The year the towers fell: A look back at 2001

In 2001, American Online and Time Warner merged; Wikipedia launched; George W. Bush became the 43rd President of the United States; Hijackers crashed America Airlines flight 11 and United Airlines flight 175 into the World Trade Center; Nintendo released the Gamecube; Apple introduced the iPod; Microsoft released the Xbox;  Enron declared bankruptcy; Mister Roger’s Neighborhood aired… Continue reading The year the towers fell: A look back at 2001

Best of the 1900s

  Kobelkoff (1900) This short film about “Human Torso” Nikolai Kobelokoff reminds us how different the world was a century ago. With no arms or legs, Kobelkoff became a circus freak. In this short snippet it looks like he is enjoying his life despite his severe handicap. Some viewers will see this as exploitation; they have… Continue reading Best of the 1900s

Best of the 1910s

  The Birth of a Flower (1910) A remarkable achievement from the early days of cinema: a lovely large scale exploration of a small scale occurrence which often flies under our radar.     The Hallucinations of Baron Munchausen (1911) Once again, Georges Méliès demonstrates his enormous creative capacity, using the story of Baron Munchausen as a launching pad… Continue reading Best of the 1910s

Music of the Underground

  Underground (1995) Blacky Popara and a small cadre of associates are trapped in an underground cave in Yugoslvia at the end of the second World War.  Blacky’s supposed best friend Marko Dren, a communist party official, tricks them into believing the war continues on the surface so they will make weapons they believe are used to fight… Continue reading Music of the Underground

The Muppets cleaned up and went to a party at Gummo’s house

  Gummo (1997) Tummler and Solomon supply dead cats to a grocer who then sells them to a local restaurant.  When a rival poaches their cats, they break into his house, discover his catatonic grandmother, and turn off her life support. This film about the people director Havey Korrine grew up with in Nashville is a… Continue reading The Muppets cleaned up and went to a party at Gummo’s house