“‘Faith-based film’ is the label typically used to describe movies with an agenda: Some, like 2016’s Risen, exist to proselytize, while others, like 2014’s God’s Not Dead, seek to make a narrow argument about politics or culture. For some audiences, this kind of work may be satisfying, and that’s fine. But ultimately, movies in this genre usually aren’t designed to complicate or challenge people’s worldviews; they’re not created to deepen people’s understanding of themselves and the world. Silence, by contrast, treats faith not as a simple point to be made, but as a heart-wrenching puzzle.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Leading Antiquities Dealer Arrested, Charged For Selling Looted Items
“The dealer, Nancy Wiener, has sold illicit Asian objects to Sotheby’s and Christie’s auction houses, according to the criminal complaint filed in Manhattan Criminal Court. The case is likely to revive questions about the auction house’s due diligence procedures before they sell antiquities.”
Even A Century Ago, There Was A Campaign Against The Crass Commercialization Of Christmas
Here’s the story of the Society for the Prevention of Useless Giving, co-founded by a famous stage actress and the daughter of J.P. Morgan.
Where Did The Whole ‘War On Christmas’ Issue Come From, Anyway?
Blame a book with a too-incendiary title and a conservative media star.
Why Science Took So Long To Accept The Idea Of Animal Consciousness
It wasn’t so long ago that the dread accusation of anthropomorphism could sink scientific careers. (Even Jane Goodall got scolded for giving the primates she studied names.) Why? Because of the nature of the scientific method itself.
Should Scientists Really Bother Going To All The Trouble To Find What’s Unique About Strads?
Acousticians Bruno Fazenda and Trevor Cox suggests several reasons why the answer is probably no.
Pope Francis Names First Woman Head Of Vatican Museums
“A native of Rome, [Barbara] Jatta has worked at the Vatican since 1996, until this year within the Vatican Library, where she oversaw the library’s collection of rare prints.”
Medieval Lamps Stolen From Egypt’s National Museum Found In Emirates
“One Gulf collector had paid £500,000 for one of the lamps while an Abu Dhabi buyer was said to have purchased a second. After lengthy negotiations they were officially returned to Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities in a ceremony in Cairo this month.”
The Dance Moves That Can Heal The Sick, Raise The Dead, And Enable Time Travel (On Netflix’s New Sci-Fi Show)
A Q&A with choreographer Ryan Heffington, who created “the Movements” with magical powers for the series The OA.
Top Posts From AJBlogs 12.21.16
The devastating debut of 4:48 Psychosis (the opera) stands high in 2016’s best
4.48 Psychosis Royal Opera / Lyric Hammersmith, London
The guy behind the ticket counter at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre checked out my Brooklyn zip code and asked “Did you come over for this?” … read more
AJBlog: Condemned to Music Published 2016-12-21
“Meditations on Mortality”: Illustrated Companion to My WSJ Review of Jasper Johns/Edvard Munch at VMFA
John Ravenal, curator of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond , set himself two prerequisites for undertaking the scholarly yet easy-to-love show Jasper Johns and Edvard Munch: Love, Loss, and the Cycle of Life … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2016-12-21
Jazz warms Chi spots: Hot House @ Alhambra Palace, AACM @ Promontory
There are good arguments for building venues just for jazz. But speaking of arts communities in general: Most are moveable feasts, fluid, transient, at best inviting to newcomers to the table. … read more
AJBlog: Jazz Beyond Jazz Published 2016-12-21