Andrew Sarris: Lion of film critics

The New York Times just published a great profile on Andrew Sarris, the legendary 80-year-old film critic who was laid off by the New York Observer earlier this year. Sarris is known for importing the auteur theory of film criticism from France to the US. I've been reading his 1968 book The American Cinema off and on all summer, almost as bathroom reading (the longest chapter is about five pages). In it he asserts, among other questionable claims, that Kubrick was a charlatan and Wilder was a knee-jerk cynic.

If nothing else, Sarris provokes, and does it well. In old age, I've found him a little insuferable (here he is dismissing Children of Men like a curmudgeon on life support). Historically, Sarris is a fascinating figure. He's emblematic of a different era, when cinema was not yet considered an artform. It took Sarris and Pauline Kael's torrential bickering to elevate the medium in the eyes of many.

The Times article is a great read and a terrific gateway into '50s-'60s film criticism.

Jerry Schnoor on CGRER and sustainability

Dr. Jerry Schnoor argues for an interdisciplinary approach to sustainability, using the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research (CGRER) as an example.



Video shot by Ben Hill of the University of Iowa Center for Media Production and edited by myself. Learn more about Schnoor's work here.

Jerry Schnoor on the dangers of continuing coal

Dr. Jerry Schnoor discusses why Iowa can't afford to build new coal-fired power plants.



Video shot by Ben Hill of the University of Iowa Center for Media Production and edited by myself. You can learn more about Schnoor here.

Dr. Jerry Schnoor on "sustainability tax"

Jerry Schnoor, my boss at the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research (CGRER), argues for a sustainability tax to supplant the income tax.



Video was shot by Ben Hill of the University of Iowa Center for Media Production and edited by myself. You can read Schnoor's scroll-like resume here.

Sonic Youth at The Vic in Chicago

This Sunday, I saw Sonic Youth play The Vic in Chicago.
















Here is a blurry image from said show. Thurston Moore is on the right. Kim Gordon, the sexiest 56-year-old on earth, is smack in the middle.
















The band closed their second encore with "'Cross the Breeze," my absolute favorite Sonic Youth song.

Right outside The Vic, Chicago's largest gay pride parade had taken over the streets.
















A fun time was had by all.

Mark Johnson performs "Love Scripts"

Mark Johnson, singer/songwriter of the Chicago-based band Tough but Fair, performs his song "Love Scripts" at the Awake Cafe in Chicago.



Mark is one of my very good friends. When I was 18, I wrote and directed a 20-minute movie called "Singer/Songwriter" that starred Mark. For the role, he wrote a handful of spectacular songs from the perspective of his character -- a morose indie troubadour who alienates his obsessive fans with a series of saccharine sweet records. Mark knocked these songs out of the park, creating parody tracks that were hummable and enjoyable on their own terms.

Listen to songs by his band Tough but Fair here.
Listen to his solo material here.

Video was shot June 27, 2009.

Iowa City mourns Iranian protesters

Below are two photos from a gathering last night to mourn those who've lost their lives in Iran. The event was held in downtown Iowa City. Over 75 people held candles in honor of Neda and other protesters who've died on the streets of Iran.