Horror fans will know that any slasher film post 1990’s is trying to be Scream or Halloween, and those are tough acts to follow. When The Strangers hit the screen in 2008, it felt like somewhat of a fresh take on the slasher genre, and although it wasn’t universally loved, critics have since gone on to… Continue reading The Strangers: Chapter 1 – A genuine horror or a feeble attempt to revamp a cult classic?
French street artist captivates passers by optically with his trompe l’oeil masterpiece adorning the façade of the Palazzo Farnese, home to the French embassy in central Rome. Named Punto di Fuga (Vanishing Point), the installation offers passers-by a glimpse into the palace’s interior as it undergoes renovations, revealing elements such as the classic colonnade and… Continue reading A look at the ‘X-ray’ illusion on historic Palazzo Farnese in Rome
The museum has been slowly rebuilding since an electrical fire devastated its building and collection in 2018. According to its director, Alexander W.A. Kellner, the museum has received approximately 8,500 objects since the tragedy. Around 2,000 of these will be exhibited, while the rest will be used for research. More donations are expected ahead of… Continue reading Brazil’s national museum receives major fossil donation, including rare dinosaurs, in rebuilding efforts”
Born in Florence in 1386, Donatello was, and remains to be, celebrated as one of the most skilled sculptors of the Renaissance. Studying under the likes of Ghiberti and Brunelleschi, he developed a style influenced heavily by the Classical language of architecture but not restricted to this. He used materials ranging from wood to bronze… Continue reading What makes Donatello’s sculptures so compelling?
“You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger darling” Christopher Nolan is probably the Best Director of all time. His capacity to synthesize and merge complex story narratives with breathtaking cinematic set pieces is unique and due even more spectacular to the fact he authors what we see, or usually what we try our… Continue reading Directed Focus: Christopher Nolan
‘A walk-in attraction’ – Circus Maximus Experimental and genre bending, Utopia offers a masterfully produced soundtrack combining Scott’s tactile iconic sound with meticulous beats and instrumentals to create innovative music illustrating his versatility and willingness to take risks. While there may be a lack of a coherent artistic vision within the album, Scott stays true… Continue reading Travis Scott continues to define his sound in Utopia
The historic painting of a woman leading French revolutionaries is this week to reveal its true colours after restorers cleansed it from decades of varnish and grime. The public will be able to admire Eugene Delacroix’s ‘Liberty Leading the People’ in its full glory at the Louvre museum from Thursday Delacroix painted the artwork to… Continue reading The painting “La Liberte guidant le peuple” is back at the Louvre after six months of restoration work
A major transformation is underway in Romancelandia. Once upon a time, romance novels from major U.S. publishers featured only heterosexual couples. Today, the five biggest publishers regularly release same-sex love stories. From May 2022 to May 2023, sales of LGBTQ+ romance grew by 40%, with the next biggest jump in this period occurring for general… Continue reading What’s behind the astonishing rise in LGBTQ+ romance literature?
When OceanGate, the deep-sea exploration enterprise, created a promotional video for its ill-fated US$250,000-per-head trip to see the wreck of the Titanic, it told prospective passengers to “Get ready for what Jules Verne could only imagine – a 12,500-foot journey to the bottom of the sea.” Those behind the video hoped viewers would recognize the… Continue reading Classic literature still offers rich lessons about life in the deep blue sea
Imagine a world where we knew the name of Homer, but the poetry of The Odyssey was lost to us. That was the world of the early Italian Renaissance during the second half of the 15th century. Many people knew the names of some early poets of Italian literature – those who were active during the 13th… Continue reading How a lost manuscript revealed the first poets of Italian literature
