Democracy’s lessons: Up close with a Mandela Fellow

As features editor for Zimbabwe’s largest daily paper, The Herald, in the capital city of Harare, Roselyne Sachiti doesn’t shy away from tough stories, even if they place her in danger. The 33- year-old journalist has gone undercover to investigate the smuggling of clothes into her country, an episode that found her temporarily locked in […]

The discontent of photographer Philip de Jong

Visual artist Philip de Jong won’t content himself with creating beautiful work. In fact, he avoids contentment altogether. “At some point as a trained photographer your job is to make anything look good,” he said. “If people describe my work as pretty, I feel insulted on some level because all it means is that I […]

Album reviews: Shovels and Rope, Sleep Cycles, Justin Townes Earle

Shovels and Rope Swimmin’ Time/Dualtone On Swimmin’ Time, their third album, Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent are in top form. Whether they amble through Americana numbers like “The Devil Is All Around,” or stomp out ominous rockers like “Evil,” the duo demonstrates they have a firm handle on a variety of genres (plus the […]

ARTS Pick: Medea

Cure your back-to-school blues with a little Greek life—ancient Greek, that is. The Paramount kicks off a fresh season of live streaming from London’s National Theatre with Euripedes’ classic tragedy Medea. Helen McCrory takes the title role as a wronged wife who exacts a terrible revenge in this modern production by playwright Ben Power and […]

Film review: The Last of Robin Hood steals no glory

Not since Raul Julia’s puzzling appearance in the New Jersey Public Television video chroma key disaster “Overdrawn at the Memory Bank” has A-level talent looked as out of place as it does in the attempted scandal flick The Last of Robin Hood. But where “Overdrawn” can blame its production value on the fact that it […]

ARTS Pick: Youth Film Festival

Lights, camera, education! Catch a sneak peek of local student films before they hit the national festival circuit at Light House Studio’s 13th annual Youth Film Festival. Works from past Light House students have moved on to larger audiences at the LA Film Festival and the Cine Youth Chicago International Film Festival, and won multiple […]

Film review: Love story gets muddled in If I Stay

Saying that If I Stay, adapted from Gayle Forman’s blockbuster young adult novel, is bad because it’s overwrought and pretentious is to dismiss a crucial stage of growing up when you yourself are overwrought and pretentious by no real fault of your own. The entire young adult experience is completely unfair. You’re long on feelings […]