Ammonite (UK/Australia/USA: Francis Lee, 2020: 120 mins)
Hudson, David. "Francis Lee's Ammonite." The Current (September 15, 2020)
Heeney, Alex, et al. "Are Men Ok? Masculinity, Mental Health, & Addiction in Another Round and Oslo, August 31st." Seventh Row (December 15, 2020)
Antebellum (Delayed Release)Breznican, Anthony. "Black Storytellers Are Using Horror to Battle Hate." Vanity Fair (August 3, 2020) ["After Get Out, movies such as Antebellum, the upcoming Candyman retelling, and other tales of terror and the macabre are part of a cultural exorcism centuries in the making."]
Candyman (Canada/USA: Nia DaCosta, 2020: )
Breznican, Anthony. "Black Storytellers Are Using Horror to Battle Hate." Vanity Fair (August 3, 2020) ["After Get Out, movies such as Antebellum, the upcoming Candyman retelling, and other tales of terror and the macabre are part of a cultural exorcism centuries in the making."]
City Hall (USA: Frederick Wiseman, 2020: 292 mins)
Edwards, Lydia and Fred Wiseman. "Documenting Democracy: Fred Wiseman’s City Hall." Open Source (November 19, 2020) ["What Fred Wiseman found in Boston City Hall is not what he was looking for. The master of documentary film is famous for his almost innocent camera eye that unlocks visual drama in big institutions — the New York Public Library, the Paris Opera, or in his early days: Bridgewater State Mental Hospital in 1960s Massachusetts. So why not finally get inside the modern brick and concrete fortress of official life in his hometown, and see what’s going on in the faces, the meeting rooms, the tone of voice in local affairs. What he found was simpler than all that. It was the un-Trump in the un-Washington. An almost astonishing civility, good humor, what looks like good faith in the hundreds of negotiations every day that keep a community going, and growing."]
Coronation (Ai Weiwei, 2020: 113 mins)
Johnson, Ian. "From Ai Weiwei, a Portrait of Wuhan’s Draconian Covid Lockdown." The New York Times (August 21, 2020)
Crip Camp (USA: James LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham, 2020: 106 mins)
LeBrecht, Jim and Nicole Newnham. "Crip Camp Directors on the Overlooked Disability Rights Movement." At Liberty (July 30, 2020) ["July 26th marked the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, or the ADA. The ADA is a federal law that requires businesses, employers, public facilities, schools, and transportation agencies to make accommodations for disabled people, and helps weed out basic discrimination. When President George HW Bush signed the ADA into law in 1990, it was one of the most comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation in American history. But the disability rights movement didn’t begin or end with the ADA. In spite of the law’s existence, Americans with disabilities still face discrimination and other barriers to equal rights and opportunities.
Today, even though nearly 50 percent of Americans live with at least one disability, few know the history of the fight for disability rights. With Crip Camp, a new documentary on Netflix, filmmakers Jim LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham fill in some of that history through the personal and political stories that started the rise of a movement."]
Holler (USA: Nicole Riegel, 2020: 90 mins)
Hunters (Amazon Prime: David Weil, 2020)
Jerri, Alexander. "Moment of Truth: Gently, Gently Hunters." This is Hell! (February 27, 2020) [On the Amazon TV show]
I Care a Lot (USA/UK: J. Blakeson, 2020: 118 mins)
Hudson, David. "Charlie Kaufman's Antkind." Current (July 13, 2020)
McMillan, Candice. "How Trump and #metoo Have Scared Us Into the New Decade." Chaz's Journal (March 10, 2020)
Kingdom of Silence (USA: Rick Rowley, 2020: 101 mins)
Rowley, Rick and Lawrence Wright. "Kingdom of Silence: 2 Years After Khashoggi Murder, New Film Explores Deadly U.S.-Saudi Alliance." Democracy Now (October 1, 2020) ["Two years ago, in a story that shocked the world, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul for marriage documents and was never seen again. It was later revealed that Khashoggi — a Saudi insider turned critic and Washington Post columnist — was murdered and dismembered by a team of Saudi agents at the direct order of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. We speak with a friend of Khashoggi and with the director of a new documentary, “Kingdom of Silence,” that tracks not only Khashoggi’s brutal murder and the rise of MBS, but also the decades-long alliance between the United States and Saudi Arabia. “What drew me into this story is Jamal was one of our own,” says director Rick Rowley. “When one of our colleagues is killed, it falls on all of us as journalists to try to do what we can to rescue their story from the forces that would impose silence on it.”"]
