FIU history professor Darden Asbury Pyron first got to thinking about the rhinestone-studded enigma that is Liberace while browsing at a bookstore several years ago. Pyron picked up a memoir by one of the great pianist’s lovers and got completely weirded out when he flipped to a photograph in the…
His name appears in almost every book written about Groucho Marx, so much so, he has been given the appropriate appellation by members of the Marx family: Wesso. But Paul Wesolowski is of no relation to the famous clan. He’s a man in his 40s who lives outside Philadelphia and,…
If all the world’s a stage, then surely a courtroom is the place to see some of the best drama. Just think of Johnnie Cochran, striding across a courtroom and slamming down his briefcase, or O.J. Simpson, struggling to squeeze his huge hand into the glove that didn’t fit. A…
War, as many have said, is created by old men to be fought by young men. In today’s world that ancient adage must be amended to include young women. While many American kids stroll through their school years without much more to worry about than clothes and grades, too many…
Could there be any less appealing image than that of a fat Martin Lawrence in drag scratching his rear, as on the poster for Big Momma’s House? The idea of sitting through any movie promoted in such a fashion brings to mind the hideously awful It’s Pat: The Movie, or…
As a systematic ichthyologist (a scientist who explores the diversity and classification of fishes) for the Smithsonian Institution, Carole Baldwin has grown accustomed to her share of “swimming with the fishes.” But when she starred in the IMAX-3D film Galapagos, on land and under the waters of that nineteen-island chain…
Three hundred sixty-five days a year the sparkling waters of Biscayne Bay beckon one and all. Fortunately not everyone heeds its siren call. Otherwise the soothing sea might more resemble I-95 during morning rush hour instead of a placid place for relaxation, contemplation, or recreation. Those rush-hour nightmares may come…
So, when was the last time you shared a woman with your dad? No, not your mom — don’t be gross. You know, just some woman who you and your dad both dug, who perked you up a bit. It’s probably been awhile, huh? What? Never? Well that may be…
Remember Love, American Style? It was a lighthearted attempt at feminism and gender-bending, which somehow always ended up in bawdy, wide-angle shots of breasts and behinds and concluded in catty dialogues that took place in a huge, brass four-poster bed. As a youngster I tuned in for the opening shot…
The cultural impact of the new economy on our world has some interesting manifestations. Take airports, for instance, in this era of hypertravel. To relieve the tedium, they house all kinds of imaginable amenities for a population whose personal lives are subordinate to business demands, embodied in the business-class traveler…
For a moment or two, David Lowery–frontman for the band Cracker, and before that, beloved college-radio revolutionary sweethearts Camper Van Beethoven–found himself enjoying the book. He laughed in the right places, winced in the appropriate spots, and thought, for a moment, the book wasn’t half bad. And there’s no reason…
Brazilian filmmakers have enjoyed a reputation for being some of the most prestigious and talented in Latin-American cinema. From early works, such as O Cangaceiro by Lima Barreto (1953), one of the most emblematic Brazilian films, to Black God, White Devil (1964) by Glauber Rocha, to Vidas Secas (1963 )…
As the title suggests, Faith (Fé) explores the world of faith in Brazil. It documents spirituality at the end of the Twentieth Century in this vast and diverse nation, showing us all types of religious celebrations, rituals, sacred offerings, and pagan cults. From the lower Amazon to the arid northeast,…
Apart from mass cultural annihilation, Beatniks, Hee Haw, some dumb-ass sports, and the freak shows of Brentwood, most pop-culture trends are not homegrown but imported to America after prolonged cultivation overseas. Take tofu, for instance, dubbed le curd du soy by uncredited Belgian sailors exploring China centuries before we discovered…
In the prehistoric days of cinema, before the advent of sprawling air-conditioned multiplexes and five-dollar buckets of greasy popcorn, folks just set up their big screens outside and stretched out underneath the stars to marvel at the celluloid magic. It was kind of like a drive-in without the fumes or…
World peace is a tall order. Most of us around here would settle for peace in Miami-Dade County. Global-hybrid band Alabina comes to Miami Beach with the musical message that ethnic differences anywhere in the world can be settled through multicultural song and dance. Unfortunately named lead singer Ishtar has…
Michael Moore often worries about being seen — and worse, dismissed — as the plump, ball-cap-wearing windbag who barges into company headquarters, demands to see the chairman of the board, then gets kicked out or even arrested. He frets about being reduced to a stuntman of shtick, Captain Ambush, the…
Over the River and Through the Woods (written by Joe DiPietro and directed by Kenneth Kay) is one of those plays you walk out of saying, “Gee, my mother would have loved that,” and lo and behold, you look around and there is your mother — and all of her…
Do not judge Shanghai Noon by its trailer, which serves as the very antithesis of advertising: It begs you to stay far away from any theater in which this film is screening. Laden with dreary sight gags (a horse that stays by sitting … just like a dog) and woeful…
The Belgian film Rosie opens with an interview of a thirteen-year-old girl (Aranka Coppens) in juvenile detention for an unknown crime. The sequence’s immediacy and bareness somehow resemble interview scenes from The 400 Blows and Vivre sa Vie, but this first impression is a mirage. Rosie is less intellectual and…
Quick: Who was the most unbelievable movie character to appear onscreen in recent memory? Jar-Jar Binks? Mini-Me? South Park’s Saddam Hussein? All may be supplanted by Joline (Heather Graham), the main character in Committed. See, Joline is a young, hip New York club owner who actually does what she says…
Great tango dancers are said to have “adoquín” or “cobblestone” beneath their feet. The dramatic poses and deliberate drag of the dance tell the story of the streets of late-nineteenth-century Buenos Aires, when Italians crossed the Atlantic in droves to work in the booming Argentine industry. The Bad Life in…
