Year: 2014

Book Commentary: Dreiser’s “The Titan” Turns 100 — America’s “Downton Abbey”

December 31, 2014
Posted in , ,

Theodore Dreiser’s The Titan is not the greatest novel about American business, but it is still among the best, an honorable runner-up that turned 100 this year.

Read More

Arts Remembrance: Bishop Lee Mitchell — An Appreciation

December 31, 2014
Posted in

A beloved figure to both the local gospel community and deep southern soul collectors, Bishop Lee Mitchell has passed following a long illness.

Read More

Rock Review: Marshall Crenshaw and Melissa Ferrick — A Welcome Holiday Tradition

December 30, 2014
Posted in , , ,

If your tastes run to finely crafted songwriting, then the standout event between Christmas and New Year’s is when Melissa Ferrick and Marshall Crenshaw roll into Club Passim on separate nights.

Read More

Film Review: Chris Rock’s “Top Five” — Only Funny on the Fringes

December 29, 2014
Posted in , ,

Perhaps Top Five is Chris Rock’s penance for doing lucrative-paying voices for the insanely popular Madagascar animation franchise.

Read More

Book Review: “Nagasaki”‘s Diptych of Aloneness

December 29, 2014
Posted in , , ,

The success of this short novel set in Japan lies in the empathy it creates for a pair of ordinary and lonely characters.

Read More

Film Review: “The Gambler” Pays Off Handsomely

December 29, 2014
Posted in , ,

In The Gambler, Mark Whalberg gives a performance he should be proud of.

Read More

Fuse Coming Attractions: What Will Light Your Fire This Week

December 28, 2014
Posted in , , ,

Holiday Edition: Arts Fuse critics select the best in music, film, dance, author events, and theater for the coming week.

Read More

Visual Arts Feature: Visiting The Barnes Foundation, Part Two

December 27, 2014
Posted in ,

Walking through the Barnes is like nothing I had ever experienced before, overwhelming and brain-scrambling.

Read More

Visual Arts: A Museum By Design — Transformed Cooper-Hewitt Museum Reopens

December 27, 2014
Posted in ,

At their best, the exhibitions at the restored, renovated, and expanded Cooper-Hewitt Museum explore the history and culture of design and decorative arts with transcendent panache.

Read More

Visual Arts Feature: Visiting The Barnes Foundation, Part One

December 26, 2014
Posted in ,

Spending the better part of two days inside the Barnes Foundation was a transformative experience that changed the way I look at art.

Read More

Recent Posts