Three Must-See Summer Movies
Forget summer reading. (Or don’t. We love books over here, too!) Either way, add The End of The Tour, Queen of Earth, and Tangerine to your summer “watching” list.
Kurt Brokaw
Kurt Brokaw joined The Independent in 2010 as Senior Film Critic, covering New York’s six major film festivals and reviewing individual features and shorts of merit. He was Associate Teaching Professor at The New School for 33 years, and has taught courses on film noir, early lesbian fiction and Jewish-themed cinema at The 92nd Street Y for 15 years. His memoir, The Paperback Guy, was published in 2020.
Tribeca 2015: Critic’s Choice
Senior critic Kurt Brokaw commends Tribeca’s Sharon Badal on her “peerless curating” in his annual selection of festival favorites. From the buzzy The Wolfpack to the under-the-radar shorts such as Big Boy selected by Badal, this year’s picks thus far include dramatized dance, rock legends (but not conspiracy theories), and under-helicoptered children.
New Directors/New Films 2015 – Critic’s Choice
Is this how you want to be entertained? Senior critic Kurt Brokaw asks tough questions of a blatantly tough-on-the-senses program at this year’s New Directors/New Films. A handful of the full slate make his cut. The rest just cut.
Rendez-Vous With French Cinema 2015 – Critic’s Choice
Rendez-vous with French Cinema returns to New York for its 20th year with 22 North American premieres. Senior critic, Kurt Brokaw, sees the slate and divides his favorites into Youth and Crime. With Martin Scorsese as one of this year’s co-chairs, Brokaw insists that indeed, crime does pay.
New York Jewish Film Festival, January 14th – 29th – Critic’s Choice
Felix and Meira (Maxine Giroux. 2014. Canada. 105 min) Last year’s Closing Night selection at NYJFF was Ida, this writer’s…
DOC NYC 2014, November 13th – 20th – Critic’s Choice
“Too much ain’t enough” might be the cry-of-the-night heard throughout the recent 52nd New York Film Festival and this past…
New York Film Festival 2014 – Critic’s Choice
Kurt Brokaw returns to the New York Film Festival as our senior critic for the fifth consecutive year. No film is left behind as he chooses his favorites, with reviews starting now and coming in over the next week. The festival runs September 26th through October 12th.
Linklater’s 12+ Year Gamble on “Boyhood” Pays Off
With Boyhood, “Richard Linklater, already one of America’s most persistently inventive independent filmmakers, has made movie history with the longest real-time dramatic memoir,” writes senior critic Kurt Brokaw. Read his mostly admiring review here.
Tribeca 2014: Critic’s Choice
Of Tribeca’s 89 features and 60 shorts, senior critic Kurt Brokaw elaborates on his favorites. <i>Chef, Venus in Fur</i> and <i>Virunga</i> started us off and <i>Dior and I, Helium, Today’s the Day, Love In the Time of March Madness, Human Voice, Shaking Free</i> and <i>The Vortex Finds a Host</i> round off the list.