I wrote some weeks ago Twitter that Jim Henson was the creator of much of the happiness of my childhood. That may sound like an unholy dissing of those nearest and dearest to me, and of Indian food and cheesecakes, two of the culinary touchpoints of growing up for me, Continue Reading
Movies
Weekend pop art: Healthy food with a side order of pop culture
Laleh Mohmedi is an immensely-creative person. A food artist and mother, Mohmedi has never been content to provide pedestrian food offerings to her son Jacob, resulting in meals that are not only vibrantly healthy but striking in their evocation of a vitally-imaginary host of pop culture characters. The delight of Continue Reading
Is there still magic in the world? Pixar’s Onward uses heart and humour to find the answer
SNAPSHOTSet in a suburban fantasy world, Disney•Pixar’s Onward introduces two teenage elf brothers who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there. The feature will be directed by Dan Scanlon (Monsters University) and produced by Kori Rae. (synopsis (c) Coming Soon) Continue Reading
The short and the short of it: Dinosaurs and humans come too close for comfort in Battle at Big Rock
SNAPSHOTA family on a camping trip to Big Rock National Park, about 20 miles from where Fallen Kingdom has ended, take part in the first major confrontation between dinosaurs and humans. (synopsis via IMDb) “It’s a dinosaur, it eats what it wants.” Wiser words have never been spoken, especially in Continue Reading
A true selfless act always inspires another: Klaus and the origins of Santa, toys and all that giving
SNAPSHOTWhen Jesper (Jason Schwartzman) distinguishes himself as the postal academy’s worst student, he is stationed on a frozen island above the Arctic Circle, where the feuding locals hardly exchange words let alone letters. Jesper is about to give up when he finds an ally in local teacher Alva (Rashida Jones), Continue Reading
Movie review: Falling Inn Love
Are you a cynic or a romantic? That may sound like an odd question to pose at the beginning of a review of a romantic comedy film since the underlying assumption is that as a partaker of this type of Cupid-esque confection that you are totally on board with the Continue Reading
An undead family history: How zombies have changed over time in popular culture
SNAPSHOT“The zombie, they say, is the soulless human corpse still dead but taken from the grave and endowed by sorcery with a mechanical semblance of life. The zombies of Haitian folklore are controlled by a sorcerer called a bokor who uses them for his own ends often for menial work Continue Reading
Weekend movie poster art: Harley Quinn emancipates herself with cheeky chutzpah in Birds of Prey
SNAPSHOTMargot Robbie will be reprising her Suicide Squad role of Harley Quinn in the film, which also stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain, Ewan McGregor as the villain Black Mask, Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz and Rosie Perez as Continue Reading
What’s hiding in the most solitary place on Earth? Deep Sea has the answer … and it’s not Ariel
SNAPSHOTThe water pressure here is 1,086 bar. Taking a swim here is like having to balance 1,800 elephants on top of you. But even here, life has found a way to thrive. Next to sea cucumbers, white and light pink amphipods wiggle their way through the water. Their size is Continue Reading
The Matrix: Exposition in action (video essay)
SNAPSHOTThe Matrix utilizes [sic] so many great filmmaking techniques that it’s hard to focus on any specific one, but I’m continually impressed by how they establish an entire world filled with complex rules in a way that feels effortless. In this video, we look at how The Matrix manages to Continue Reading