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Part 2 (of 3) Last week I began a three-part series on the best of Arts and Entertainment. But there was a small catch—it was a list of the best A&E that has been overlooked time and time again. The reasons for such oversights are many and usually complicated, but are also worth consideration. In … Continue reading
Part 1 (of 3) In the world of Arts and Entertainment, the “Best of the Best” is often hard to miss. After all, with countless “Top 10” lists published in magazines, newspapers, and blogs, we rarely need to go out of our way to look for the best novels, films, TV series, and so on. … Continue reading
Do you ever feel that you can relate to the characters in the books you read? Me too. It’s one of the main pleasures in reading fiction, and something that most of us who enjoy reading can testify to. Of course, not everyone values character-to-reader relatability. Apparently, “any dipshit can relate to a character in … Continue reading
There’s nothing so to the point as one particular four-letter expletive. It’s offensive, vulgar, inappropriate, and often too coarse for polite company. It can be used as a verb, a noun, an adjective, an adverb, an interjection, or as an expletive infix. While many people do not hesitate to use the word in private circles, … Continue reading
Hollywood wants your money. Like any self-respecting moviegoer, however, you expect them to work for it, and—more importantly—to earn it. Trouble is, Tinseltown doesn’t always bring it’s A-game, leaving us more times than not with a dog pile of a movie. And just how do you know if the movie you’re watching is of the … Continue reading
So the world didn’t end on Saturday. Despite 89-year-old pastor Harold Camping’s predictions that Jesus was coming back to reign down a fiery storm of destruction, we’re all still here. What exactly went wrong is anyone’s guess. Perhaps the Good Lord took a sick day—rapturing is a heck of a ball buster, after all. Then … Continue reading
I’ve never been a fan of practical jokes. Generally, I leave pranks to other people. Every so often, however, an idea strikes my fancy, and is so good (or so I believe) that I feel compelled to put it into action. Such was the case with The Plant. I live in an apartment on the … Continue reading
Opinions are a dime a dozen—like noses, everyone has one. Their excess, however, is not a good reason to keep them to ourselves. Time and time again, I see people nodding in agreement when they really feel like shaking their heads no. I do it myself. But there’s no need to. Instead of agreeing, we … Continue reading
We’ve given our slaps, we’ve thrown our punches, and now it’s time to finish things once and for all with a heart-stopping, face-crunching roundhouse kick. That’s right–today we close this chapter on those cultural criminals most deserving of a knockdown, drag-out, barroom fight. This metaphorical throw down has been just that—metaphorical. It was and is … Continue reading
Last week we performed something of a cultural experiment here at zsroe.com. In paying homage to David Fincher’s 1999 film, Fight Club, I asked, “who of our many cultural icons most deserves a (metaphorical) slap in the face, or punch in the kisser, or a walloping roundhouse kick to the old noggin?” And not just … Continue reading
In David Fincher’s 1999 film, Fight Club, the two main characters discuss whom they’d most like to fight if they could fight anyone in the world. William Shatner is one of their choices, as is Mahatma Gandhi. If memory serves, the late Mother Teresa also made the bill. And it got me thinking: if I … Continue reading
Filmmakers explore and challenge what it means to be human—our own personal crises, how we interact with each other, how the world changes, and in so doing, changes us. A good film doesn’t need to be realistic so much as it needs to resonate on a basic human level. But sometimes, realism (or at least … Continue reading
Had you asked me in 2005 whether I thought a video-sharing website like YouTube could have a large cultural impact, I’d have probably said no. That it might have become a popular and frequently visited site wouldn’t have surprised me. But that it might become a lasting cultural phenomenon with real social clout would have … Continue reading
There’s nothing quite like going to the movies—it’s storytelling, but on a grand scale. You go with friends, order popcorn and a large Coke, and then sit back and let the filmmaker do what he or she does best: propel you down a long, winding rabbit hole that is sometimes familiar, and other times alien. … Continue reading
Have you noticed the slew of alien movies that have been hitting the big screen? From Skyline to Battle: LA, from Paul to Super 8—it’s an invasion…of a sort, anyway. Personally, I have my fingers crossed, hoping that J. J. Abrams’ latest, Super 8, will deliver on the old school sci-fi goods its trailer seems … Continue reading
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