What is this man thinking? Go see ‘Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn’ 2

Film · Ideas & Opinion · Reviews
Radu Jude, director of BAD LUCK BANGING OR LOONY PORN Photo credit: Silviu Ghetie. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures He resembles an Every Man, doesn’t he? Someone Bertolt Brecht might portray in a play — in the good old days, the 1930s. He is the contemporary Romanian film director, Radu Jude, who, borrowing from Brecht ...

Don’t bug out! Go to ‘Bug Therapy’

Film · Ideas & Opinion
You think you have problems? What about our psychotherapists? They have to listen to other people’s problems (OPP) all day long. These wretched folk must be ready to jump out the window. But, luckily, according to Bug Therapy, a new animated light-comedy that’s premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival this week, they may have ...

‘Hygiene theater,’ a good show at Segerstrom, others 1

Ideas & Opinion · Theater
Joan Crawford, Queen of Cleanliness There are copious stories in the New York Times and The Atlanta Monthly calling for the end to “hygiene theater,” that is the fake, fruitless, labor intensive, time-and-money consuming practice of keeping our shared public spaces scrupulously clean. Even the Centers for Disease Control is emphasizing that COVID-19 is spread ...

Girl, you’re a woman now: arts·meme at 13

Ideas & Opinion
kind of looks like arts·meme founder did at 13 While you were all watching Netflix, arts·meme celebrated her 13th birthday. Since I was also watching Netflix on May 24, I missed it as well. But hey, now that things are opening back up, … er… what’s that? We’re closing down again? Opening again? No more ...

Election Day 2020: ‘De-polarize for democracy,’ says dancer Dana Caspersen

Dance · Ideas & Opinion
It seems pretty obvious. We need to tamp down the political polarization in this country. But how do we do that? “They” won’t listen. Let’s put our bodies into it. Assuring us that “We Are Not Doomed,” conflict specialist Dana Caspersen, also a former dancer, has created a special “score,” or physical/mindful exercise, in honor ...

Kristina for king!

Ideas & Opinion · Theater
We already have a king. Some people feel we need a new one. Why not Kristina Wong? She’s nice. She’s funny. And she’s handy with a pandemic. When COVID-19 hit us with our proverbial pants down, she stepped into the breech, making face masks and using the radical route of the United States Postal Service ...

A Martha Graham x-ray of Trump’s COVID medical team

Dance · Ideas & Opinion
“The body never lies.” This aphorism is taught to every student of Dance History 101. It comes from Martha Graham, who received it from her father, Dr. George Graham, a neurological physician. “Martha, you must never lie to me, because movement never lies, and when I see your body I’ll know you are lying.” Dr. ...

The world capitol of ‘colorblind’

Film · Ideas & Opinion
new documentary from first line features According to the myth, that’s Paris. And we don’t mean Paris, Texas. For more than a century, Black artists, authors, musicians and others have crossed the ocean to leave behind the racism of the United States. What made these African-Americans choose Paris? Why were the French fascinated by the ...

Watch this! Launching our new summer streaming video

Ideas & Opinion
The COVID quarantine persists. Stuff we used to do in person, with other people, is offered to us on line. Now this is understandable. The concept is, we should not think that our local theaters have just gone poof! and disappeared. We are cajoled to watch ballet on line, attend a film festival on line, ...

‘America’s Fright Factory!’ Epi 3: Jeffrey

Ideas & Opinion
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WELCOME BACKto“AMERICA’S FRIGHT FACTORY!“ ANNOUNCER: And now it’s back to “AMERICA’S FRIGHT FACTORY!” [Canned applause and whistles as the camera pans across the set, where workers in Haz-mat suits are setting up the third TRIAL.] RIBEYE: And here’s our final contestant! Welcome to “America’s Fright Factory!”, Jeffrey! JEFFREY: It’s an honor to be on “America’s ...