Culture & Art

Vitaly Golovkov04.08.2026

‘Michael’: How legal constraints and corporate sterility undermined the biopic of the decade. The making of Michael, the long-awaited biographical film about the “King of Pop,” has become one of the most remarkable production stories in modern Hollywood. With a reported budget of $155 million, the project was conceived as the definitive cinematic portrait of […]

Yuri Chekalin04.08.2026

It is fascinating that Madama Butterfly, or Cio-Cio-San, has long been regarded as one of the most “Japanese” of European operas. Yet, in reality, it tells us far more about Western perceptions of Japan at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries than about Japan itself. The same can be said, in a different […]

Vladimir Golstein18.04.2026

What makes Dostoevsky forever relevant is his dialectical approach to the most pressing issues of human predicament. Only in the eyes of the extremely naïve thinkers — doesn’t matter if they come from the right, left or center the issues that face modern day materialistic capitalist societies can be quantified, computerized, and resolved. For the […]

Vitaly Golovkov11.04.2026

Ralph Fiennes always follows his own rules. Looking at his performance — whether in the Lord’s robes or in a haute couture suit, the viewer inevitably catches a cognitive dissonance. We expect a monster, but we get an abyss of charisma, the “gold standard” of cinematic noir, which is impossible (and, honestly, one does not […]

Tatiana Kasatkina31.03.2026

Film adaptations and interpretations not only have different goals, but also appeal to different audiences. A film adaptation is offered, in a sense, “in place” of the book, a simplified version for those who may never read it; the director here plays an educational role, addressing the ignorant as one who knows, the superior as […]

Vitaly Golovkov26.03.2026

As a former federal judge who has handed down sentences for serious felonies and aggravated assaults, I view this on-screen trial not as a detective thriller, but as a very gripping legal drama. I apologize in advance to readers for paying little attention to the visual effects and dynamics, which are top-notch in this work. […]

Klim Zhukov13.03.2026

I envy those who haven’t watched it, because I want to erase this film from my memory and watch it again. Peter Weir’s “Master and Commander” is not just a battle film. It’s a hymn to male friendship, duty, and the romance of the sailing era, shot with epic grandeur and stunning attention to detail. […]

Klim Zhukov16.02.2026

This is very, VERY sad news. I don’t want to exaggerate or draw premature conclusions, but this turn of events in the film industry is, to put it mildly, frightening and shocking. I dare to suspect that everyone has noticed how the quality of global cinema has plummeted recently. Many complain about stupid plots, incompetent […]

Egor Yakovlev10.01.2026

Russian and Soviet theater director, teacher, and founder of the Moscow Art Theater, Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, was born on December 23, 1858. Nemirovich-Danchenko became fascinated with theater while still in high school. He set up a “windowsill theater” in his room. The young director assembled a troupe of actors from playing cards: kings, jacks, and queens. […]

Yuri Chekalin26.06.2025

Karolina Karlovna Pavlova, born Karolina Karlovna Jaenisch, was born in 1807 in Yaroslavl, but died in 1893 in Dresden, Germany. Pavlova’s removal from her native Russia was not merely an accident; she had fled the country of her birth four decades prior, having suffered years of ridicule and ostracization as a result of her literary […]

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The Michael Jackson Biopic is Missing its Most Controversial Story

Madama Butterfly and the Japan of the Western Imagination

Perennial Relevance of Dostoevsky

Ralph Fiennes the Master of the “Silent Explosion” Phenomenon

“Demons”: Film Adaptation or Interpretation?

Verdict for “Mercy” on 90 Minutes of Legal Action

“Master and Commander”

The End of Cinema

Revolutionary of Russian Theater: Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko

“Double Life” of Karolina Pavlova

The Michael Jackson Biopic is Missing its Most Controversial Story

Madama Butterfly and the Japan of the Western Imagination

The Spanish Civil War at 90: the Republic’s Response

Terminator Is about 80 Years Old