It’s not easy to wrap your head around Ike White. He was a gifted musician at a time when gifted musicians had currency. As one colleague says, “He was in the pocket.” He was also in jail—serving a life sentence … Continue reading THE CHANGIN’ TIMES OF IKE WHITE
Rich or poor, revered or despised—fate befalls all.” So says the head nurse at a hospital in Wuhan, China. Covered head-to-toe in safety garments, rubber gloves, surgical mask, and a face shield, she scrubs cell phones, ID cards, and jewelry … Continue reading 76 DAYS
Tonight marks the conclusion of TCM’s 14-week series, Women Make Film. One of the best movies featured in the series is now available to watch in a beautiful 4K Blu-ray restoration. No home library is complete without it. From Boulder … Continue reading BEAU TRAVAIL
It’s likely that Frida Kahlo’s face is better known than her paintings. Then again, the same could be said of many public figures. Surely more people own some form of paraphernalia with Marilyn Monroe plastered on it than have seen … Continue reading FRIDA KAHLO
A city can’t thrive if we’re disconnected from each other,” Boston Mayor Martin Walsh says. Documentarian Frederick Wiseman agrees. City Hall is the 90-year-old filmmaker’s 44th crack at studying how an institution functions. It’s a stunning work of observation, understanding, and compassion. … Continue reading CITY HALL
Every moment he felt that … he was drawing nearer and nearer to what terrified him. —Leo Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Ilyich Ivan Beckman (Danny Huston) is one of those Hollywood agents that earn enough to afford a home in the … Continue reading IVANSXTC.
Despite some hokey moments with swelling, triumphal music, Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 (streaming on Netflix) successfully captures a fractured moment in American history and the growing frustration with representation in the Democratic Party. Similarly, Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and … Continue reading NATIONTIME
His life was about noise until it wasn’t. Heavy metal music, to be specific, and he is Ruben (Riz Ahmed), the drummer and half of the band, Backgammon. His cymbal crashes are shattering, and his beats are pulsating. His girlfriend, … Continue reading SOUND OF METAL
Living off the Southern English coast of Lyme Regis, Mary (Kate Winslet) toils in obscurity. If she were a man, she would be a renowned paleontologist, but this is 1840, and Mary’s discoveries are sold to famous museums so she … Continue reading AMMONITE
2020 marks the 30th anniversary of The Film Foundation—the nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history. To date, the Foundation has rescued and restored 850 features and shorts, among them two Laurel & Hardy classics: Sons of … Continue reading Laurel & Hardy: The Definitive Restorations
