The Toronto International Film Festival is completely overrun by angry liberals this year, and the films being featured, while diverse in some ways, seem to have a distinct sameness of message, “attacking President Bush or the protracted war in Iraq — in subtle ways and like sledgehammers, with vitriol and with dispassionate fly-on-the-wall observation.”
Tag: 09.09.06
Will Carry-On Ban Jeopardize London’s Cultural Reputation?
When British airline authorities imposed harsh new restrictions on carry-on baggage in response to a terrorist threat, few complained. But when officials began murmuring that the near-ban on hand baggage could become permanent, musicians cried foul. “The impact if these policies continue will, over time, be inconceivable. London, along with New York, is one of the musical capitals of the world but these restrictions could lead to the erosion of that status — and of the reputation of Britain as a whole — as musicians are forced to alter their plans.”
When Adulation Has Little To Do With Ability
Pity the poor music critics whenever Andrea Bocelli is performing. Bocelli is as big a star as the classical music world has at present, and his fans are utterly devoted and will not hear a word said against him. So given all that, is it just bad form for critics to point out that, by any objective standard, Bocelli just isn’t a very good singer?
Mourning Delayed
Sir Charles Mackerras conducted Beethoven’s 9th at the Edinburgh Festival last week, unaware that his daughter, Fiona, had died hours earlier from cancer. The news of her death was apparently withheld from Mackerras until after the concert was completed.
Inner Beauty
Toronto’s new opera house is off to a successful start, garnering positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. And while the new building isn’t going to win any daring architecture awards, its place in the city seems to fit with the mindset of its resident company. “Operagoers in Toronto are an adventurous lot, as befits a city where forty-nine percent of the population (as of 2001) was born outside of Canada. From its beginnings, [the Canadian Opera Company’s] artistic directors have made a point of programming works outside the standard nineteenth-century Italian, French and German repertoire.”
Suing Over James Frey’s Book Is Stupid
Readers are suing James Frey and his publisher for defrauding them? “Stunts like this give a bad name to class action suits that seek to redress genuine wrongs, like race or sex discrimination in the workplace, or pollution. The action against Random House also reflects an absurdly consumerist attitude toward reading: when the book – or author – isn’t what you expected, demand your money back!”