A new movie released in Pakistan is being hailed as a remarkable look at the central conflict in the Islamic world – that of moderates versus jihadists – and Pakistanis of all backgrounds are lining up by the thousands to see it. “The story of two musician brothers – one studies music in Chicago and the other becomes a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan following the American invasion – is a fantastical tale that warns its audience of the threat of Islamic radicalism to Pakistanis.”
Author: sbergman
Venice To Celebrate Gay Movies
The Venice Film Festival is adding a prize to its annual lineup which will recognize the best in gay/lesbian cinema. “The Queer Lion award, a take on the festival’s main Golden Lion prize, will go to the best full-length film featuring a gay theme or character. [It took] four years of negotiations to introduce the award.”
Why Do We Speak? (And When Did We Start?)
“In the middle of the 19th century, the main professional bodies governing linguistic research formally banned any investigation into the origins of language, regarding it as pointless. The topic remained disreputable for more than a century, but in the last decade or so, language evolution has eased toward the front burner, attracting the attention of linguists, neuroscientists, psychologists and geneticists.” Now, a new book offers a view into what is regarded as one of the most complicated scientific questions facing humanity today.
Radio Listenership Dropping In Canada
“Canadians are spending less time listening to radio, but the number of stations across the country is rising… Average weekly listening time – which includes mornings, at work and while driving, the three points of the day when most people tune in – has fallen substantially from eight years ago.”
Words & Music
A musical about a pair of rare book collectors? Really? Yes, but these aren’t your garden-variety book collectors. These are the collectors turned literary detectives who exposed the secret life of Louisa May Alcott, and one friend saw something stageworthy in their life and work.
Choking Off All Interest In Cultural Literacy
Is the UK’s populace suffering because of an abandonment of cultural education and enrichment? “Most people, especially when younger, have precious little access to or encouragement in the creative and civilising processes. In schools, music is a Cinderella subject. Teachers who might want to encourage an interest outside the curriculum in books, or poetry, or the past often meet with blind resistance from the parents whose role it would be to assist the enterprise in the long hours and days outside the classroom… It is no wonder there is a lack of cultural ambition among our people, because any squeak of interest is in effect suffocated at birth.”
Taking Liberties With Jane
The latest Jane Austen film to emerge from Hollywood is actually about the author herself – specifically, about her romance with law student Tom LeFroy and his effect on her literary passions. Austen scholars are not expected to be among the film’s fans. “It’s all very be-still-my-beating-heart.” It’s also all very speculative, which is a nice way of saying that it’s probably very untrue.
Not Much Use For Used Books
Book collecting is a solitary pasttime, and the circle of devotees who partake of its delights is a relatively small one. That latter fact can make for a tough market for collectors looking to unload their treasures. “The [internet] has created a buyer’s market, by forcing sellers from all over to compete with each other for titles that are often abundant.”
Music In The Shadow Of Hitler
Two new novels exploring the lives of classical musicians living under Nazi rule in WWII-era Germany are raising eyebrows in the dual worlds of music and literature. At the heart of both books is the chilling conflict of great art in the face of great evil, and the inescapably human decisions that must be made in such situations.
The Perils Of The Indie World
Think being an indie filmmaker sounds like fun, working independent of the big studios and calling your own shots? Think again: “you can be a film festival favorite one day, the victim of a poor test screening the next, and then wake up in the hands of a new, untested distributor.”