Talks About Nothing

Those with a passion for online TED Talks and/or a high tolerance for brainy nebulous conversation may find this series of cerebral discussions between seemingly random personalities an interesting diversion. Everyone else will likely be bored to death by the lugubrious droning here that proudly (!) claims to be about nothing. New York's Rubin Museum of Art hosted these 2010-11 programs that have been edited into 10 “episodes” pairing recognizable figures such as neurologist Oliver Sacks, filmmaker Ken Burns, actor Brian Cox, performance artist Laurie Anderson, and other cognoscenti darlings with less identifiable authorities from the worlds of science, spirituality, publishing, and the arts. Onstage in easy chairs, the conversationalists casually chew over topics that are very far from nothing—Shakespeare, Buddhism, philosophy, child development, meditation—but too often meander into aimless tangents. Granted, there are moments of engaging exchange here between smart cookies who are thought-provoking; mostly, however, the wall of verbiage turns into an endurance test (or prescription for insomnia). Another big drawback is the poor sound and image quality (these feel like extended YouTube clips). DVD extras include a booklet with a timeline, participant profiles, and more. An optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (T. Fry)