Reviews, interviews, and festival coverage for Boulder’s only independent newspaper from 2014 to 2025.
Before the Syrian Civil War in 2011, an estimated 2 million souls called Ghouta home. Less than 20% now reside in the suburb of Damascus. The rest either fled, were evacuated, or were killed. A few remained to help those … Continue reading THE CAVE
The year was 1978, and China’s future did not look promising. The country had survived wars, depression, and famine. Plus, a cultural revolution was taxing the nation. Resources were tight, but as the population neared 1 billion, things went from … Continue reading ONE CHILD NATION
Monroeville, Alabama, 1987: A man is condemned to death for a crime he did not commit. Do you need to know the color of his skin, or can you already guess? He is Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), and recent Harvard … Continue reading JUST MERCY
In 1964, Britain’s Granada Television charged researcher Michael Apted to select 14 7-year-olds from disparate backgrounds for the documentary program, Seven Up! Their aim: to get a glimpse of England in the year 2000. “Give me a child until he is 7,” … Continue reading 63 UP
There’s a scene halfway through Ford v Ferrari where Carrol Shelby (Matt Damon) takes Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) for a spin on the test-track in their newest GT40 prototype. It’s been a long time since Ford—derisively nicknamed “The Deuce”—spent time in … Continue reading FORD V FERRARI
Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him. —Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment His name is Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), and he deals in jewels, watches, gems—all that glitters is gold to him. … Continue reading UNCUT GEMS
Before he was a filmmaker, Peter Bogdanovich was a critic and historian par excellence. Coming of age as the first wave of Hollywood filmmakers were being put out to pasture, Bogdanovich sat at the feet of the men who made … Continue reading THE GREAT BUSTER: A CELEBRATION
When Star Wars debuted in 1977, it was an immediate revolution of cinema and culture. Audiences voted with their wallets: This is how we want our stories delivered, and these are the stories we desire. Four decades later, Star Wars is less a cinematic … Continue reading STAR WARS IX: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
No matter how corrupt, greedy, and heartless our government, our corporations, our media, and our religious and charitable institutions may become, the music will still be wonderful. Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country One of the best scenes in … Continue reading 2019: Something To Do With Death
Michael J. Cinema 
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