Concerned about what?” That was the question an attendee at the Conference on World Affairs posed after hearing about the theme of the ongoing Boulder Weekly special issue series: A Survival Guide for Concerned Citizens. “Concerned about the planet?” he … Continue reading Documentaries for Concerned Citizens: Cinematic Survival Guide, Vol. 2
On Friday, Jan. 8, the Denver Film Critics Society (DFCS)—16 writers and broadcasters working in and around the Mile High City, of which I am one—cast their preliminary ballots for this year’s DFCS awards. How it works: Members are asked … Continue reading Denver Film Critics Society 2020 Ballot
On this week’s edition of After Image, I speak with Metro Arts’ producer Veronica Straight-Lingo about my favorite movies of 2020. Listen to After Image, Fridays at 3:00 p.m., on KGNU’s Metro Arts: 88.5 FM and 1390 AM Denver/Boulder, 93.7 FM … Continue reading
2020 was the year I watched more but understood less. With a rotating series of crises to consider, rare were the instances where I found myself lost in someone else’s story for two hours. Empathy has its limits: When you’re … Continue reading 2020: A Year Like No Other
On this week’s edition of After Image, I chat with Metro Arts’ producer Veronica Straight-Lingo about two to see in virtual theaters: City Hall (CU-Boulder’s International Film Series) and Frida Kahlo (Denver Film Center). Listen to After Image, Fridays at … Continue reading
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
Neither wind nor rain nor sleet nor snow stopped the Denver Film Festival before—though the blizzard of 1997 tried when it dropped 21 inches and shut the city down. That year Jack Palance received DFF’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the … Continue reading The Best is Yet to Come: Dispatches from the 43rd Denver Film Festival
Michael J. Cinema 