Rio de Janeiro consists of 600 “favelas” ““ the Brazilian word for an urban slum or ghetto with illegal squatter settlements. Anderson Sá is native to the Vigário Geral favela, which, controlled entirely by an underworld society of teenage drug armies and policemen, is considered the most dangerous of them all. Read more...

Beyond a sweating Bruce Lee dubbed with usually robotic English pronunciation, the history of Chinese martial arts cinema has remained relatively obscure. However, thanks to decades of collecting and newly remastered prints, the UCLA Film and Television Archive is currently presenting “Heroic Grace: The Chinese Martial Arts Film, Part II,” a continuation of the 2003 series intended to change preconceptions of Chinese martial arts cinema. Read more...

The opposite of war isn’t peace. It’s creation. In the case of “Rent,” war is the battle for love ““ and against the AIDS epidemic within a 1980s New York City Bohemia. Read more...

After an extensive world tour, many musicians would use their homecoming to take a break. UCLA Professor Jens Lindemann had a better idea. A pre-eminent soloist and the lead trumpet of the Canadian Brass for five years, Lindemann plans to host an evening of chamber music from his journeys, aptly titled “A Little Night Music with Jens Lindemann and Friends,” on Nov. Read more...

Second-year neuroscience student Stacy Chang was on a Greek island when “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince,” the sixth book in the series, was released over the summer. Read more...

“One Bright Shining Moment” is the kind of movie title that might bring to mind uplifting Hollywood fare about victorious underdog sports teams or landmark court cases. Read more...

blink-182 “Greatest Hits” Geffen Records Someone neglected to tell blink-182 that its 15 minutes of fame ended about four years ago. The San Diego band, which recently went on hiatus (conveniently in time for its newest release), began its career with raunchy jokes and teen angst. Read more...