Arts Review
The New York Times throws Roman Polanski to the wolves
By David Walsh and David North, October 1, 2009
The arrest of film director Roman Polanski in Switzerland and his threatened extradition to the US have stirred the baying hounds of ‘law and order’ into action. To these reactionary voices, we ca...
Toronto International Film Festival 2009—Part 1
Polarization and protest
By David Walsh, September 30, 2009
To make useful sense of an event as large and contradictory as the Toronto film festival, which screened 273 feature films from 64 countries this year, is no easy matter.
What does reality require from fiction?
Aravind Adiga and Indian society
By Sandy English, September 29, 2009
Aravind Adiga’s new book of interrelated short stories, Between the Assassinations, exhibits many of the strengths of his Booker Prize-winning novel, The White Tiger, and fewer of its defects.
A dramatic account of the death of Jean Charles de Menezes
Stockwell, by Kieron Barry
By Paul Bond, September 29, 2009
A review of Kieron Barry’s play Stockwell: The Inquest into the Death of Jean Charles de Menezes.
At the Globe Theatre in London
A New World: A Life of Thomas Paine by Trevor Griffiths
By Ann Talbot, September 18, 2009
Trevor Griffiths’ A New World: A Life of Thomas Paine brings to the stage an 18th century figure who made a significant contribution to both the American and French revolutions and whose writings ha...
District 9, an attempt at serious science fiction
By Hiram Lee, September 17, 2009
Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 is a science fiction film about aliens forced to suffer under apartheid when their ship stalls in the skies over Johannesburg, South Africa.
Protest against Toronto film festival collusion with Israeli regime continues
By David Walsh, September 16, 2009
Organizers of a protest against the Toronto film festival’s spotlight on Tel Aviv held a press conference Monday afternoon to explain their purposes and respond to attacks by pro-Israeli forces.
Economic crisis devastates museums across the US
By Sandy English, September 12, 2009
The economic crisis has had a devastating impact on art, historical and science museums in the United States. Beginning in late 2008, public and private museums began laying-off staff, cutting wages, ...
Filmmakers, writers protest Toronto festival spotlight on Tel Aviv
By David Walsh, September 10, 2009
Dozens of filmmakers, writers and others have signed an Open Letter to the Toronto International Film Festival, criticizing the festival’s decision “to host a celebratory spotlight on Tel Aviv.”
Britain: The strengths and limitations of Banksy’s “guerrilla” art
By Paul Mitchell, September 10, 2009
Over 300,000 people saw the exhibition of works by “guerilla” graffiti artist Banksy at Bristol museum and art gallery this summer.
GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra—yet another celebration of militarism and war
By Christie Schaefer and Hiram Lee, September 5, 2009
Based on a popular toy and cartoon franchise, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra is a film that does little more than glorify militarism and war.
Inglourious Basterds: Quentin Tarantino goes to war
By Hiram Lee, September 1, 2009
Director Quentin Tarantino’s latest film is another sadistic revenge tale, this time set during the Second World War.
