Paris, 1904. We are welcomed to the Lapin Agile by its bartender, Freddy (Doug Boyd), who greets a 25-year-old and clean-cut Albert Einstein shortly afterward. From the show’s program, we know Pablo Picasso, passionate artist by day and even more passionate womanizer by night, will eventually join him. The two Read More…
There are so many characteristics of “Despicable Me 2” that parallel its prequel that one almost expects the movie to be good at least for its familiarity. Once again, Gru must decide between good and evil when new characters arrive on the scene to steal his heart. This time, instead Read More…
If you want a word to sum up Ransom Riggs’ “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” look no further than its title. Peculiar: strange, odd or unusual. Although not quite revolutionary, the novel’s subtle, peculiar twists on the popular fantasy and young adult genres took readers by storm in 2011 Read More…
Chances are that most of us would love to be able to make a living expressing ourselves, whether through art, music, literature or film, and UC Berkeley time and again proves itself an institution that will give us that chance. The Roselyn Schneider Eisner Prizes in Film and Video, commonly Read More…
SCORE. The word can mean success. It can be the written copy of a musical composition. And starting April 12, the word will refer to the SCORE Berkeley program that is to engage students at Willard Middle School and — the program’s directors hope — enrich their lives. The concept Read More…
If you’re looking for a documentary to break your heart with harrowing images, “The Revolutionary Optimists,” by Nicole Newnham and Maren Grainger-Monsen, is not for you. If you’re looking for a film to inspire you, it is. The documentary, which opened on April 5, instead presents a hopeful view of Read More…
“Guitar technology really stops in the 1950s,” according to Zivix music product specialist Chris Heille. “Guitars have basically been stuck, (with guitar players) relegated to one set of sound and expression. We want to give them another tool.” Zivix’s new JamStik sets out to expand the horizons of guitar-playing in Read More…
Can we just agree that capitalization, like the rest of English grammar, is a fickle mistress? Yes? Good. To list things we should capitalize would be almost as complex as naming past participles (see my rant on this subject, as posted previously). Instead, I have compiled a partial list of Read More…
Hand-drawn posters, tables of pamphlets and one completely naked old man walking from booth to booth: This is the form anarchism took at the 2013 Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair, held on March 16 and 17. Fitting the worn-down warehouse in which it was held, the event appeared fragmented, a Read More…
As I write this, my friend Evelyn and I are supposed to be studying political science. But grammar nerds never rest, so Congress will just have to put its problems on hold while I address a more local issue. (From what I have heard about Congress, though, I don’t think Read More…