La La Land’s “Another Day of Sun” as Utopian Entertainment
La La Land’s opening number, the dance performance “Another Day of Sun”, is about much more than just dreaming the traffic fantastic.
Features
Carly Simon’s ‘No Secrets’ Created the Bond We Feel with Singer-Songwriter Music
Carly Simon’s No Secrets established what’s known as the “Carly Simon Principle”: the bond we feel with singer-songwriter music and how fans map their own meaning onto popular songs.
‘Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands’ Is a Spicy Brazilian Cinema Classic
Bruno Barreto’s romantic charmer Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands is rich with sensuous detail that fills every scene with dizzying amounts of culture, music, and atmosphere.
The 10 Best Warren Zevon Lyrics
With Warren Zevon’s acerbic, graceful, and macabre wit still lingering long after his death, we look back on his most lasting lyrical contributions.
The 10 Best English Language Propaganda Films of World War II
“All art is propaganda,” George Orwell observed. Indeed, these 10 Best English Language Propaganda Films from WWII are quite artful with their propaganda.
The 10 Best Nirvana Songs
Nirvana’s songs melded heavy riffs, captivating pop hooks, dynamic verse/chorus shifts, and soul-scarred catharsis into the most notable rock of the 1990s.
Ellen McIlwaine Made Music For ‘We the People’ 50 Years Ago
By combining multiple styles, playing techniques, and cultural influences, Ellen McIlwaine challenged notions of genre classification and embraced music as a “universal language”.
Sebastián Lelio’s ‘The Wonder’ Trashes History
What we have with The Wonder is a film that begins by discussing a historical crime and ends up committing one – or at least the narrative equivalent.
The Crowning Glory of Chicago’s Blues King Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters’ Hard Again is his best studio album. It’s a glowing monument to him and to what electric Chicago blues can be at its very best.
Freedom Is an Endless Meeting: The Utopian Vision in ‘Women Talking’
In Women Talking, director Sarah Polley masterfully illustrates how new futures can be possible by reckoning and wrestling with the past and present.
Differing Depictions of Poverty in Brazilian Films ‘Barren Lives’ and ‘Central Station’
Brazil’s recent presidential inauguration provides the background for excavating Brazilian Cinema’s depictions of poverty in Barren Lives and Central Station.
The 20 Best Jazz Albums for Beginners
If you’ve always wanted to get interested in jazz, jump in. Don’t approach it with fear or a sense that you don’t know enough about it. It’s just a smorgasbord of stuff to enjoy.