Of all our presidents, Abraham Lincoln dominates motion pictures; simply as a character in film, in fact, he ranks in number of appearances up there with such luminaries as Sherlock Holmes and Dracula. (Honest Abe actually encountered some of Dracula’s relatives in the ridiculous “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” of a few months back, and of […]
Section Feature
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Remembering the Wii: Six years of motion controls
A lot sure has changed in six years.
I remember some of it like it was yesterday, like the giant poster-tube-meets-piggy-bank I had decorated with Nintendo Wii images that I had printed out and taped to it. The Wii was going to be the first home console I got on launch day, the first one I scrounged and saved money for (I ultimately got my first writing job to cover those costs), and the first console that I camped out a gruesome-yet necessary 13 and a half hours
Posted inCulture
Wheels that deep fry, keep on turning
After the phenomenal success of this year’s two Food Truck Rodeos at the Rochester Public Market, at this point it’s fair to say Rochester officially has a scene. The problem now is that, due to licensing and zoning issues, very few opportunities exist for the food trucks to operate downtown.
Posted inMovies
MOVIE PREVIEW: The 2012 Rochester Polish Film Festival
The Rochester Polish Film Festival, sponsored by the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies at the University of Rochester, writes its 15th chapter this year, with eight features and four shorts that explore the myriad aspects of the Polish experience. Guest artists who will be on hand to present their work include veteran […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
THEATER REVIEW: “Sister’s Christmas Catechism”
Christmas items started infiltrating stores before Halloween. Holiday music is already on the radio. Thanksgiving is next week. I know, I know; it’s depraved. The holidays are upon us, and it’s safe to say that none of us is ready for the mad rush that accompanies the end of another year. But ready or not, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
DANCE | “The Nutcracker”
Towering Christmas trees, toys that come to life, and visions of sugarplums — the wondrous images that “The Nutcracker” ballet evokes always put me in the holiday spirit. For the 14th consecutive year, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Rochester City Ballet, and the Bach Children’s Chorus have combined forces to present Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” to ring […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
FILM | Miyazaki Series
In 2002 Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki captured the attentions of worldwide audiences with his Academy Award-winning film, “Spirited Away.” Over the next two weekends the Dryden Theatre will conclude its month-long program highlighting five of Miyazaki’s films. On Friday, November 23, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, November 25, at 2 p.m. the theater will show […]
Posted inMusic
MUSIC FEATURE: Charles Pillow
The theme is so grand, it’s almost as well known as the first four notes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. It arrives a long way into the piece, but just about everyone knows “The Great Gate of Kiev” from “Pictures at an Exhibition.” Still, you’ve probably never heard it the way it will be performed by […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
League focuses on Lake Ontario
The Rochester League of Women Voters has decided that its advocacy work will include protecting Lake Ontario and addressing issues affecting the lake. During a meeting last week, the group adopted a position drafted by the Lake Michigan League of Women Voters, an interstate organization of league chapters around Lake Michigan. The position spells out […]
Posted inMusic
DJ/ELECTRONIC: The Quadratic Trio
Have you ever heard an album that made you swear you were under the ocean when you shut your eyes and listened? If you’ve spun The Antlers’ recent release “Undersea,” or the Tears Run Rings masterwork “Distance,” then you know exactly what you’re in store for with The Quadratic Trio. This band takes that spacey […]
Posted inMusic
EXPERIMENTAL FUNK | Dopapod
This Brooklyn quartet bends genre boundaries as easily as a toddler with ESP bends cutlery. Like many bands in the “jam” scene, Dopapod’s incessant touring schedule has honed the group’s sound as well as expanded its fan base. The band’s flurried intensity, deep, concentrated grooves, and superior technical musicianship has wowed audiences at a number […]
Posted inMusic
CLASSICAL: RPO – “Copland, Bernstein — and Tyzik”
You may have seen him wandering recently through the Memorial Art Gallery. Tallish. Glasses. Downstate accent. Both relaxed and hip at the same time. But you may not have realized that he was looking at art and hearing his own music. “I thought it was an interesting concept: that I would select certain pieces of […]
