Sometimes brevity is impossible. Anyone seeking to summarize Noah Baumbach’s new film, “The Squid and the Whale,” quickly becomes acquainted with this fact. Above all, complexity prevails. Read more...

For documentary filmmaker Marc Levin, ignorance isn’t quite bliss. It’s inspiration. Shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Levin stepped into a cab in New York City where, to his surprise, the driver revealed his steadfast belief that the Jews were in part, or even entirely, responsible for the attacks that September. Read more...

Marlon Brando was perhaps best known for his legendary acting career and his notoriously reclusive nature. But few may know he also moonlighted as an author. Read more...

Franz Ferdinand “You Could Have It So Much Better” Domino Records Until a month ago, Franz Ferdinand’s sophomore album, “You Could Have It So Much Better,” was going to be self-titled like the band’s debut, with the exact same cover art and a different color scheme. Read more...

“Good Night, and Good Luck.” Directed by George Clooney Warner Independent Pictures With good reason, most movie titles don’t end in periods. Since titles aim to entice viewers before they sit down and watch the film, a nudge seems more applicable than a declaration, and so question marks take over for periods. Read more...

Earlier this month, I went to see “Theater of the New Ear” at Royce Hall with a friend of mine who had recently graduated from UCLA. Read more...

UCLA Live director David Sefton certainly has a challenge before him in making the new season better than last year’s, considering it brought Yo-Yo Ma, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Christopher O’Riley to Royce Hall. Read more...