Wall (Canada, 78 min.) Dir. Cam Christiansen In 2018, “wall” is a volatile word. Donald Trump’s oft-threatened wall on the USA/Mexico border epitomizes the current White House administration’s deranged, sensationalist, and polarizing attitude
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I’m generally opposed to the idea of working vacations, but transcribing an interview with Cielo director Alison McAlpine while at my cottage gave her words extra gravity. There is something about the stars that
Keep ReadingRyuichi Sakamoto: Coda (Japan/USA, 100 min.) Dir. Stephen Schible Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda sings with a whisper. This quiet and contemplative film offers a portrait in pianissimo of Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. The 66-year-old
Keep ReadingHitler’s Hollywood (Germany, 105 min.) Dir. Rüdiger Suchsland “What kind of a nation is it that needs poets to be able to kill and to die?” asks Udo Kier in voiceover in Hitler’s
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Eugene Jarecki tours Elvis's America in Presley's Rolls Royce with musicians and celebrities who find the king of metaphors for the nation.
Keep ReadingWhitney (USA/UK, 120 min.) Dir. Kevin Macdonald Whitney might be the first documentary made about Whitney Houston with the full authorization of her family but don’t let that much trucked-about showbiz line fool
Keep ReadingFilmworker (USA, 94 min.) Dir. Tony Zierra The mad artistry of Stanley Kubrick gets the doc treatment in Filmworker. This documentary is supposed to be a film about Kubrick’s devoted assistant Leon Vitali,
Keep ReadingThe Oslo Diaries (Canada/Israel, 97 min.) Dir. Mor Loushy, Daniel Sivan The late Shimon Peres gives his final interview in The Oslo Diaries. Appropriately enough, directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan afford the
Keep ReadingWestwood: Punk, Icon, Activist (UK, 80 min.) Dir. Lorna Tucker Vivienne Westwood seems like a real pain in the ass. It would be an understatement to call her a difficult subject. She
Keep ReadingDesign Canada (Canada, 74 min.) Dir. Greg Durrell The question of a “brand identity” is difficult to tackle. Corporate values, principles, history, and mandates combine with consumer-friendly concision. Now imagine this entity
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