I like this movie better after letting it sit in my mind for a while. As with most Jim Jarmush movies I feel like I’m missing some things, but it did give me a distinct impression of how the mind can operate. I’m reminded of Robert Anton Wilson’s theory of the Thinker and the Prover:…

It was the perfect time for me to read about the life and work of Kurt Gödel, the mathematician who shook mathematics so violently at its foundations in 1931 that there is still widespread disagreement about where it has landed. Of course I encountered his name and theorems in my own investigations of the origins…

An excellent and visually splendid historical account of Islamic empire. We were looking for some background on the Sunni/Shiite conflicts in the middle east, and it provides some of that. It clearly tries to present Islam in a good light, and the atrocities and brutalities inevitably involved in the building of empires are glossed over.…

Death approaches. Now and then a story reminds me that no other premise is needed, this is the engine of drama itself. When a story dispenses with the usual embellishments, though, it exposes itself to the pitfalls of cliché and sentimentality. This film avoids these traps with simplicity as well – with a believable character…

A good enough amusement for a quiet evening, this story of a playwright confronting adulthood in LA doesn’t make quite as much fun of LA as I hoped for, but has it’s clever parts and some funny moments.

The introductory piece tonight is Tibetan Swing by Chinese composer Bright Sheng, a piece inspired by a rhythmic, whirling mountain folk dance. It’s a good mix of foreign and familiar sounds, and a nice tribute to a culture whose survival is threatened. Next Christopher O’Riley takes the stage to play Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the…

Any movie that can pull off being blood-chilling and heartwarming at the same time is sweet sweetness in my blog. Certified Fresh

I can’t believe it took me 11 years to get to this one. Steve Buscemi illustrates the vagaries of life with flair from the perspective of a wayward barfly. Great characters. Referred by Ted

I nearly gave up on this story of a boy growing up in Alabama during the great depression, but then got hooked by the Wild Man of Zanzibar chapter. The poetic throes of childhood passions seemed saccharine at first, but as they matured with the character I grew to appreciate them. Issues like racism and…

Our friend Alan persuades us to see this well-known piano and cello duo perform at the Edna Rizley Griffin concert hall in Fort Collins, even going so far as to buy me a ticket when I was noncommittal. I’m glad he did. The Griffin hall is small and intimate, which allows for a much more…