Mahfouz is the only Arab to have ever been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and was also the oldest living recipient of the award. A critic of Egyptian society and Islamic Fundamentalism, in 1994 Mahfouz, then 82, was stabbed in an assassination attempt over perceived blasphemy in his 1959 novel Children of Gebelawi. Media […]
Continue readingAuthor Archive: tbarnett
Portal to public domain videos online
This website provides nice orderly links to streaming videos of old films that reside at Google Video, Dumpalink, iFilm, and YouTube. The collection is a combination of works that are out-of-copyright (public domain), orphaned (obscure videos that are still under copyright but probably forgotten by their owners), and some that are more recent and possibly […]
Continue readingAppreciate old-time radio? Here’s a site with 11,000 programs online
The quality ranges from good to microphone-to-a-radio-speaker bad, but on balance this is a remarkably rich resource. If you’ve ever listened to comic geniuses Bob and Ray, represented here with a scant seven programs, you’ll recognize many of the programs they satirized in their skits. A few of the nuttier titles include Mr. Keen: Tracer […]
Continue readingNeed to bluff your way through a conversation about Iranian New Wave cinema … say no more.
Green Cine, a DVD review site, has a handy set of film primers ranging from Dogme 95 to Zombies. They’re relatively short and intended as an entertaining introduction to genres and movements. Each essay is accompanied by a short list of recommended titles. link
Continue readingObit: Mickey Spillane, 88, creator of detective Mike Hammer, hence also the writer of film noir classic, Kiss Me Deadly
No Mickey Spillane, no Quentin Tarantino. Spillane’s writing had an edgy toughness, some might say sadism, that seemed to dovetail with the alternately explosive and nonchalant method acting of Marlon Brando, James Dean, Dennis Hopper, Lee Marvin, and Jack Nicholson to create a new anti-hero archetype. A handful of his novels were made into movies […]
Continue readingBlogwatch: Cinemarati: The Web Alliance for Film Commentary
This is what they say: ” [Cinemarati] brings together online film critics for serious, and seriously fun, discussion about film. We strive to counter the notion that “anyone with a modem can be a critic” and raise the level of discussion about film on the Internet to the point at which it will be considered […]
Continue readingFrank Zappa challenging censorship on CNN’s Crossfire (circa 1986)
This entertaining clip captures the late Frank Zappa during the period when he was taking on the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) on Capitol Hill and fighting for free speech. His deadly wit and calm articulate defense of all musical lyrics, no matter the content, seems to ever-so-slightly win over conservative co-host Robert Novak. It’s […]
Continue readingZero-cost digital video editing tools online
There’s a new breed of websites that enable a user to upload his/her digital video, edit it, add effects, transitions, and titles, and share it with others. Obviously these tools will not be in league with programs like Final Cut Pro and Avid but for shoestring producers who are honing their chops, they’re worth a […]
Continue readingGuilty Pleasure: Hawaii Surf Session Report
Stuck in Washington this summer and in need of a mental escape? Try this site. I’ve never surfed but I have a weakness for watching surfers at work, gliding along through crashing walls of water. This kinda primitively designed site includes frequently updated “session” videos compiling footage of surfing conditions at the major surf beaches […]
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