In the course of his relatively long but somewhat subdued career in the cinema, John Sayles has pretty much done it all, and now and then even, as they say, had it all. Beginning, like a lot of filmmakers of his generation, with an apprenticeship with the legendary schlockmeister Roger Corman, he may not have […]
Articles
Posted inCulture
The rockets’ red (white and blue) glare
In the wake of the World Trade Center’s destruction, are celebratory fireworks still OK? More than ever. For one thing, fireworks can be used for Freudian sublimation: Take that, you rotten, sub-human terrorist scum — POW! ZAPP! and BANG!! And just to show that our spirits (of ’76) aren’t dampened, nor our ability to appreciate […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Living without, living within: Voluntary Simplicity in action
The back lawn was knee-high before the Fourth of July, and the garden hose, which I’d snaked out along the grass weeks earlier, was as good as buried. I went down on all fours, searching with my fingers through clumps of greenery — darkery, considering it was 10 p.m. A fool’s errand. But then I […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Reader feedback 7.3.02
I was pleasantly surprised by
the remarkably fair treatment the Promise Keepers event in Rochester received
in City (“The Cross and the Y
Chromosome,” June 19)…
Posted inNews & Opinion
Ted Altier
A gentle, quiet pillar of the community, Ted Altier, died June 21 after a long and brave struggle with illness. Ted epitomized a special kind of Rochester civic leadership: fiercely committed, and fiercely low profile. He was active in numerous organizations — board member of the Rochester Philharmonic, WXXI, the Finger Lakes Health Systems […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Library in limbo: How low can it go?
Administrators of the Monroe County Library System are “sitting on pins and needles” these days, says MCLS director Richard Panz, but not in anticipation of the long-delayed fifth Harry Potter book. In this case, it’s the figures for the county’s share of the library system’s 2003 budget that are late — over three months […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
A God-fearing people
The Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional because it includes the phrase “one nation, under God”? When I heard about the California court’s ruling, I thought: Well, yeah. Who could argue with that? Never underestimate the insecurity of religious folks, though. And never underestimate elected officials’ ability to pander. No sooner was the news […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Allegiance to history
You have to wonder how Francis Bellamy (1855-1931) would greet today’s fracas over
the Pledge of Allegiance.
Posted inMusic
Honky honky honky
You know what drives me nuts? Honkys. I don’t think I’m coming down too heavy on my pale brethren when they sell themselves short. Allow me to explain. Last Thursday Vince Neil (sans the Crüe) played the Water Street Music Hall to a tragically small crowd. The band sounded great and seemed stoked to be […]
Posted inMusic
Beat nuts
What you need to understand before we begin is that hiphop is a culture. It’s a theory, a philosophy. But like the Tao, or trying to define exactly what “porn” is, it’s hard to nail down. Hiphop incorporates breakdancing, MCing, DJing, and graffiti, but it is not defined by those elements alone. It’s a movement […]
Posted inMovies
Kickin’ it all the way back to the early ’80s
I had to drive to Toronto to see one of last summer’s most overlooked films, but this Saturday night, thanks to the Dryden Theatre, you’ll be able to treat yourself — without leaving the country — to Wet Hot American Summer. It’s a brainy spoof of those popular bawdy teen sex romps from the late […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Predatory loans: on borrowed time?
In the late 1980s, when Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura teamed up for the film Predator, America was deregulating and otherwise fantasizing its way into economic trouble. Soon enough, ordinary working people spied some monsters among the dollar signs. One was called consumer debt, with credit-card marketers getting top billing. There are stealth predators, […]
