Arts
The Arts
Reeder’s Movie Reviews: Elvis
Baz Luhrmann has always had a flair for the operatic, sometimes literally so. The Australian writer-director-designer loves to tell stories on a grand scale. The bigger the emotions, the flashier the production values. Romeo and Juliet, Toulouse-Lautrec and the Great Gatsby have all made appearances in his films. Now his spotlight turns to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis Presley. Well, partially, anyway.
What Does It Mean To Have Integrity As A Journalist? ‘Traverse Talks’ Episode 29 – With Journalist Ann Curry
Photo of Ann Curry during the recording of Traverse Talks in WSU’s Jackson Hall Studio B on April 4, 2022. The next day, Ann received the Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award
How Can We Learn to Shape A Better Tomorrow? ‘Traverse Talks’ Episode 28 – With Abolitionist Nikkita Oliver
Photo of Nikkita Oliver during the recording of Traverse Talks inside Washington Hall in Seattle on December 6, 2021. Nikkita Oliver is a Black, queer, Seattle-based creative, community organizer, abolitionist,
Reeder’s Movie Reviews: Jurassic World Dominion
According to the real-life paleontologists, dinosaurs disappeared from Earth 66 million years ago. To judge by the sixth entry in the Jurassic Park franchise, its fresh story ideas have been exhausted as well. The original wonder has waned.
How Many Lives Does A TabiKat Live? ‘Traverse Talks’ Episode 27 – With Moscow Duo Kathy Sprague and Tabitha Simmons
Photo of Tabitha Simmons (left) and Kathy Sprague (right) answering questions in two-part harmony at the Northwest Public Broadcasting studio on March 22, 2022. Wives Tabitha Simmons and Kathy Sprague
Reeder’s Movie Reviews: Top Gun: Maverick
For the longest time, it just wouldn’t fly. A sequel to Top Gun {1986), one of the highest-grossing movies of its decade. The movie that made the charismatic Tom Cruise box office gold. Even when the sequel finally came to fruition, the pandemic delayed its release by two years.
What Does Peace Mean to You? ‘Traverse Talks’ Episode 26 – With Peace Campaigner Kwabi Amoah-Forson
Photo of Kwabi Amoah-Forson recording Traverse Talks in the KTVI Tacoma studios on December 4, 2021. Peace campaigner and humanitarian, Kwabi Amoah-Forson, journeyed across America asking people what “peace” means
Reeder’s Movie Reviews: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
The MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) made its debut fourteen years ago this month, as a glib and charismatic Robert Downey, Jr. established his superhero credentials as Iron Man. That universe has expanded steadily ever since, although in ways that could easily elude the geometrically challenged.
Reeder’s Movie Reviews: Downton Abbey: A New Era
If you’re a devoted fan of Downton Abbey, the global television phenomenon now back on the big screen, that line certainly rings true. Creator and writer Julian Fellowes, director Simon Curtis (the real-life husband of Elizabeth McGovern/Cora Grantham), a superb ensemble cast and composer John Lunn have crafted another period piece drama brimming with intelligence, emotion, wit and humanity. As with the first feature film incarnation, A New Era preaches eloquently to the choir. Even with a prologue offered by Mr. Molesley (Kevin Doyle) in which he recounts the plot of the 2019 movie, you can’t begin to appreciate the resonance of this storytelling without having your own history with these characters going back a dozen years now.
Reeder’s Movie Reviews: Men
Sometimes a filmmaker tells a story so dense, so deliberately ambiguous, so deeply rooted in symbolic imagery that you realize you’re either intrigued by and invested in the narrative or you’re utterly defeated by the process. The memory of Men, a hallucinatory study in toxic masculinity, will linger long after the closing credits.
Reeder’s Movie Reviews: The Northman
Robert Eggers has only made three feature-length films so far. Even as a modest body of work, they reveal a wealth of obsession and talent.
As Performing Artists Denounce Or Stay Allied With Putin, History Offers Some Lessons
Russia reveres its high arts heritage of classical music and ballet. But Western European and American arts organizations are canceling appearances by performers who have financial or personal ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, including some of Russia’s biggest stars. At the same time, some Russian and Russian-born artists have been speaking out against the invasion of Ukraine.