The Last Defense

Harlem, 1943. Sonny is a struggling African American who frequents the bingo parlor in a desperate attempt to provide for his family in post-Depression era New York.

Twenty-five hundred years before the reign of Julius Caesar, the ancient Egyptians were deftly harnessing the power of engineering on an unprecedented scale. Egyptian temples, fortresses, pyramids and palaces forever redefined the limits of architectural possibility. They also served as a warning to all of Egypt's enemies-that the world's most advanced civilization could accomplish anything. This two-hour special uses cinematic recreations and cutting-edge CGI to profile the greatest engineering achievements of ancient Egypt, and the pharaohs and architects who were behind them. Includes Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara, Senusret's Nubian Superfortresses, Hatshepsut's Mortuary Temple at Dier el-Bahari, Akhenaten's city at Amarna, and the temples of Ramesses the Great at Abu Simbel.

Despite their personal short comings, many of the Roman Empires great engineering accomplishments were introduced during the reign of the Caesars. The tradition continued under Vespasian, builder of the Coliseum, Trajan, builder of the Forum, and Hadrian, builder and possibly the designer of the Pantheon. Finally, a decade later Caracalla built a bath complex/recreation center in an effort to secure his own reputation in history.

Explore the extraordinary measures taken by ten savvy individuals to pull off mind-boggling, high-stakes gambles. Each episode charts the exploits of an overzealous entrepreneur who may have gone too far in their pursuit of riches and recognition.

Unfolding over six years, what begins as an impulsive one-off gathering turns into an ever-growing annual event attracting sponsorship from crypto-currency companies and featuring capitalist statist speakers such as Ron Paul and BitCoin investor Roger Ver. And when rule-avoidant "freedom" activists come together in one of the most dangerous cities in the world, incoherent ideology and cognitive dissonance rears its ugly head.

The story of the rocky road that Walt Disney took to get his interpretation of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937) to the silver screen.

This live set, containing twenty of Jonathan Coulton’s most popular songs, was filmed in February 2008 in front of a sold out crowd at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, California.

In a child's bedroom, a tattered puff toy appears somewhat melancholy. As tinkering sounds and footsteps echo throughout the room, a curious figure projects a shadow against a wall. In the midst of this cluttered environment, a beautiful doll emerges. A music box begins to play and a subtle relationship develops. Suddenly, a cuckoo clock initiates a sequence of mechanical interactions, which travel around the room, eventually culminating in the delivery of a sentimental message.

The Making of an Avant-Garde presents the creation and existence of the IAUS in the architectural, cultural, and political climate of the time, from the anti-War riots, the Women's Movement to the Paris May '68 revolution and the crime ridden and the bankrupt New York City of the 70's, through rich and abundant footage. The Institute, founded in 1967 with close ties to The Museum of Modern Art, made New York the global center for architectural debate and redefined architectural discourse in the United States. A place of immense energy and effervescence, its founders and participants were young and hardly known at the time but would ultimately become some of the most influential figures in the field shaping architectural practice and theory for decades. The Institute became the most significant and energetic crossroad in the path of rethinking architecture and the city and it's influence is still felt today.