Ali Scher and Cast on POPULAR THEORY – Jeanne Wolf interviews

The Popular Theory story is about Erwin, a chemistry-obsessed and somewhat shy schoolgirl. Her aunt, played by Cheryl Hines of Curb Your Enthusiasm fame, worries about Erwin because she’s so absorbed in her science studies that she doesn’t make friends. She finds a friend, Winston, another chemistry geek, and together, they invent a popularity serum that they add to chewing gum to make anyone instantly attractive. And it works! Lots of lessons about the value of popularity and the value of following your own passion make the story end with lots of smiles.

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POPULAR THEORY – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

Twelve-year-old Erwin doesn’t mind being the youngest and smartest person at her high school. A proud science nerd, she notes—usually when talking to a poster of her namesake, physicist Erwin Schrodinger—how survival of the fittest rules the halls and she’s “blissfully alone in a bubble of my own creation.” But a new classmate who is a chemistry whiz ignites her competitive side, and the fun begins. Popular Theory mixes laughter with heart.

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AI WEIWEI: YOURS TRULY – Review by Carol Cling

This portrait of the famous freedom-fighting artist and activist centers on Ai’s @Large, an expansive exhibition — at San Francisco’s notorious Alcatraz Island — that attracted more than 900,000 people during its 2014-15 run. Unfortunately, the artist himself wasn’t one of them. At the time, the Chinese government had taken away his passport.

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