The motivation for young pianists to tackle Chopin’s etudes, pieces that are monuments of technical razzle dazzle, is youthful vanity. The motivation for 40-year-old Louis Lortie to do the same is less obvious. Read more...

The motivation for young pianists to tackle Chopin’s etudes, pieces that are monuments of technical razzle dazzle, is youthful vanity. The motivation for 40-year-old Louis Lortie to do the same is less obvious. Read more...

Imagine scenes of a young woman in ecstasy, a wife about to hit her husband with a bottle, or a daughter stealing from her dying father. Read more...

Joan Didion’s “Political Fictions” introduces an angle on American politics few have seen. It’s like visiting the vacant set of a television show: what appears real and sincere is revealed to be fake. Read more...

The digitization of entertainment has finally spread into home video recording and TV; and, once again, the thorn in our technological ass is the entertainment industry. Read more...

Filmmaker Michael Moore wants to make one thing crystal clear about his latest film, “Bowling for Columbine.” “Ultimately, this film is not about guns, it’s not about school shootings,” Moore said about the documentary, the first to be accepted into the Cannes Film Festival for competition in 46 years. Read more...

“Punch Drunk Love” New Line/Revolution 4 Paws This is not “Boogie Nights” or “Billy Madison.” But P. T. Anderson’s latest film combines aspects of his style with Adam Sandler’s presence as both a comic, and yes, dramatic actor. Read more...