In “To Build & Be Built: Kibbutz History,” the Contemporary Jewish Museum investigates the social movement that redefined Jewish life in the modern era. The exhibit, a simple display on one wall of the CJM, traces the history of the kibbutz movement with photos of kibbutz life and descriptions of Read More…
It is exactly this that makes Yang Fudong such an outstanding artist and this exhibition so exemplary: He is able to express the overarching questions of a whole society, a whole historical moment — his context — in a personal and understandable way. Read More…
“Good Design: Stories from Herman Miller” at the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design manages to make one of the most fundamental aspects in our domestic lives — furniture — an expression of modern company culture and consumerism. “Good Design” emphasizes the story behind the design of the furniture Read More…
In a world of stupid movies, “The Hangover III” does not stand out. The Wolf Pack returns with yet another inane movie that rides on Zach Galifianakis’ strange facial expressions and obtrusive figure. However, that’s exactly what the movie is supposed to be: The audience comes in expecting nothing more Read More…
“In the House” balances beautifully the two things that French filmmakers do best — substantial natural dialogue and that singular sexuality inevitable in Francophone work — while reattributing them to a very different kind of story. Far from the Nouvelle Vague “Breathless” couples and quasi-sex-fantasy Brigitte Bardot fodder of the Read More…
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is quintessential American dance, balancing new and traditional, embracing color, new movement, props and humor. Under new artistic director Robert Battle, the company has become particularly more contemporary, concentrating less on the Negro spirituals that defined its repertoire before him. However, this more contemporary Read More…
How do you come to terms with the legacy of an idol? The same way we always have — write a play about the person and emphasize relentlessly his or her weaknesses. Break the person down, and boldly confront all the things you were afraid to consider when he or Read More…
Satisfying in its almost vaudevillian variety and personally engaging in its content, the 12th Annual ASUC Perspectives Showcase was a particularly uplifting theater experience. From the moment I approached Zellerbach Theater, weaving through a throng of smilingly chatty students, it was clear that Perspectives was a special kind of performance. Read More…
As I walk into the Perspectives rehearsal, they’re practicing curtain call. It’s a gym room full of people, all holding hands in line. It’s a boisterous group, and when someone cracks a joke, everyone laughs. They practice their final bow a few times, with the guidance of leaders shouting “this Read More…