America’s Largest Documentary Festival – Nov. 8-26
Anselm Kiefer, Liv Ullmann, Little Richard, Jack and Sam Top DOC NYC How does one approach a film festival too…
Articles
-
-
New York Film Festival September 29–October 13
Film at Lincoln Center knows its audiences. Christian Petzold’s Afire (2023), a German drama of wildfires setting an entire forest…
-
The Wrong Kind of American: On ESPN’s “The Brittney Griner Story”
When WNBA star Brittney Griner was detained at a Russian airport in February 2022, after she was accused of traveling with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil, her wife, Cherelle Griner, became her unwavering lifeline. For 294 days, while Brittney was kept in a Russian prison, Cherelle and Brittney’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, fought tirelessly — galvanizing public attention, refusing to let Brittney’s story fade and ultimately turning a wrongfully detained athlete into a national priority. ESPN’s documentary “The Brittney Griner Story,” directed by Alex Stapleton, which premiered at Sundance this year, follows both the public campaign for Brittney’s release and what she endured to survive it.
-
Guam’s Sainas talk cultural dance in “Something to Call Our Own”
Project Inspire and PBS Guam’s enculturating dance documentary, “Something to Call Our Own,” distinguishes itself as a canonizing force for…
-
The owner of Kung Fu Video & DVD recommends five films everyone should see for a guaranteed high
East of the Boston Common, atop a Downtown Crossing jewelry store stands James Bennett. To find him, you must walk…
-
Grady & The Hootin’ Bandits frontman Grady Berhorst talks the band’s first EP
Grady & The Hootin’ Bandits are a young and resourceful Colorado-based independent band hailing from small town Evergreen. Last fall brought the release of their debut self-titled EP, a blend of folk and jazz that culminates in five tracks of indie-alternative excellence — the entirety of which can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. The third song on the EP, “Hootin’ Thing,” is a particular stand out, joining piano, horns and a grainy production style with fun upbeat vocals that will leave you desperate for more.
-
Remembering legendary folk singer/songwriter Tucker Zimmerman
Singer, songwriter, guitarist and cult folk hero Tucker Zimmerman, who released 12 albums over the last six decades, passed away…
-
In ‘Peter Hujar’s Day,’ That’s the Way It Happened
“Peter Hujar’s Day” tells the unconventional true story of a day in the life of the photographer Peter Hujar, as…
-
How James Gunn Changed Music In Cinema
James Gunn has one of the most prolific careers in the modern cinematic landscape. After getting his start as a punk-indie darling, he has become one of Hollywood’s most consistently successful directors.
Since the beginning of his career, Gunn’s directorial style has been consistently characterised by the use of copywritten music. On its own, this is not unique; other directors, such as Quentin Tarantino, used radio music in films like “Pulp Fiction.” However, those songs were less centered in the story, simply enhancing what was already there.
-
Everything Before Was Prologue: The Radical Cinema of Barbara Hammer
Barbara Hammer spent decades filming lesbian bodies and desire, insisting audiences feel what they’d largely never seen. A pioneering experimental filmmaker, she created over 80 films that made queer life visible when very few others would. This year, “Barbara Forever,” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, telling Hammer’s life story through her own voice and archive.
-
A comprehensive guide to the music of “Yellowjackets.”
Part of what makes “Yellowjackets” so unforgettable is the way its soundtrack is used as a narrative anchor. The series follows a group of women, both as teenage soccer players enduring a devastating plane crash in the late ‘90s that leaves them stranded in the Canadian wilderness for 19 months, and, 25 years later, as middle-aged women, who are still coping with the effects of what happened when they were younger. Instead of relying on mainstream nostalgia, “Yellowjackets” leans into the grit and vulnerability of ‘90s alt-rock and the reflective nature of indie. To understand “Yellowjackets” in all its depth, one must pay attention to the show’s rich musical world.
