Exploring Haneke’s Hidden themes


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Earlier this week I was talking to a non-cinephile friend of mine who expressed an interest in delving into the beautiful and emotionally charged world of French film. A chance to share some of the best, under-appreciated cinema with someone excited me. I recommended a few directors she should check out if she had a […]

Can the masses keep up with Zuckerberg?


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Gmail killer? That’s what some are calling Facebook’s new messaging system, which was revealed by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Monday. Not that Zuckerberg himself said that. “This is not an e-mail killer,” Zuckerberg said during the announcement. “This is a messaging system that includes e-mail as one part of it.” And in many ways, […]

Turning pulp genre into an art form


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What separates one man from another? What motivates people toward the actions they take? These were the driving questions behind Jean-Pierre Melville’s films. It is a shame his work is not better known in the United States today. A forerunner of the French New Wave, he was a member of the French Resistance during World […]

San Francisco law leaves Happy Meal makers morose


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McDonald’s isn’t so happy about what San Francisco is doing to its Happy Meals. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors banned most forms of the McDonald’s classic Happy Meal on Tuesday as part of a measure that prevents fast-food restaurants from offering toys with kid’s meals if they do not meet certain nutritional standards. Because […]

Theater group brings online cat craze to life


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“It’s an experiment in meaning,” Ellen Warkentine said to the crowd before a workshop performance of Act 1 of LOLPERA, her opera based on the LOLcats Internet meme. “It’s about seeking truth in places where no truth can be found.” Then — with nothing but a stripper pole for set design — a group of […]

Echo Park shop latest victim of LAPD raid


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Since 2006, the Echo Curio Curiosity Shop and Art Gallery has hosted experimental all-ages shows in its living room-sized storefront on a popular Echo Park strip of Sunset Boulevard. But earlier this month, the privately owned community space known for its support of the freaky, demented and avant-garde side of Eastside culture was unceremoniously shut […]

Animator’s years of effort paid off with his own TV show


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Sandro Corsaro, a USC alumnus, spent more than four years developing the short film that would land him the showrunner position on his original animated series, the Emmy-nominated Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil. Talk to him today, and he’ll tell you that he never regretted a single moment of those years. Prior to graduating from USC, […]