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Mark Wolverton is a free-lance science writer and playwright who has also published fiction.IHe is the author of three books, most recently A Life in Twilight: The Final Years of J. Robert Oppenheimer. He has also worked in independent film, TV and radio. He lives in Bryn Mawr, Pa.
For more about Mark Wolverton, visit his website at www.markwolverton.com.
More articles by Mark Wolverton, newest first
| Soderbergh’s ‘The Informant!’ |
October 18 2009 |
Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant! seems to be a standard whistleblower saga at first, but turns out to be something quite different. It’s an unsettling reminder that, in movies as well as real life, things aren’t always what they seem.
The Informant! A film directed by Steven Soderbergh. At the Ritz Five, 214 Walnut St. (215) 925-7900 or www.landmarktheatres.com.
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| Michael Mann’s ‘Public Enemies’ |
July 14 2009 |
In Michael Mann’s crime films, the lines between good and bad are never clear. In his ambiguously titled Public Enemies, Mann suggests that the exuberant if bloody bank robber John Dillinger and the straitlaced G-men who pursued him were in many respects brothers under the skin.
Public Enemies. A film directed by Michael Mann.
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| Something different: Ambient/space music |
July 11 2009 |
Beethoven was inspired by Napoleon; now meet ambient/space music composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, who's inspired by Henry Ford. His genre is hard to define, but it can be challenging, inspiring, soothing, sometimes disturbing and often beautiful. And Philadelphia has become a center for this misunderstood innovative form of music.
The Gatherings concert series. St Mary’s Hamilton Village Church, 3916 Locust Walk. www.thegatherings.org
“Star’s End.” Saturday nights from 1 a.m. to 6 am. on n WXPN, 88.5 FM. www.starsend.org.
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| ‘Frost/Nixon’ on DVD |
June 14 2009 |
Ron Howard's Frost/Nixon, now available on DVD, works as a tale about two ambitious men confronting each other in search of redemption, absolution, worldly success and ultimate closure.
Frost/Nixon. A film by Ron Howard. www.imdb.com/title/tt0870111.
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| Theatrical readings, and where to find them |
March 31 2009 |
Theatrical readings are getting a bad rap in Broad Street Review. But as a playwright, I can attest that they’re a necessary element in bringing a play from a writer’s mind onto the stage. The audience (and even critics) benefit too. And in Philadelphia, there are many opportunities to participate.
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| Guitarist John Williams at Perelman Theater |
March 28 2009 |
Some virtuosos are all about showing you how good they are. John Williams is just the opposite: He actually makes you forget just how good he is, because he never allows his technical virtuosity to overshadow the essential musicality of whatever he’s playing.
John Williams, guitarist. Presented by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, March 24, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 569-8587 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Oppenheimer and the 'guilt-ridden scientist' myth |
March 17 2009 |
J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, always rejected popular depictions of himself as a guilt-ridden scientist agonizing over the doomsday weapon he unleashed. How, then, did Oppenheimer wind up as the poster boy for scientific guilt and soul-searching? The answer probably explains more about us than about him.
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