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Photo Credit: Rachel Krantz

A look at the Brooklyn Brainery.

 

Image via: Daniel Junge & Bryan Storkel

It’s hard to imagine two parts of American culture– mixed martial arts and Christianity– that on the surface are more incompatible. Jesus is known for telling his followers to turn the other cheek. MMA fighters are known for turning their opponents’ cheeks for them, with their fists, elbows, and knees. If there’s one existential truth it’s this: humans, especially American humans, are hideously complex. Yet the existence of ministries that embrace MMA still surprises.

 

From IndieCade 2011. Photo: Noah J Nelson

2012 feels like it is the year that indie games are finally having their moment. Indie Game: The Movie was a Sundance smash, game funding has exploded on Kickstarter, and indie game developer Jonathan Blow was the subject of an in-depth profile in the most recent issue of The Atlantic. Stephanie Barish, the CEO of IndieCade, the international festival of independent games, sees things a little differently.

 

As part of The Kennedy Center’s honoring of Marvin Gaye, Turnstyle’s Brandon McFarland interviewed John Legend about contemporary soul singers, growing up in the church, and what’s going on now in social-issue driven music.

 

In terms of proven storytelling talent The Canyons might just be the biggest project to plant a banner at Kickstarter yet. Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho, Less Than Zero) has written and Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Auto Focus) will direct this thriller about the quest for love, sex, success and power in contemporary Hollywood. The film is scheduled to go in front of the lens this summer.

 

Marvin Gaye’s album, What’s Going On, has been called one of the great soul music records of all time. The album was showcased at a 1972 concert at the Kennedy Center in Marvin’s hometown of Washington DC. This week, the Kennedy Center is commemorating the 40th anniversary of that live performance, and has asked select musicians to re-imagine “What’s Going On” — and I’m one of those musicians.

 

Image: Fourth Wall Studios

The technological arms race that has given us wi-fi and social media has left our society with a fractured attention span in a broken media landscape. Consider how we watch TV: smartphone cradled in one hand, iPad just a lean away. Fourth Wall Studios has, and they see an opportunity for a whole new breed of storytelling.

 

Photo Credit: zigazou76 / Flickr

Imagine being afraid to sign up for a particular college course, or ask a burning question to your professor because it might be recorded and documented in a police report with your name on it. That’s the dilemma that many Muslim college students are facing in New York and surrounding areas.

 

Image: Fox Searchlight

Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling’s Sound of My Voice has left me in a bit of a bind. I cannot say without reservation that this is a great film, or that I left the screening room completely satisfied. However I need to use this review in order to convince you to see the movie, because I need Batmanglij and Marling to tell more of this story.

 

Can Ryan Payton, game journalist turned blockbuster game producer (Metal Gear Solid 4, Halo 4), get his stalled Kickstarter campaign firing on all cylinders? A rare look inside a crowd funding campaign in turnaround. This is a MUST READ for crowd funding project managers and those looking to kick off their own campaigns.