Hudson, David. "Borderline Week." The Current (September 17, 2020)
The Plot Against America (HBO: Ed Burns and David Simon, 2020: 360 mins)
Tallerico, Brian. "The Plot Against America." Roger Ebert (March 13, 2020)
Oladipo, Gloria. "The Missed 'Magical Negro' Trope in The Queen’s Gambit." Bitch Media (November 25, 2020)
Rebuilding Paradise (USA: Ron Howard, 2020: 90 mins)
Else, Lincoln and Ron Howard. "On the Documentary Rebuilding Paradise." The Cinematography Podcast (August 10, 2020) ["Oscar-winning director Ron Howard talks about directing his first documentary, Rebuilding Paradise, about the devastating Camp fire that completely wiped out the town of Paradise, California on November 8, 2018. The film follows the people in community over time as they deal with the tragedy and begin rebuilding. Directing a documentary was a new experience for Ron, and he felt a personal connection to the town- his mother-in-law had lived in Paradise. Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s production company, Imagine, had wanted to start producing documentaries and they sent out a crew to begin shooting just one week after the fire. Ron picked up some new skills while working on the unscripted project. He had to learn how to let the cameras follow the flow of the conversation, and to be minimalist in covering every possible angle. The experience has led him to make directorial choices in his scripted work that are more verité. Director of photography Lincoln Else worked closely with Ron and the Imagine production team, and developed a unified visual language for Rebuilding Paradise that he communicated with the other shooters. Lincoln learned documentary filmmaking at an early age, loading 16mm mags and assisting his father, documentarian and professor Jon Else. He likes a very simple hand-held style, opting to just put a camera on his shoulder in order to be as reactive as possible. Though footage from many different news sources and people’s personal videos was used, the bulk of the interview content in Rebuilding Paradise was “fly on the wall” style."]
Shirley (USA: Josephine Decker, 2020: 107 mins)
Brody, Richard. "Shirley: Josephine Decker’s Furious Melodrama of Shirley Jackson’s Life and Art." The New Yorker (June 4, 2020)
Hudson, David. "Josephine Decker's Shirley." Current (January 30, 2020)
Merin, Jennifer, et al. "Movie of the Week: Sugar Daddy." AWFJ (March 28, 2021)
Tesla (USA: Michael Almereyda, 2020: 102 mins)
Tafoya, Scout. "Limits Don't Exist: Michael Almereyda on Tesla." Roger Ebert (August 18, 2020)
Time (USA: Garrett Bradley, 2020: 81 mins)
Hudson, David. "Garrett Bradley's Time." The Current (October 8, 2020)
Tove (Finland/Sweden: Zaida Bergroth, 2020: 116 mins)
Bozdech, Betsy, et al. "Movie of the Week: Tove." Alliance of Women Journalists (June 4, 2021) ["It’s no surprise by now to discover that the private lives of the authors and artists behind some of the world’s most beloved children’s books were anything but calm (or G-rated). But it’s always fascinating to get a glimpse into the events, people, and places that shaped them and led to their iconic creations, and Zaida Bergroth’s Tove — which stars the excellent Alma Pöysti as Finnish Moomin mastermind Tove Jansson — is no exception."]
Tragic Jungle (Mexico/France/Colombia: Yulene Olaizola, 2020)
Hudson, David. "Yulene Olaizola’s Tragic Jungle." The Current (October 6, 2020)
Uppercase Print (Romania: Radu Jude, 2020: 128 mins)Emmerzael, Hugo. "Reaching Into History: Radu Jude on Uppercase Print and The Exit of the Trains." Senses of Cinema #94 (April 2020)
Vivos (Germany: Ai Weiwei, 2020: 112 mins)
Weiwei, Ai. "Chinese Artist & Filmmaker Ai Weiwei on State Violence from Mexico to Hong Kong to Xinjiang." Democracy Now (January 28, 2020) ["In 2014, 43 students from Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College disappeared after they were abducted in Iguala, Mexico. More than five years after their disappearance, the families of the students are still fighting for justice. The story is the subject of a stunning new documentary by the world-renowned Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei. The film, “Vivos,” follows the families of the disappeared students in their daily lives as they grapple with the absence of their loved ones and attempt to hold the Mexican government accountable for their disappearance. We sat down with Ai Weiwei earlier this week at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, to speak with him about “Vivos,” why his next project will focus on Hong Kong, and more."]
Who Killed Malcolm X? (USA: Netflix series, 2020: 6 episodes)
Harris, Shayla, Abdur-Rahman Muhammad and Ilyasah Shabazz. "Malcolm X’s Daughter Ilyasah Shabazz on Her Father’s Legacy & the New Series Who Killed Malcolm X?" Democracy Now (February 21, 2020) ["Fifty-five years ago today, Malcolm X was assassinated. The civil rights leader was shot to death on February 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. He was only 39 years old. Details of his assassination remain disputed to this day. Earlier this month, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said he was considering reopening the investigation, just days after a new documentary series about the assassination was released on Netflix called “Who Killed Malcolm X?” It makes the case that two of the three men who were convicted for Malcolm X’s murder are actually innocent and that his uncaught killers were four members of a Nation of Islam mosque in Newark, New Jersey. We are joined by Ilyasah Shabazz, one of six daughters of Malcolm X, who was just 2 years old when her father was assassinated in front of her, her siblings and her mother. We also speak with award-winning author Abdur-Rahman Muhammad, independent scholar, historian, journalist, writer and activist, who is widely regarded as one of the most respected authorities on the life and legacy of Malcolm X and is featured in the new documentary series, and Shayla Harris, a producer for the series and an award-winning filmmaker and journalist."]
