News & Topics

  Without a doubt, Johannes Vermeer’s painting “View on Delft” (above, 1659 – 60, courtesy of The Mauritshuis in the Hague) is the most famous vista of that Dutch city which was home to the artist, and the school of light-infused, painstakingly rendered school that both supported him and grew in fame and influence due to his contributions and guidance. ... Read More »

  Is it a commercial short film, or a long-form advertisement? Dunno. Don’t care. Whatever it is, the “Hotel Hell Vacation” mini-movie not only sees the couple of Clark and Ellen Griswold of the “National Lampoon’s Vacation” franchise (played, as always, by Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo) but the HomeAway commercial reminds us of some of our better (or is ... Read More »

  National Geographic Entertainment has decided to pull “City of Life and Death” (above, courtesy of National Geographic Entertainment), a dramatization of Japanese “Rape of Nanking” from a coming screening at Film Forum due to ongoing skirmishes with the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs. [NYT]   DreamTours is offering a 46-day cycle tour across India in 2011. It’s 2,050 miles ... Read More »

  The approach of St. Valentine’s day only reminds us that as much as love can light up your life, it can also be a real downer. One day you’re meeting a nice young girl at a party and the next thing you’re committing suicide next to each other in the family crypt. It’s a familiar story, but no director ... Read More »

  In their ongoing noble quest to chart the strangest locations of McDonald’s franchises on this busy little planet of ours, Jaunted has reminded us of an old gem that had been completely buried under socks and sweaters in the closet of our minds—the existence of a Golden Arches near Rome’s beautiful, famous Spanish Steps. As you can see by ... Read More »

  As we finalize our chips-and-dip plans for Super Bowl XLIV, we were pleased today to see SlateV’s nifty little vid offering speculative takes on what it would look like if some of our favorite filmmakers directed the “big game”. Here, classic tackles are given that extra Tarantino crunch a la “Kill Bill”, Eli Manning has a Lynchian freak out ... Read More »

  For those of you who spent their teens or early adulthood enjoying the pleasures of Dr. Martens boots, moshing and pogoing, and blistering punk, the promise of a feature-length documentary on the Bad Brains, one of the pillars of the Washington D.C. hardcore is a welcome blast from the past. Formed in 1977, Bad Brains is that rare all-black ... Read More »

  If we had to write up a list of things that need changing in China, the world’s most populous and oldest country, we might focus on issues of humanitarian rights, slave labor, environmental pollution, or banning Jackie Chan films. But, as recent tensions over the renaming of a treasured mountain peek after an “Avatar” location revealed, the Chinese have ... Read More »