Switzerland’s Best Foreign Film Oscar submission goes full circle
Swiss co-writer/director Stefan Haupt's The Circle (Der Kreis) is a strong fact-based drama about the struggle for gay rights in Switzerland.
Radical dude: Figaro unbound
L.A. Opera has launched "a city-wide celebration of the revolutionary spirit of Beaumarchais' "Figaro."
Today in African American history: Opera soprano Leontyne Price
Leontyne Price's recordings earned her numerous honors, including more than a dozen Grammy Awards.
“10 Items or Less”: A movie you might have missed
The picture "10 Items or Less," from 2006, is the sort of gentle, insightful film I wish they made more of.
Everything old is old again: A word on remakes and sequels
There's no shortage of creativity out there. It's simply a matter of whether it's being repressed. And it is - in the interest of profit. Another effect of capitalism.
Book offers analysis on Communist International
The history of U.S. communism and the Communist Party, USA isn't an easy subject to write about.
“Billy Elliot”: Broadway musical meets proletarian drama
Combines a commercial, crowd-pleasing form of expression that also roots the characters and plot firmly in class conflict and consciousness.
Hope is the root of activism
Activism like that takes courage and wisdom. It emerges out of deep places in the human spirit, the interior felt-life experience expressed by the arts and also by religion.
Top 10 books of 2014: a holiday reading list
The holidays are upon us in earnest. It's an ideal time to put down the smartphone or iPad and curl up with a good book.
"I Was Nineteen": Movies you might have missed
The 1968 film "I Was Nineteen" was written and directed by Konrad Wolf, who used the film to relate his experiences in the closing weeks of World War II.
