thursday, January 19 2012
Doing The Worst Things Well: What We Can Learn from Anthony Burgess
The 50th anniversary of Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange, along with the recent discovery of a vast archive of the author's unpublished work, should shine fresh light on one of the 20th century's most prolific, daring and underrated writers.
Wednesday, January 18 2012
Gleeks and Beliebers Rejoice: In Defense of Pop
Pop music makers like Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry may get the kiss off from critics, but really, what's the harm in getting your pop groove on to their style of music?
Tuesday, January 17 2012
Misery Loves Comedy, But Has It Killed the Traditional Sitcom?
Comedian Lee Mack believes that realism is the enemy of comedy. But his own series, Not Going Out, proves that the Old-School sitcom is alive and kicking.
Monday, January 16 2012
Machine Guns and Metaphors: Outlaw Poet Todd Moore Remembered
The tough, vernacular, and outsider writer Todd Moore became an icon of Outlaw Poetry; he disdained academia, embraced gangsters like John Dillinger, and made American poetry pulse with dark blood.
Friday, January 13 2012
If at First You Don’t Succeed, Failure May Be Your Style: ‘The Queer Art of Failure’
Rather than searching for ways around death and disappointment, the queer art of failure involves the acceptance of the finite, the embrace of the absurd, the silly, and the hopelessly goofy.
Thursday, January 12 2012
Killing the Page: Comics’ Digital Conundrum
There are thorny creative and artistic questions to be addressed in the development of comics for e-reading; we'll have to get beyond models that see the digital as little more than an adaptation of the analog.
Wednesday, January 11 2012
What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Vampire
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part I is a gratifying escape from reality. Those who are familiar with the books will be pleased with Director Bill Condon's attention to detail.
Tuesday, January 10 2012
Remembering Paul Motian: The Drummer Who Quietly Shook Things Up
It may seem odd to call a drummer “quiet”, but Paul Motian was Mr. Subtle. From the start of his career until the last months of his life, he was shaking things up. Quietly. Brilliantly.
Monday, January 9 2012
Queer Country: Chely Wright’s Coming Out
The upcoming documentary, Wish Me Away, centered on country singer Chely Wright chronicles the pains of coming out in Nashville and raises questions about why more country musicians haven’t come out.
Friday, January 6 2012
The 2011 Looking Glass Awards: Anger Is An Energy
Welcome to the 2011 Through the Looking Glass awards, the Anger Is An Energy edition. This was the year the whole earth shook, sending shock waves in all directions. We don't mean to imply that the seismic shifts were of equal magnitude: not every violent disturbance registered the same on our Richter scale.
Director D. R. Hood and the Dramatic Poetry of ‘Wreckers’
Powerful relationship drama Wreckers takes audiences on a suspenseful trip to the countryside. From London to Palm Springs’ International Film Festival, it’s been a rollercoaster ride for first-time feature director Dictynna Hood.
Thursday, January 5 2012
Return of the Movie Blurb Game
Notional, portable and entirely analog, the Movie Blurb Game can be played anywhere, at any time.
2011: Music’s Most Electronic Year Yet
Vestigial organs like industrial music and the radio dial proved vital in 2011, while house and dubstep were invaded by hordes of uninvited outsiders, proving once again that electronic and plugged-in music is at the vanguard of change throughout the world.
Wednesday, January 4 2012
My Own Private Amazon
You’re a clever Casanova, Amazon. You knew if you could win my love with books, there’d be no stopping us.
The Best Flash Games of 2011
These games taught me: the danger of following the rules; the pleasing presence of unexpected personalities; the pleasures of a well paced and meditative process; the joys of a frantic and chaotic twitch-fest and; the satisfaction derived from a game that brings out my inner masochist.
Tuesday, January 3 2012
Kicked in the Teeth by Art
For a full day, it seemed like I got pummeled by unflinching art. And I feel like I'm better for it.
Designing Fantasy Worlds the Weta Way
Weta Workshop’s Daniel Falconer has designed creatures and worlds from A (Avatar) to X (Xena: Warrior Princess), but with so many projects in his busy schedule, he doesn’t have time for a lot of Zzzzzzzs.
Friday, December 16 2011
O Captain! My Captain! Going Where No Octogenarian Has Gone Before
As "Bill" explores the meaninglessness of celebrity, "Shatner" embraces the shallow and the superficial like an Andy Warhol soup can come to life.
Thursday, December 15 2011
Sex Is Between the Legs, Gender Is Between the Ears
It's been over 70 years since Lili Elbe underwent the first gender reassignment surgery, so isn't it time that media in so-called 'advanced' cultures began to recognize the presence of trans persons in its midst?
Wednesday, December 14 2011
Truth is Fiction: The Work of Haskell Wexler, Part 2, ‘Medium Cool’
Medium Cool is the ultimate amalgamation of reality and illusion. Fictional characters live in real situations; real characters exist in fictional situations.
