Chewing Up the Small Screen
While more well-known for “big screen” parts, actors of note Tim Roth and Ian McShane can be seen raising the stakes on the so-called “small screen” this season in “Lie to Me” and “Kings,” respectively.
Video Digest
A collection of 131 issues
Conason on Paine
For those preparing to celebrate Thomas Paine’s birthday on January 21, we recommend another look at Paul Collins’s biography or this video wherein Joe Conanson examines the Bush presidency through the context of Paine’s championing of open government.
Bottling Miraculous Creativity
Talking about creativity is tough. It’ll be two hundred times harder after you hear Elizabeth Gilbert’s inspiring talk from the TED conference about serendipity that hits your work if you graft hard enough.
Thoreau in the Towel
As the Mayan Calendar ticks towards an apocalyptic finale, some filmmakers use the moment as a rallying cry. Ze Frank and crew have a better plan: Point and laugh in the face of end-times.
Herzog’s Ecstatic Antarctic Truth
Werner Herzog’s “Encounters at The End of the World” is more than whimsical characters and stunning underwater Antarctic photography. It’s about his search for truth, life, and stories, and it thoroughly deserves Academy Award recognition.
Parental Guidance for Star Wars
“Star Wars” is one of few cultural touchstones that requires a whole chapter in the parenting manual. Attempts to recount the original trilogy indicate that the earlier children are shown the films, the cuter the results.
Starship Troopers Revisited
The first installment predicted the War on Terror, the second has never been seen. Now the third “Starship Troopers” movie tackles the cultural theory behind an “infinite war.” Take note.
Determining the Best Thing
When it comes to things, what thing is best? This video provides an introduction to the extensive studies conducted by the Counter-Intuitive Comparison Institute of North America. Think more about the things that you surround yourself with.
Cube! Defender of the Polyverse!
Some video games seems ludicrous; CUBE is ludicrous, funny, but probably not real. It forces us to pit video games against the great outdoors. Who will win?
Urban Wakeboarding
Be on the lookout for wakeboarding culture-jammers tearing up local corporate water features: We ponder how climate change will mold the post-apocalyptic extreme-sports scene.