Arts & Culture

According to Sandra Lee Dixon, the new film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire celebrates violence rather than challenges it. But she entirely misses the point of the work and of the second of a trilogy of novels on which it is based. Yes, the premise of the film is brutal…

Scott McConnell reviews Notorious, directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Scott McConnell reviews The Mark of Zorro, directed by Rouben Mamoulian. zorro.jpg

Recently actor Matthew McConaughey, speaking of his desire to “evolve” as an actor and make more interesting films, shared his perspective on selfishness with GQ: I got much more selfish. I'm a fan of the word selfish. Self. Ish. When I say I have gotten a lot more self-ish, I…

[caption id="attachment_9808" align="alignright" width="300"] Image: Randstad Canada[/caption] ABC’s reality show Shark Tank offers a rare showcase of the character and abilities that entrepreneurs and investors cultivate to create and build businesses. The show features entrepreneurs who pitch their ideas to five investor “sharks” and seek to negotiate financing. On past…

Monsters Inc.—the story of lovable monsters who learn to make children laugh rather than scream—is one of my favorite Pixar animated films and among my top films of any genre. I was therefore thrilled that Pixar (now owned by Disney) created a prequel, Monsters University, released this week on DVD.…

Can you tell the difference between “real” modern art and the artwork of toddlers? You’re not alone if you can’t. A few years ago, ABC displayed “masterpieces of modern art” along with junk, such as “a piece of framed fabric ‘20/20’ bought at a thrift store for $5.” Most people…

When people think of 3D printing, they typically have in mind high-tech mechanical or medical devices, but this technology offers much broader potential than one might suppose. Fashion designer Michael Schmidt and architect Francis Bitonti have created what they describe as “the first fully articulated gown” using computer modeling and…

Jeff Britting, a composer and curator of the Ayn Rand Archives, has adapted Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem as stage play, which will be presented in New York City by the Austin Shakespeare Theater Company. Under the artistic direction of Ann Ciccolella, the production was originally performed in Austin, Texas in…

With this week’s DVD release of Star Trek into Darkness, now is a good time to evaluate or reevaluate the oft-stated Star Trek claim, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” (or “the one”). This claim is made in various scenes in the films, including in…