Coverage from domestic and international film festival.
It was just over a year ago, on March 6, 2020, when South By Southwest (SXSW) pulled the plug on its film, music, and comedy festival. It was the first time in 34 years that the Austin, Texas, show wouldn’t … Continue reading Play These Movies Loud: 2021 South By Southwest Film Festival
It took only two movies for Taiwanese filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang to establish his trademarks: Slow-paced storytelling, scarce dialogue, alienated characters. And that was back in the mid-’90s; today, Tsai’s movies fit comfortably into the category of slow cinema, a burgeoning … Continue reading DAYS (日子)
There weren’t any crowds in Park City, Utah, and the big studios may have stayed away, but the 2021 Sundance Film Festival proved that headliners or no, in-person or virtual, the cinematic cream will always rise to the top. Chief … Continue reading All I Need to Get By: Dispatches from the 2021 Sundance Film Festival
Edee (Robin Wright) has no desire to live. She was once a wife and a mother, but a cruel twist of fate snatched both in one blow. So Edee packs up and leaves Chicago for a remote cabin located deep … Continue reading LAND
Of all the ideas to come out of Michael Lewis’ Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, the notion that the difference between a team making the playoffs—and a team not—coming down to the success or failure of a single … Continue reading TRY HARDER!
Throughout the summer of 1969, Harlem attracted thousands by assembling some of the best musical talents around for the Harlem Cultural Festival. B.B. King brought the blues, Mahalia Jackson brought the gospel, Jesse Jackson brought the church, and Sly and … Continue reading SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
In 1970, Björn Andrésen was just another skinny Swedish 15-year-old. In 1971, he was dubbed “the most beautiful boy in the world” by Italian director Luchino Visconti. Visconti had adapted Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice for the screen and cast Andrésen in … Continue reading THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WORLD
It’s going to be shorter this year, but it’s also coming a lot closer to home: The 2021 Sundance Film Festival is going virtual. A bummer for those who like gathering in theaters to share cinematic discovery. But a boon … Continue reading NIGHT OF THE KINGS (LA NUIT DES ROIS)
There’s always been a cult of celebrity surrounding movie directors. At least, once movies became commercial. Take Charlie Chaplin: He started as a star working for Mack Sennett but then wanted artistic freedom. So, he started working for himself. Audience-goers … Continue reading KUBRICK BY KUBRICK
Michael J. Cinema 
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