“Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.” – Mohsin Hamid In the late 1800s, when silver was found by Nicholas C. Creede in the mountains of Southwest Colorado, the rush of people led to the boomtown known… Read More ›
documentary
Narrative hybrid “Brother Verses Brother” is a life-affirming, soul-crushing, musical journey that reminds us how art can save our lives. [SXSW]
“Art can save your life … Entertainment will never be your salvation … .” – Comedian Josh Jackson. In 2020, as COVID-19 resulted in lockdowns around the world, twin siblings Ari and Ethan Gold began corresponding with their father, Herbert,… Read More ›
Intimate documentary “Everybody Dance” beautifully showcases life-changing program for disabled dancers.
People who live with disabilities are often made to feel invisible. In fact, society in general considers people with disabilities to be disposable, many times not wanting to even be reminded of their existence, when all people who live with… Read More ›
“Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse” explores the magnitude of significance of Spiegelman and his graphic novel “Maus.”
When I was in university (all those years ago), I took a class that was essentially called “Understanding Comics” which explored comics as a medium — how it told stories, how it evolved, where it is now, and so on,… Read More ›
Oscar-nominated documentary “No Other Land” deserves your attention and a distributor.
Content Warning for descriptions, images, and reporting on violent scenes of oppression, police brutality, and genocide. There are special movies, and then there are films that you’ll never forget. No Other Land, an on-the-ground account of a Palestinian West Bank… Read More ›
Documentary “Third Act” captures self-realizations and the discovery that they run generations-deep. [Sundance]
History can only be buried for so long before the truth comes out. This relates to large revelations (the purposeful attempts to control and reduce Indigenous populations through residential schools in the U.S. and Canada) and interpersonal discoveries that wield… Read More ›
“Studio One Forever” is a “Celebration of Life” for historic West Hollywood club.
It’s an important rite of passage for each generation to mourn the loss of the cultural norms and trends that defined its youth. Unfortunately, this mourning usually manifests as some iteration of the tone-deaf and demeaning phrase, “Kids today will… Read More ›
“Eternal You” explores the promise of extending one’s lifespan through digital transitions.
Once something to be imagined in your favorite sci-fi tale, artificial intelligence (A.I.) is now being forced into everything from your smartphone to your toaster. Instead of being used to expand human consciousness through exploratory play like Star Trek: The… Read More ›
“There Was, There Was Not” keeps the reality of a recently-gone homeland from fading into fairytale. [NOFF]
In our era of perpetual information, it’s nearly impossible to keep track of all the horrific embattlements going on across the world. The two most top of mind are the Russo-Ukrainian War and the Israel-Gaza War, but there’s also violence… Read More ›
“1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever!” Blu-ray Giveaway
Originally released as limited series from 2022-2023 on The CW, 1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever!, directed by Roger Lay Jr. and written by Mark A. Altman, is gathered together in one 164-minute production as a new addition to the MVD… Read More ›
First-time feature filmmaker Robie Flores explores the liminal spaces and mundane moments of life in experimental doc “The In Between.”[NOFF]
“And so he told me his secret formula for happiness. Part one of the two-part plan was that I should just get on with ordinary life, living it day by day, like anyone else. But then came part two of… Read More ›
Faux true crime documentary “Strange Harvest: Occult Murder in the Inland Empire” challenges audiences to separate facts from fiction in its conclusion. [Fantastic Fest]
In the Jewish tradition, each person dies twice. The first is when the person dies, their bodily functions ceasing operation through natural causes or unexpected tragedy. The second comes when someone says your name for the last time. This isn’t… 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 ›
“¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” aka The Price of Nostalgia.
One of my favorite questions to ask anyone is the following: “If you could store one memory in a bottle to revisit over again, what would it be?” My choice revolves around the first time I stepped into Walt Disney… Read More ›
Documentarian Chelsea McMullan uncovers a beautifully human story in “Swan Song.”
In the first half of 2022, the dancers and staff at the National Ballet of Canada were pouring themselves into rehearsals for a historic opening: a new production of the iconic Swan Lake directed by ballet legend Karen Kain. This… Read More ›
For all the women who’ve never been “Satisfied,” comes a documentary that centers actor Renée Elise Goldsberry’s quest to achieve it. [Tribeca Film Festival]
“… if you know anything about me, I have spent the last 10 years of my life, what some would consider the lifeblood of a woman’s career, just trying to have children. And I get to testify in front of… Read More ›
The first episode of the Tim Burton-centric docuseries provides its own deep dive while priming the audience for three more installments. [Tribeca Film Festival]
Tara Wood is certainly not shy when it comes to making documentaries on some of Hollywood’s more popular or polarizing voices as her two previous directorial outings have presented themselves (co-director of 21 Years: Richard Linklater and QT8: The First… Read More ›
Filmmaker Sabrina Van Tassel’s “Missing from Fire Trail Road” is an evocative condemnation of the culpability of North America against its Indigenous peoples. [Tribeca Film Festival]
The version of American History that most students learn is that the American Revolution took place largely due to the concept of “taxation without representation.” That the colonists found it frustrating and unfair to have to send taxes to a… Read More ›
Director Neil Berkeley’s comedy doc “Group Therapy” declares that we’re all in this life together. [Tribeca Film Festival]
Comedy is tragedy plus time. – Samuel Clemens Early into Gilbert/Harmantown director Neil Berkeley’s new film Group Therapy, one of the central cast members, comedian Mike Birbiglia, comments that comedy is similar to therapy in that the comedian opens themselves… Read More ›
In the world of independent aeronautics, if you want to be at the front of the pack, you’ve got to “Go Like Hell.” [Atlanta Film Festival]
“Take my love, take my land Take me where I cannot stand I don’t care, I’m still free You can’t take the sky from me … .” – Sonny Rhodes, The Ballad of Serenity Speaking at Rice University on September… Read More ›