IGN: Ten Trends That Are Saving Videogames Read more

In Mumbai, the setting for Slumdog Millionaire, residents have mixed reactions to the film–some are thankful for the film’s pulsing, life-affirming portrait of their city, and others accuse it of reveling in India’s shame. What I find odd is the cultural amnesia about a certain 1988 film called Salaam Bombay. The Washington Post article makes comments like: “‘Slumdog’ is perhaps the first mainstream movie since Richard Attenborough’s 1982 epic ‘Gandhi’ — which won eight Oscars — to present an unflinching... Read more

Just a month to go until the 81st Academy Awards, and the nominations were announced this morning. What will shock no-one: Heath Ledger is nominated for Best Supporting Actor. However, The Dark Knight didn’t get a Best Picture or a Best Director nomination, as many had speculated it would. Instead, The Reader became the dark-horse fifth nominee, joining Slumdog Millionaire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, and Milk. I was also surprised that The Dark Knight didn’t get a... Read more

On his Looking Closer blog, Overstreet laments over the Oscar nominations this year: “The Oscars have always been political, and have often overlooked great things. But this is beyond ridiculous.” While I did not have the chance to see many of the top rated movies of the year, I agree with him that WALL-E and The Dark Knight should have been represented more. Anyone have a good theory of why Benjamin Button recieved 13 nominations?  Looking Closer » Blog Archive... Read more

A group of “conservatives, liberals and moderates” (not so much if you read the list) recently got together with Obama to discuss a “Third Way.” Their aim: to end the culture wars. On most issues, they get it right, but on the issue of life, they just don’t get it: Reducing abortion through common-ground policies, including contraceptives for low-income women, comprehensive and age-appropriate sex ed, adoption support, and better Medicaid coverage for pregnancy. The culture wars will never end as long... Read more

More alarming than this kid’s texting habits, and her parents’ response, is the premise that this is news worthy at all. Read more

Pentagon official says 9/11 suspect was tortured – Yahoo! News. In some ways this is old news, but to hear an official statement on the matter reminds me what an incredibly important issue this is. It also reminds me of a post David did a while back on the subject. Read more