Why We Can’t Have Nice Things: chapter 3,104
Yes, there’s been another lapse of blogging here. I’ll make up for it with an unreadably long post today, and the promise of shorter posts in the days to come. But first, some thoughts on the demise of the late, and not-very-lamented, line-warranty program offered by the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority. On paper, the…
WDUQ general manager Hanley to leave station
WDUQ’s sale to a non-profit joint venture has yet to be completed, but already there is a major personnel change at the station: General manager Scott Hanley will soon be signing off the air. After 16 years in the position, Hanley announced on his blog yesterday that he accepted a job as the interim chief…
MP3 Monday: Truth In Advertising
Howdy! How about that basketball thing? The thing with the team that we like that was supposed to win. But then it didn’t win. In fact it — What’s that? Just give you the MP3? Okay, okay! Getting down to it: This week’s free MP3 download comes from Truth In Advertising. The folky duo of…
Short List: Week of March 17 – 24
Thu., March 17 — Art Photographer Robert Raczka has some questions about lawns like the one he owns. What’s a lawn for? What makes a lawn a lawn? Must they all look like golf courses? Are there ways to have a good lawn that don’t require environmentally damaging watering regimes, toxic doses of herbicide and…
BRGR
Cleverly topped sandwiches make this a destination for burger lovers
Red Riding Hood
This would have been a much better music video than full-length film. The mountain scenery; the charmingly cheesy medieval-village set; shots of the moon glowing red; two good-looking young men; one showboating priest; and a gorgeous wide-eyed blonde (Amanda Seyfried) running through the snow, with an impossibly red cape billowing behind her. There’s very little…
Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grand Master
Wilson Yip directs this semi-biographical film, while kung-fu master Sammo Hung directs the fight sequences, and also co-stars.Ip Man (Donnie Yen) struggles to get his fledging Wing Chun school going, and to be accepted by the city’s clannish martial-arts masters. These tensions naturally lead to a few matches, including an acrobatic bout atop a rickety…
Paul
British actors-screenwriters Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have affectionately skewered zombie pics (Shaun of the Dead) and mashed up an English cozy mystery with a Hollywood actioner in Hot Fuzz. Now, in Paul, the pair indulges their sci-fi side, penning and starring in this buddy road comedy from Greg Mottola that puts a wise-cracking alien…
Limitless
If you’re Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper), an unmotivated writer living on ramen in New York City, that’s a big duh. Eddie gets the pill from his ex-brother-in-law, and gets hooked fast. The unlicensed pharmaceutical unlocks 100 percent of the brain, as opposed to the 30 percent we generally tap. Eddie rockets from social success to…
Battle: Los Angeles
On Aug. 12, aliens launch a full-scale assault on 20 of Earth’s coastal cities, including Los Angeles. Jonathan Liebesman’s actioner covers the critical 24 hours after the attack, when the few remaining armed forces try to: rescue some civilians; defend L.A.; stay alive; and disable the alien mothership. The attack must have wiped out all…
A guest choreographer accepts the Pittsburgh Ballet’s challenge to choreograph to Gershwin classics.
Choreographer Plotnikov knows the challenges of trying to make something iconic his own.
The Gondoliers
Sullivan gets his due, thanks to music director Russo and so many first-rate singers.
Circle Mirror Transformation
There’s no filler or unnecessary chatter; it’s a script for the Twitter generation.
A retrospective by noted local sculptor Peter Calaboyias melds his Greek heritage and Modernist art.
Two table-sized totems draw on Calaboyias’ mother’s own Odyssean epic.
O’Nan Reads
Five Books the Novelist Recommends
Acclaimed novelist Stewart O’Nan, a Pittsburgh native, publishes his first novel since his return.
Though acclaimed novelist Stewart O’Nan grew up in Pittsburgh, his 12th novel is his first published since he and his wife moved back, in 2009.
Food For Thought: Sharing a Sikh meal
Open to seekers of all stripes, regardless of religious doctrine or dietary restrictions, langar is at the heart of Sikh belief — a society where all people can share a common meal in the spirit of unity.
Critics’ Picks: Khaira Arby, Star Fucking Hipsters, Sagas and the First Pittsburgh Mandolin Orchestra Festival
Music highlights the week of March 17-23, from tawdry (Star Fucking Hipsters) to epic (Sagas) to … well, epic (First Pittsburgh Mandolin Orchestra Festival).
Five Questions
Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith on his new album, Long Player Late Bloomer, and being the subject of a documentary, Love Shines.
