(Warning: major spoilers about Batman Begins.) I have this weird pattern when it comes to trilogies and I suspect most people do too. It seems impossible to like all three movies in the same way. I usually have no interest in the first movie, then I absolutely love and obsess about the second one, and when the third one comes out I end...
We are all writers here, right? Even if we don't consider ourselves starving artists we still write blog posts or college papers. With that in mind, I'm introducing a new monthly feature called "Writer's corner". On the last Wednesday of the month I'll post tips on how to write better, interviews with authors, my personal experiences with writing and so on. For the...
Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio Source A little bit of history Date: 1601 - 1602 Located in Sanssouci's Picture Gallery, Potsdam, Germany After the Resurrection, Christ appeared among His apostles, but Saint Thomas was absent on this occasion. He doubts that Christ really appeared among them and challenges the Apostles with a skeptical answer: "Unless I see the nail marks in his...
Last week I was nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by the lovely and crafty Anna from Miss Beatrix. Many thanks, Anna, I really appreciate it! Here's my acceptance speech (just kidding, these are the award rules). 1. Add the award to your blog. ok 2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you. ok 3. Mention 7 random things about yourself. (see...
Othello is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. An interesting topic for reflection is how can the audience side with Iago - the play's wicked villain - and dislike Othello. I mean, think about it. Iago is not trustworthy. He makes Othello and Roderigo believe he is on their sides, when in reality he is manipulating both. He doesn’t really act, he spends most of...
Anne Dashwood (detail) by Joshua Reynolds - 1764 Joshua Reynolds is one of the most influential portrait painters in English history. During the 18th century he dedicated his art and talents to portraying the rich aristocracy and royalty. Here's some interesting information about him: 1. He painted over thousands of portraits during his life. During one point, he was painting 150 portraits in one year....
This week I'd like to talk about something much lighter, cuter and lovelier than last week's movie. All of you letter lovers out there, hold onto your seats - it's 84 Charing Cross Road time. Now seriously, 84 Charing Cross Road is a favorite here in the Culture Enthusiast's household. It is a movie adaptation of a book by the same name. This book...
When I was in college, this question popped up a lot of times and most professors didn't seem to have a good answer for it. And I was a literature major, mind you. Deep down, I always knew literature was quite important, not only for me or for professors but for everybody. Eventually I had to come up with an answer to give...
Lately I've been so in love with collages. I didn't use to like this medium before, probably because I was so suspicious of modern art in general, which led me to be suspicious of contemporary art too. But the more I see collages the more I feel inspired to try making my own! I've recently discovered the work of Nicola Starr, a Canada...
Idiocracy is probably one of the most recent mainstream movies to deal with the contemporary cultural crisis. And let me tell you, it is not an easy watch. The movie tells the story of a mediocre guy (Luke Wilson) who participates on an army experiment. He was supposed to hibernate for a year but things go wrong and he gets frozen for 500...
Reality is more real than fiction, but is it more pleasant? It is a truth universally acknowledged that neighbors suck. Our relationship with them range from hate (because of their pets, kids, music taste etc) to neutral cordiality (usually chit chat about the weather and how you've grown and - oh, my! did you see that article about that stomach reduction operation?). On...
The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck (1434) If you’re like me, you’ve seen this portrait a thousand times and never really understood why it’s so famous. According to the Wikipedia it is “one of the most original and complex paintings in Western art history”. I decided to do a little research and find out more about it. For starters, the couple in...
I rarely write about action movies but that doesn't mean I don't watch them - at least once in a while. Most recent action movies are a bit too violent for my taste, so I tend to stick with the older ones - which are a bit violent too. Here are some of the action movies I love: Die Hard (1) Maybe an...
