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If it seems appropriate that "Public Enemies," director Michael Mann's film starring Johnny Depp as Depression-era bank robber and all-around gangster John Dillinger, is opening in the midst of the greatest economic meltdown in 70 years, that's because the 1930s were the golden age of the gangster film. With their up-from-the-gutter storylines, movies like "Scarface," "The Public Enemy" and "Little Caesar" not only helped define the gangster genre but also acted as a subtle critique of the capitalist system itself. "It's interesting to me that a major gangster film is coming out at a time when we are in a recession," says Michael L. Stephens, author of "Gangster Films." "In the 1930s, those films reflected the sentiment of the time, which still exists today, and we still identify with that anti-Wall Street, anti-establishment... [read full story]
West Virginia University is shopping for two deans. Search committees have been formed for the College of Arts and Sciences, which is replacing Mary Ellen Mazey. She left to become provost of Auburn University. Interim Provost...
I’ve missed the centennial of Johnny Mercer’s birth by a few days (he was born on 18 Nov 1909): sorry! He was one of the Twentieth Century’s great song lyricists, and was also a fine singer himself. He recorded as a vocalist in...
FILE - In this file photo made on Friday, Jan. 23, 2009, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is seen at a rally in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad. A stepped-up campaign by...
Jimmy Gopperth's unflappable boot struck a serious blow to London Irish's chase of Saracens as Newcastle won 15-11 at the Madejski on Sunday. It was the first time in eight attempts the Falcons had beaten the Exiles and,...
