Category: Culture (Page 9 of 23)

While the COVID-19 virus technically emerged in 2019, the pandemic got very real very quickly in the US in March 2020. It was a stark enough change that I still remember some of my ‘lasts’ from that March. I worked my last in-person shift on March 9. I attended my last in-person activist meeting on March 10. Last trip to the movie theater: March 11. And last trip to a coffee shop: Friday, March 13.

I’ve done a couple of those things again in 2021 or 2022. But it was a huge gap. It’s hard to believe it’s been a full 2 years since the start of the pandemic. It hit home for me a few weeks ago when the Englert Theatre notified me it had canceled a Dweezil Zappa show. A show originally scheduled for late March 2020. So, yeah, it’s been a long time.

It’s a good time to check in. Have we learned anything?

Continue reading

I suppose this post is part statement and part confession. But I like a certain kind of movie. What kind of movie? Here’s a way to describe it: the movie concerns professional class people and their problems. Especially their various neuroses – their anxiety, guilt, and other issues.

I thought about this recently when reflecting on why Stanley Kubrick stands out as one of my favorite directors. He excelled at making this kind of movie! In a bit less politically savory move, I might also point out that Woody Allen made quite a few good movies like this (e.g., Manhattan, Annie Hall). But Allen is a tougher choice for people who want to tie their evaluation of a movie to their evaluation of the director’s character.

Continue reading