Review

Book Review: “Inheritance: The Evolutionary Origins of the Modern World” — Breezy and Bumptious

August 20, 2024
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Notwithstanding the book’s research foundation, albeit colorfully amplified with personal and historical anecdotes, as a civilizational story Inheritance is a lightweight effort.

Classical Album Review: Baroque Music — But Guitar, No Harpsichord — Beautiful!

August 19, 2024
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In Handel’s day, excerpts from his operas were often played at home, without singers. They sound great on this new recording by the group humorously (and quite inaccurately) called False Consonance.

Film Review: “Alien: Romulus” — A Rosary of Pavlovian Stimuli

August 18, 2024
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Disney has bought Fox, so the “Alien” franchise is now incapable of having an impact close to what it initially had, when it redefined what science fiction/horror films could be.

Book Review: “The Horse” — Portrait of a Self-Abusive Artist

August 18, 2024
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“The Horse” probes the psyche of a man who believes, despite all that has happened to him, in the possibility of renewal.

Children’s Book Reviews: A Quartet on Family Love

August 18, 2024
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From a rollicking, multicultural family dinner, to a walk through the zoo, to precious together time between a mother-and-son, to a new dress for a toy bunny, these books introduce readers to the many ways families spread love.

Film Review: Kids Know the Darnedest Things in “Good One”

August 17, 2024
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A buffer between two bruised and only fitfully reflective egos, Sam finds herself in an awkward position, one which becomes increasingly untenable as lines of trust are crossed and power dynamics exploited.

Film Review: “Caligula” — Now, More Than Ever

August 16, 2024
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After 45 years, this controversial juggernaut of a film has finally arrived, in all its ambitious, hot, messy, gratuitous splendor. Do see it on the big screen if at all possible.

Book Review: Amy Leach’s “The Salt of the Universe” — Fundamentalism Is Not Fun

August 16, 2024
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Amy Leach’s book may help you understand the rewards of  Christian fundamentalism for its followers — and how much richer a non-fundamentalist life can be.

Book Review: Randy Rainbow’s “Low-Hanging Fruit” – A Mirthful Manifesto with a Gay Agenda, Sans Show Tunes  

August 16, 2024
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This collection of observational essays by online musical theater parodist and insta-celebrity Randy Rainbow is a Birkin bag full of snarky social commentary about the most pressing issues facing the US, from dancing TikTok grandmas to Donald Jessica Trump.

Theater Review: “Wish You Were Here” — Innocence Lost

August 15, 2024
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Through around 10 scenes, spanning over a decade, “Wish You Were Here” looks at political oppression through the domestic lens of lost love and friendships.

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