If you’ve never heard of Phoenix Jones, there’re possibly two reasons as to why: you weren’t chronically online during his rise to fame and the timeline of events that followed, and you don’t know every MMA fighter to ever compete…. Read More ›
biography
“Thank You Very Much”, an inclusive, insightful documentary about the comedy enigma Andy Kaufman arrives on home video via Drafthouse Films.
In the beginning of Alex Braverman’s documentary Thank You Very Much, there is a clip of performance artist/comedian Andy Kaufman stating how we would make a film: he would start with the climax, show the title “The End,” show a… Read More ›
Linus O’Brien takes us on a “Strange Journey” in exploring the enduring legacy of his father’s “Rocky Horror Show.”
“So, come up to the lab and see what’s on the slab. I see you shiver with antici …” There are moments in our lives that we can recognize as (“…pation.”) life-changing; that we can see as the creation of… Read More ›
Filmmaker Josh Roush’s “Long Lonesome History: The Story of Michael Parks” is a loving memorial to a lost and treasured friend.
On May 9th, 2017, actor Michael Parks, born Harry Samuel Parks, passed away. Among the many things he left behind, his entertainment-based legacy includes notable roles in television and cinema as well as a career in music. His performances were… Read More ›
Step into the theatrical life of Robbie Williams in the musical biopic “Better Man” via home video.
Trigger Warning: Better Man features several sequences involving flashing lights that may be troubling to photosensitive viewers and the narrative explores depression, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation that may be hard for some viewers. You may not be immediately familiar… Read More ›
Documentary “Thank You Very Much” revisits the enigma that was Andy Kaufman.
If you don’t know who Andy Kaufman is, then you’ve probably been living under a rock, or never were a fan of comedies. While Kaufman may have been a polarizing figure, for better or worse, he is arguably on the… Read More ›
“A Complete Unknown” comes to home viewing like a rolling stone.
When we think of Bob Dylan, we often reflect on his profound impact on music, culture, and politics. Over the decades, he’s transcended the role of a mere musician, becoming a cultural icon whose voice and influence have defined multiple… Read More ›
“A Complete Unknown” fails to define the undefinable.
Director James Mangold does not make bad movies. He makes good movies (The Wolverine; Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) and great movies (Ford V. Ferrari; Copland; Logan). He’s a class-act craftsman but he’s no revolutionary, and neither is… Read More ›
A contentious U.S. President receives an equally contentious film in “Reagan.”
I stand by that title. Reagan (2024) is an astonishingly incompetent and cynical attempt to pass off pseudo-religious myth as history. Written by Howard Klausner (Space Cowboys) based on the book The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “Winner” actor Danny Ramirez.
Join entertainment journalist Thomas Manning for an insightful conversation with actor Danny Ramirez on Meet Me at the Movies: Open Dialogue. In this episode, the two discuss Ramirez’s latest film, Winner, from Vertical Entertainment, as well as his approach to… Read More ›
Documentary “Piece by Piece” leaves you feeling “Happy” exploring the magic of musician/producer Pharrell Williams. [TIFF]
Morgan Neville is no stranger to documentaries, nor musical documentaries, but his newest certainly provokes something new and manages to create a wonderfully whimsical documentary that captures the personality and soul of the subject matter at hand. Neville’s other works… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “Winner” director Susanna Fogel.
In this edition of Meet Me at the Movies: Open Dialogue, Thomas Manning sits down with writer and director Susanna Fogel to talk about her film Winner, based on the real life story of Reality Winner, the famous whistleblower who… Read More ›
Filmmaker Tom Nesher beckons audiences to lean in in her semi-autobiographical dramedy “Come Closer.” [Tribeca Film Festival]
**Photosensitivity Warning: A club sequence includes a prolonged sequence of flashing lights that may prove triggering for sensitive viewers.** Shared joy is double joy; Shared sorrow is half a sorrow. – Swedish proverb Just about everywhere one looks, there’s a… Read More ›
Documentary “Resynator” builds on itself to a worthy crescendo and conclusion. [SXSW]
“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.” – Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). All families have myths and legends — sometimes it’s stories that seem generational (“walked… Read More ›
“Bob Marley: One Love” fumbles its attempts to capture the icon’s life and legacy.
Musical biopics can deliver some rousing cinematic feats. Not only can they appease fans of classic artists, but they can also inform them about the artists’ lives. The finished results can be bountiful in the right films (Straight Outta Compton… Read More ›
“The Iron Claw” is built on career-defining performances from its leads.
Then. Now. Forever. If those three words trigger a response out of you, then you’re a wrestling fan. If the image of a panda smashing a chair over another panda with the letters WWF presented around it evokes a smile… Read More ›
“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” is mandatory fun you can have while running with scissors at home during a bad hair day thanks to Shout! Studios.
“Life is like a parody of your favorite song. Just when you think you know all the words: surprise, you don’t know anything.” – Grizzled Narrator, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story It’s so incredibly easy to take a musician like… Read More ›
“A Million Miles Away” is a biopic that struggles to decide which version of itself it wants to be.
Dr. José Hernández, born in August 1962 in French Camp, California, is not the first Hispanic astronaut (that title belongs to Chang Diaz with mission STS-61C), but he is the first astronaut whose origins begin with migrant farming, both for… Read More ›
Frank Marhsall’s documentary “Rather” reports on the man who covered history then and now. [Tribeca Film Festival]
As a Communications Major at the University of North Carolina at Asheville (Go Bulldogs!), there were two specific newscasters that came up in conversation: Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite. Coincidentally, both were born roughly a decade apart, worked for… Read More ›
Documentary “Stan Lee” honors the life and legacy forged by The Man through his own words. [Tribeca Film Festival]
Before I dive into this review of the documentary simply titled Stan Lee, I just want to make a little bit of a note on myself and who I was as a child. It is particularly interesting that I always… Read More ›