Ehrlich, David. "Filmmaker Searches for Hope in the People of His Irredeemable Homeland." IndieWire (July 7, 2021)
Hudson, David. "Nadav Lapid's Ahed's Knee." Current (July 8, 2021)
Greenbaum, Josh and Guillermo Del Toro. "Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar." The Director's Cut #299 (2021) ["Director Josh Greenbaum discusses his new film, Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar, with fellow director Guillermo del Toro in a spoiler-filled virtual Q&A. The film tells the story of best friends Barb and Star, who leave their small Midwestern town for the first time to vacation in Vista Del Mar, Florida and soon find themselves tangled up in adventure, love, and a villain’s evil plot to murder the entire town."]
Jake. "C'mon C'mon." Letterboxd (December 6, 2021)
Hudson, David. "Hit the Road Tops the London Awards." The Daily (October 18, 2021)
Hudson, David. "Memoria Goes on Tour." The Daily (October 8, 2021)
Merrin, Jennifer, et al. "Movie of the Week: Moxie." Alliance of Women Film Journalists (March 7, 2021)
Mobarak, Jared. "TIFF Review: Night Raiders Draws on Canadian History to Tell a Grounded Sci-Fi Tale." The Film Stage (September 12, 2021)
Knappenberger, Brian and Mohammed Ali Naqvi. "Turning Point: Legacy of the U.S. Response to 9/11 Is Terror, Domestic Surveillance & Drones." Democracy Now (September 9, 2021) ["As this week marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., we look at a new five-part documentary series on Netflix about the attacks and the response from the United States, both at home and abroad. “Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror” features a wide range of interviews with survivors of the attacks, U.S. officials, former CIA members and veterans, as well as soldiers in the Afghanistan National Army, Taliban commanders, and Afghan officials, warlords and civilians. “What we really wanted to do was tell the story not just of what happened that day, but how we got there and where our response to those attacks took us as a country,” says director Brian Knappenberger. We also speak with co-executive producer Mohammed Ali Naqvi, an award-winning Pakistani filmmaker, who says the film was an attempt to go “beyond the binary narrative of good versus evil.”"]
Ehrlich, David. "Flux Gourmet: Peter Strickland’s Latest Is a Flatulent Satire About the Limits of Good Taste." IndieWire (February 11, 2022)
Borden, Carol. "Mad Heidi (Switzerland, 2022)." Monstrous Industry (June 14, 2023)
Lifting the veil on "the story of a ghost woman whom nobody knows" and that of a "gradual disappearance to which a mother also subjects her child", Saint Omer works with delicacy on distance and on the prejudices and preconceptions surrounding a crime which goes beyond all comprehension, all the while releasing diffuse clues on the exact nature of its message (racism is very subtly evoked). Its opacity is the strength of this imperious yet cryptic film, which perfectly reflects its troubling protagonist. (Fabien Lemercier)
Philippou, Danny and Michael Philippou. "Talk to Me Interview." Evolution of Horror (August 1, 2023)
Robson, Leo. "Other People's Standards." New Left Review (Januaey 20, 2023)
Booker, M. Keith. "I Think I’m a Clone Now: The (New) Weirdness of Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool." Comments on Culture (2023) ["All three of Brandon Cronenberg’s films to date have combined elements of science fiction and body horror and have thus naturally drawn comparisons with the work of his illustrious father, David Cronenberg, one of the great masters of body horror with science fictional elements. Infinity Pool (2023), however, is a step forward in complexity and sophistication for the films of the younger Cronenberg—and in ways that place it within the generic context of the New Weird, rather than conventional science fiction and body horror. The filmengages in dialogues with a wide variety of cinematic predecessors, offering readers a variety of contexts within which to interpret the film, yet ultimately superseding all of those interpretations in interesting ways. Indeed, much of what makes Infinity Pool such an interesting film has to do with its subversive dialogues with a number of different traditions in horror film, often with reference to science fiction as well. It features modern Western characters who travel to a remote, seemingly backward setting and encounter dangers that evoke the traditions of both folk horror and dystopian fiction. Yet the central conceit of Infinity Pool places it in dialogue with the tradition of uncanny Doppelgänger horror, as well as science fiction cloning narratives, though the dynamic way this film combines science fiction and horror might actually place it more in the realm of the weird, or the “abcanny,” as defined by New Weird maven China Miéville. Ultimately, the film’s most powerful message seems to involve a critique of the ruthless behavior of its privileged, wealthy characters, which places the film in dialogue with a number of such critiques in both horror and science fiction film. This film, though, is particularly aware that its vision of wealth and privilege is set within the globalized world of neoliberal capitalism. By dialectically rejecting the binary premises of the various genres in which it seems on the verge of participating, the film suggests that these premises derive from a kind of thinking that no longer applies in the global world system of late neoliberal capitalism. In addition, this dismantling of binary oppositions collapses a fundamental basis of Western logic, again pointing to the New Weird, with its alternative logic, as the most useful generic characterization of this film."]
Hudson, David. "Tim Burton Opens Venice 2024." Current (August 29, 2024)
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