As we sit down to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, whether around a table or with loved ones online, most of us won’t pause to wonder where those favorite family dishes come from. Yet each stalk of celery in your stuffing, each roasted turnip in grandma’s dutch oven, and every apple in your uncle’s famous pie connects…
Deus ex machina – 3 words that guarantee a Google the first time they are heard; whether that’s through a discussion on film theory or watching Alex Garland’s sci-fi thriller aptly titled Ex Machina. It is a Latin expression derived from ancient Greek theatre which literally translates to “god from the machine.” During Greek tragedies…
“Shall we begin?” It’s time to reinvent Beethoven! Again! Voguing with Beethoven is an exquisite short film made by Norwegian filmmaker Emilie Norenberg – a talented up-and-coming director. She partnered with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra and the local “Oslo ballroom family” to make this fantastic dance short about identity and belonging. Shot on 16mm film…
An artistic masterpiece may be timeless, but that doesn’t protect it from time itself. Dust, fungi, bacteria, human DNA: All these and more accumulate, microscopically and sometimes more, on the surfaces of artworks when they’re stored, displayed, or moved outside of ideal conservation conditions. Many works now safely encased in museums still bear scars from…
Nepal’s more than 100 distinct ethnic groups have produced over 1,300 different designs of musical instruments, a fact that struck a chord with Ram Prasad Kadel who began collecting Nepali instruments in 1995. Today, he showcases a significant portion of his impressive collection of some 650 instruments in a museum he opened in 2002. Read…
Charles Band is a real legend in the world of independent film directing dozens of titles from Evil Bong to Trancers and Prehysteria! His latest film, Barbie & Kendra Storm Area 51, is the third entry featuring the titular twosome; the prior two flicks in the series are Barbie & Kendra Save the Tiger King…
Approaching the green, on the right-hand side of the fifth fairway at Rockley Golf & Country Club, stands a large stone. This marks the spot where international aviation history began in Barbados. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonBarbados’ first international arrival came by way of an Avro Avian. On March 29, 1929,…
★★★ Directed by: Philip Brocklehurst Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by: Philip Brocklehurst Starring: P.M. Thomas Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’,,Film Review by: ,,Jason Knight The average person spends a third of their life sleeping. When they wake up, what do they think?…
“He’s still your same daddy, even though he looks a bit different.” Freestyle Digital Media has released an official US trailer for an indie love story illness drama titled Starfish, based on a true story. This originally premiered at the Edinburgh & Busan Film Festivals in 2016, and already opened in UK cinemas four years…
This beautiful pedestrian-only Roman bridge has been largely untouched since the Middle Ages. It spans over 190 feet (60 meters) above the Aniene river, a tributary of the Tiber. The Nomentano bridge was once surrounded by the vast and empty expanses of the Roman countryside. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonIts unique…
Although he has only 10 feature films to date in a career that has spanned more than 30 years, Wong Kar Wai has more than solidified his position as one of the true masters of contemporary cinema. Over that time, he has created a distinctive artistic style, one that favors enigmatic narratives often based around…
Freemasonry, or what is commonly referred to as Masonry, can be defined as a member-based charitable organization dedicated to the practice of exhibiting good deeds. They are also known for their secret celebrations. Membership is estimated to be around six million affiliates worldwide. In Scotland, there are somewhere around 32 lodges, places where Freemasons gather for…
A woman goes through a rarely talked about the grieving process in Pieces of a Woman, the latest from director Kornél Mundruczó. This was supposed to be a happy time. Martha and Sean were expecting their first child, having prepped for a home birth that they were confident would go smoothly. When it comes time,…
Greenfield Valley Heritage Park is home to millponds, streams, and historic factories all connected by a pleasant one and a half-mile walking path. This park contains almost 2,000 years of history. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonSome of the industries founded in this area included copper, flannel, and flour mills, along with soft…
This piece was originally published in National Observer and appears here as part of our Climate Desk collaboration. Hidden in anodyne filing cabinets scattered across the federal government’s Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa is a library of 17 million dead bugs. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThe Canadian National Collection of Insects,…
“Uncle Frank” wastes so many natural resources it’s hard to know where to begin. Let’s start with a killer cast, from the underrated Paul Bettany to the dame of modern matriarchs, Margo Martindale. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThrow in Steve Zahn, Judy Greer and rising star Sophia Lillis of “It” fame,…
In 2013, Barnum Museum curator Adrienne St. Pierre discovered what she described as a “rather decrepit old cardboard box” in the museum’s offsite storage facility. Inside was a huge ball of russet animal skin, noticeably aged and with loose bits of fur poking out in wayward tufts. Intrigued, St. Pierre brought the box back to…
Emmanuel Kalisa helped kill a lion, one of the last in Rwanda’s Akagera National Park, around 2002. Lions often mauled cattle owned by local herders such as Kalisa, who grazed their livestock in the park. “I heard lions every night,” he says. “I woke up shouting and threw burning sticks.” So Kalisa and other locals…
Audiences may do a double take when they first see Glenn Close in “Hillbilly Elegy.” The Oscar nominee is unrecognizable as Mamaw, the chain-smoking matriarch of the new Netflix film. It’s based on author J.D. Vance’s celebrated memoir of his Appalachian roots, a tome many said explained Donald Trump’s ascent to the White House. Read…
PBoy, this film lives up to the word “sound” in its title. Writer/director Darius Marder has crafted an incredible, bold, and respectful feature debut. With the simple premise of a heavy-metal drummer slowly losing his hearing, Sound of Metal starts at a ridiculous high, and both Marder and lead actor Riz Ahmed are pressured to…
Until recently, Emily Scherer raised goats in the heart of Denver. They lived in a 33-foot pen on her quarter-acre lot. She used their manure to fertilize vegetable plants whose produce she sold at a stand in her front yard. One goat, she says, produced enough milk for her family of three. Her goats were…