The Tuesday after Thanksgiving Break, Trinity was honored with the presence of one of our most distinguished, though least known, alumni, Stephen Belber. However, I'm sure everyone is aware of the award winning and internationally renowned play, for which Belber is a co-writer, The Laramie Project.
Napoleon Dynamite is one of those quirky independent films that unexpectedly and without warning shoots into national prominence. Even though this pattern has been seen many times before, most recently with My Big Fat Greek Wedding, rarely has a movie impression lasted so long.
One of the most difficult things to resolve for a film critic is his love of entertainment and his respect for historical accuracy. How many factual errors can a critic tolerate before he pans an otherwise compelling and provoking story? It is a testing position to find oneself and certainly I have discovered no formula for extracting myself from the dilemma.
When news of the war on Iraq first broke, many politically conscious artists who opposed our government's decision to invade Iraq felt it was necessary to create art that was more than art for art's sake; they created art that encouraged its audience to hold a critical view of our government and its decision making processes and, if successful, motivated people to work for change.