Frédérik Sisa

An old saying that I’ve recently coined goes like this: You can lead a pop-conservative to reason, but you can’t make him or her think — especially when it comes to issues influenced by religion. It’s a cheap shot to be sure. There are some good conservative thinkers out there in a wilderness dominated by disilluminaries like Beck, Limbaugh and Bush administration officials. But for the most part, I can’t figure out how conservatives manage to keep on keeping on without their heads exploding from the contradictions inherent in conservative ideology. If cognitive dissonance is an art, pop-conservatives create masterpieces. Opposition to Plan B, the morning-after emergency contraceptive, is a good example.

Exciting things are brewing here at The Front Page Online or, to be really hip about it, TFPO. I can’t spill the beans on all of it yet. But I take great pleasure in announcing a new dimension to our work here. Officially launching today is TFPO’s fashion blog, The Fashionoclast, at fashionoclast.com.

“Doomsday Kiss” is an often funny, sometimes moving, always impeccably performed riff on the end of the world in varying degrees of eccentricity. The Bootleg Theater, an intimate theatre space in which seating and stage spill into each other, is itself something of a DIY apocalypse – in a good way. Red brick and pale plywood walls, jury-rigged fixtures, a warehouse atmosphere that keeps alive the theatre building’s previous incarnation as a bra factory – it’s an anti-aesthetic aesthetic that’s not only hip but sets the right tone for “Doomsday Kiss,” a slack gestalt of four theatrical works. Artwork in the lobby aims to prep audiences with an apocalyptic mindset, but the domesticated imagery of mushroom clouds and gas mask ultimately highlights what “Doomsday Kiss” is not; topical. No dire warnings of global warming-related catastrophes nor scenarios of water scarcity or economic collapse; not even that old standby, the fear of nuclear annihilation.

If, to paraphrase Christian scripture, our society is to be measured by how the least among us are treated, then perhaps we should consider how we treat animals. Let’s start with Vice President Joe Biden, whose new puppy set off an earthquake of outrage among animal welfare activists. His mistake? He got his puppy, a German Shepard, from a breeder. What he should have done: Gone to the local animal shelter or contacted any number of rescue groups, many of which specialize in particular breeds.

Pulling a con on an audience takes a heavy pair of the proverbial cajones, but also a certain amount of finesse to keep the g-forces of sudden plot twists from inducing nausea. Alas, writer/director Tony Gilroy’s intoxication with rug-pulling means at least one rug too many is pulled from under the film, leaving behind the deadliest of questions: what was the point?

Family is the most important thing, we guests were told at a wedding I recently attended. Friends may come and go but – shades of De Beers! – family is forever. Our culture, along with just about every other on the planet, is steeped in the sentiment. Family is the rock of Gibraltar, comforting in its immovability. Except, of course, that this is just safe illusion we cling to and family can be as much a source of tyranny as joy.

Pulling a con on an audience takes a heavy pair of the proverbial cajones, but also a certain amount of finesse to keep the g-forces of sudden plot twists from inducing nausea. Alas, writer/director Tony Gilroy’s intoxication with rug-pulling means at least one rug too many is pulled from under the film, leaving behind the deadliest of questions: what was the point?

Review: Monsters Vs. Aliens

If it’s not official already, “Monsters vs. Aliens” should leave no doubt that 3D, in all it’s eye-popping, headache-free glory, has come of age. I’m not sure which film, exactly, definitely marked the milestone for me – maybe it was Disney’s “Monster House” – but regardless, the smooth, elegant implementation of the technology has matured into something more than a gimmick. “Monsters vs. Aliens” is the latest of the new generation 3D films that, Ebert’s skepticism notwithstanding, offer a genuinely rich cinematic experience. Naturally, more are on the way.

Amidst all the economic sound and fury, one could very well ask, what’s going on with car manufacturers? Insofar as Detroit is concerned, who knows? But in India, there’s a revolution brewing, and it’s called the Nano. The People’s Car is back.

Out-Lynching David Lynch is always a risky proposition; the Master is a veteran at composing scenes and shooting them so that what we see is textured by layers of emotional and allegorical subtext – almost always to foreboding effect. But, at least there’s something admirable in Jason Noto’s nicely-produced attempt, even if the overall result can’t quite escape the charge of aping.