The medieval village of Dozza sits amidst miles of vineyards just outside Bologna. The first houses date back to the ninth century, and the wall surrounding the city to 1086, when Bolognese forces conquered the village. In 1960, Dozza established the Biennale del Muro Dipinto (Biennial of the Painted Wall). It was, and still is, a…
In 1904, a collector named J.T. Micklethwaite brought a rare “death’s-head” spoon to a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries of London. Declaring it “too grim to be put to ordinary use,” he pointed to the engraved skull at the top of its stem, complemented by the message “Live to Die” on one side and…
Sitting just outside Brighton’s main shopping center, most people are too preoccupied to notice that the seemingly ordinary benches they are sitting on are actually two giant hypnotic radios. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThese futuristic designs have become a huge part of the Brighton scenery. If those venturing by took a…
Roseanne Liang is no film school reject. Although she was accepted into medical school, she instead studied computer science and film theory and went on to earn her Masters in Creative and Performing Arts at the University of Auckland. Liang then began her career in the industry as an assistant editor, but directing was always her…
★★ Directed by: Wesley Wittkamper Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by: Wesley Wittkamper, Jeff Gass Starring: Ric Borelli, Lisa Guerrero Coles, Mark Staten, Dan Thiel, Paul Bynum, Kevin Glikmann Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’Film Review by: Jason Knight An evil supervillain is planning…
Welcome to Movie DNA, a column that recognizes the direct and indirect cinematic roots of both new and classic movies. Learn some film history, become a more well-rounded viewer, and enjoy like-minded works of the past. This entry recommends movies to watch after you see the Eddie Murphy sequel Coming 2 America. If we’re talking…
“The Golden Bear goes to a film which has that rare and essential quality of a lasting art work. It captures on screen the very content and essence, the mind and body, the values and the raw flesh of our present moment in time.” The 71st Berlin Film Festival (also known as just Berlinale) has…
Indie artists are showing corporate America they don’t need them anymore. Think Ryan Long, Tim Dillon, Tom MacDonald, Tim Pool and other entrepreneurs carving out successful careers without the usual distribution channels. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonBuddy Brown was ahead of this particular curve. Make that miles ahead. He discovered the…
★★★★ Stars Directed by: #EmmettMalloy Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by: #SamSweet Starring: #ChristopherWallace, #DamionButler, #SeanCombs, #DonaldHarrison Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’Film Review by: Alicia Moore “This documentary features rare footage filmed by Christopher Wallace’s best friend, Damion ‘D-Roc’ Butler, and interviews with…
This pedestrian tunnel in the city of Zagreb runs underneath the historic neighborhood of Grič. Built during World War II, the tunnel was originally intended to serve as a bomb shelter and transport link through the hill of Gornji Grad. It measures 350 meters long and up to 5.5 meters wide, connecting Mesnička and Stjepan…
In 1482 Leonardo Da Vinci was challenged to build the largest equestrian statue the world had ever seen. Despite the legendary artist and his patron’s best efforts, the monumental Cavallo dello Sforza would not become reality until a retired airline pilot from Pennsylvania took it on as his own personal mission. Charles Dent was a…
“It’s like they were trying to blend in.” Check out this short film from animation filmmaker Joe Bennett, a strange animated trip into the world of Park Rangers. With an appearance by Bigfoot, too! Just wait until you see him. Derecho is a 10 minute short film, featured by Vimeo. It was originally presented by…
When the reality of the pandemic hit, nearly a year ago, something unexpected happened: Americans began gardening. Alarmed by a possible breakdown in food supply chains, and inspired by wartime Victory Gardens and lockdown boredom, people across the country who never grew food before developed green thumbs. For many pandemic gardeners—including me—the experience was a…
Following Sarah Silverman’s woke journey could leave you woozy. The far-left comic started her career as a take-no-prisoners stand-up. That attitude, combined with her, “oops, did I really say that?” pose helped make her a star. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonShe was rude, raw and frequently hilarious. Read moreRobert Stack Finally…
To the inattentive eye, Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (2020) don’t seem to have much in common. Fury Road is a gritty, big-screen action epic, and Kipo is an animated Netflix series aimed at children. The title characters appear to be polar opposites: Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) is…
The find was perplexing. In 2015, cave explorers inching through a vertical passage in northern Italy’s Marcel Loubens Cave discovered a partial human skull. The cranium was missing its jawbone, and sat upended on a slim ledge near the top of the shaft. No other human remains were found there, and there was no sign…
The crime comedy “Pixie” dissolves in the mind as you’re watching it. You’ve seen it before. And the “it” you’ve seen before is the most derivative version of “it.” Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonGather ’round, children. There was a period from roughly the mid-1990s through the early aughts when the success of “Pulp…
Turn on any television in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, or New York during summer in the early 1980s, and you were likely to catch a commercial featuring a creepy mime trapped behind an invisible wall, the shadowy figure of a hunchback rounding the corner of a darkened staircase, and a headless woman swatting away the…
Melissa Haizlip’s award-winning documentary, “Mr. Soul!”, has now been nominated for Outstanding Documentary (Film), Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Motion Picture) and Outstanding Writing in a Documentary (Television or Motion Picture) at the 52nd NAACP Image Awards. The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the…
On the corner of the property of the Prophett-Chapman, Cole, & Gleason Funeral Home stands a memorial, but the subject of its dedication may surprise you. The plaque on the statue’s front reads, “This seal is for the children of Bridgewater… Never lose your imagination” Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThe granite statue…
Who can’t resist a good, heartfelt film about the life of dogs? I know I can’t, and I am sure there are plenty of dog lovers who will share in the sentiment. Stray, from director Elizabeth Lo, retains the power to not only appeal to dog lovers but to a wider breadth of audiences as…