“From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring.” — J.R.R. Tolkien A chronicle of a relationship that is no longer nurturing, The Souvenir follows Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne, “I Am Love”), a young film student in London during the 1980s as she navigates to adulthood through a minefield…
Performed at the Swan Theatre in July 1597, “The Isle of Dogs,” a satirical play (now lost) written by Thomas Nashe and Ben Jonson was labeled “seditious, slanderous, and lewd” by the government and led to the arrest of the actors (including Jonson) and the closing of all London theaters for months. The nature of…
That will do, super pig. That will do. Animals never have it easy in Bong Joon-ho’s world: “Barking Dogs Never Bite” paints those that yap as vermin that need terminating, “The Host” mutates a fish into a rampaging abomination and now Okja follows a hybrid fated for the abattoir. Yet, rather than rage at or…
“Lawrence of Arabia” is a respected title that conjures images of adventure, masculinity and the mystic charm of the Middle East. A film of epic proportions, it glamorized explorer T.E. Lawrence, an academic whose presumed knowledge of the culture and politics of the area impressed both English and Arabic leaders. Unbeknownst to most, however, English…
The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a curious film of links. There are links between its world and the wider MCU. The central premise depends on links between different dimensions, from which sorcerers draw and utilize mystical energy. And it manages the tricky task of forging links between magic and science,…
The Marvel Cinematic Universe keeps marching forward, even with, as some would say, their lesser echelon characters leading the way. In this case it’s Stephen Strange, coming at us in the upcoming fantasy tale, Doctor Strange. How exactly he’s going to fit into the MCU puzzle is still a closely guarded secret, but one thing…
Have you ever hailed someone? You know, much more than just greeting, rather saluting in a profound, almost belittling veneration signaling an orderly obedience. Neither have I. I’ve been close, though. I’m too much of a fetishist to resist the temptation every now and then. My kind of people are artists and thinkers, preferably dead…
