David Luhrssen lectured at UW-Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. He is author of The Vietnam War on Film, The Encyclopedia of Classic Rock, Secret Societies in American History, Mamoulian: Life on Stage and Screen and Hammer of the Gods: Thule Society and the Birth of Nazism. He contributed essays to the American National Biography Online, the Grove Dictionary of American Music and 100 People Who Changed 20th-Century America.
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David Luhrssen
‘Bleed Out’ Counts the Human Cost of Medical Error
Director Steve Burrows discusses his documentary and the Milwaukee Film Festival screening. Read more
'Hitler: A Life' (Oxford University Press), by Peter Longerich
A new biography sticks to the facts of Hitler’s life and policies. Read more
Photo Courtesy of Tate Bunker
Director Tate Bunker Talks About ‘The Field’
Supernatural story set in Wisconsin to screen at Milwaukee Film Festival. Read more
Kitchen Secrets of a Four-Star Chef
Acclaimed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten tells his life story garnished with recipes in his memoir, ‘JGV: A Life in 12 Recipes.’ Read more
'The Birds' a Must-See on the Oriental Theatre's Screen
As part of the Milwaukee Film Festival’s Cinema Hooligante program, the Hitchcock classic, The Birds, will be screened at the Oriental Theatre on Oct. 22. Read more
Photo credit: Iain Macmillan
Home Movies/Now Streaming: Oct. 17, 2019
Recently released on Blu-ray and DVD: Above Us Only Sky, The Mind Benders, Find Me Guilty. Read more
'Forgotten Bastards of the Eastern Front: American Airmen Behind the Soviet Lines and the Collapse of the Grand Alliance' (Oxford University Press), by Serhii Plokhy
Harvard’s Serhii Plokhy tells a fascinating story of a dozen dangerous missions flown from decrepit facilities in Ukraine during World War II. Read more
'The Art of Nothing: 25 Years of Mutts and the Art of Patrick McDonnell' (Abrams), by Patrick McDonnell
The Art of Nothing is a beautifully rendered career retrospective. Read more
New Insights into Frank Lloyd Wright’s Troubled Life
Paul Hendrickson will discuss his new biography, Plagued by Fire: The Dreams and Furies of Frank Lloyd Wright, at Boswell Book Co. on Oct. 21. Read more
Photo courtesy of Paul McComas
Sam Shepard 'Saw It All Coming'
Performers Paul McComas and Amee Binder tour with a version of Sam Shepard’s play, the tragic comedy ‘Fool for Love.’ Read more
When 'Lucy in the Sky' Falls to Earth
Natalie Portman is outstanding an astronaut caught in an obsessive relationship. Read more
'The Meritocracy Trap: How America’s Foundational Myth Feeds Inequality, Dismantles the Middle Class, and Devours the Elite' (Penguin Press), by Daniel Markovits
In The Meritocracy Trap, Daniel Markovits indicts America’s class system—a structure whose current incarnation disguises itself as a meritocracy, not an aristocracy. Read more
Home Movies/Now Streaming: Oct. 10, 2019
Recently released on Blu-ray and DVD: Stephen King’s Storm of the Century, And Soon the Darkness, Teddy Pendergrass: If You Don’t Know Me, Robin Williams Comic Genius. Read more
Photo Courtesy of Niko Tavernise/DC
‘Joker’ is No Laughing Matter
Joaquin Phoenix is marvelous to watch in the origin story of the Batman villain. Read more
Photo Credit: Diane Poole
Ukulele Fest Brings People Together
The Hawaiian roots of this populist instrument are honored in a day-long event. Read more
Atlas Obscura, Second Edition: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders (Workman Publishing), by Joshua Foer, Dylan Thuras and Ella Morton
Handsomely produced and illustrated, and written in tones of respectful curiosity and occasional restrained irony, Atlas Obscura is entertaining with nary a dull page. Read more
Photo Courtesy of the Milwaukee Public Museum
No Need to Fear ‘Spiders Alive!’ at Milwaukee Public Museum
Seventeen live arachnids are on display in an informative new exhibit. Read more
Remembering Leningrad: The Story of a Generation (University of Wisconsin Press), by Mary McAuley
British author studied in Leningrad during the '60s and returned to find a changed city. Read more
University of Minnesota Press
The Eloquent Rhetoric of Film
Film scholar Gilberto Perez offers insightful analysis of classic Hollywood as well as foreign filmmakers. Read more
Renée Zellweger’s Moving Performance in ‘Judy’
That’s really Zellweger singing, capturing something of the desolation and yearning in Judy Garland’s voice. Read more
