Spike Lee’s latest film “Da 5 Bloods” is a film that speaks to the times, loud and clear. When Lee was filming the movie last year, how could he have known that it would be touching on exactly what we are going through right now? That question is answered in many ways throughout this allegorical piece but none as stronger as the scenes which bookend this firecracker of a movie. The very first ... more >
MOVIES | IN THEATERS NOW
From our past, a scream, resonating loudly, “Da Five Bloods” | REVIEW
Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Norm Lewis and Clarke Peters
Directed by Spike Lee
AFI Docs Series | Jimmy Carter rock & roll president
(during all of this week, Screen Comment’s Eric Althoff gives readers his take on the choicest films from the 2020 crop of AFI Docs, the world’s premier documentary film festival which took place online this year due to the coronavirus) Now 95 and the longest-lived of any former president, Jimmy Carter is seen in the opening moments of Marc Wharton’s doc at home in Plains, Georgia, spinning a ... more >
“Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn” (REVIEW)
(during all of this week, Screen Comment’s Eric Althoff gives readers his take on the choicest films from the 2020 crop of AFI Docs, the world’s premier documentary film festival which took place online this year due to the coronavirus) He was one of the most famous fixers of the last century, he rubbed elbows with everyone from Joseph McCarthy to then-real estate tycoon Donald Trump. But Roy ... more >
AFI Docs series | “White Noise” brushes searing portrait of American white nationalism
Directed by Daniel Lombroso(during all of this week, Screen Comment's Eric Althoff gives readers his take on the choicest films from the 2020 crop of AFI Docs, the world's premier documentary film festival which took place online this year due to the coronavirus) A more timely documentary there might not be the rest of this year, as director Daniel Lombroso trails some prominent figures of the alt-right as they travel ... more >
When guilt takes you dark and frightening places, “The Soul Collector”
Tshamano Sebe, Inge Beckmann and Keita Luna
Directed by Harold Holscher
As Hollywood-backed horror films get dumber and more predictable, independent and foreign horror filmmakers continue to give genre fans unique and finely crafted cinematic experiences. Harold Holscher’s debut feature film was well received at the 2019 Fantasia film festival and with good reason. “The Soul Collector” (originally titled “8”) is a smart and well-made horror tale that is quite ... more >
In Trump-era America the Christian right’s muscular offensive against LGBTQ leaves a trail of destruction, “For they know not what they do” (REVIEW)
Directed by Daniel Karslake
These are the words spoken by a priest in “For They Know Not What They Do,” a powerful documentary that speaks to a very real and dangerous problem happening in this country, the religious right’s pushback against equality and acceptance of the LGTBQ community. The film examines four different families and the ways in which they handle the coming out of a family member; three are stories of ... more >
Elizabeth Moss in “Shirley” gives career performance
Elisabeth Moss, Logan Lerman and Michael Stuhlbarg
Directed by Josephine Decker
“A fictional biography” is a phrase that usually doesn’t work when it comes to films. Of course, when telling the story of a real person or event, some dramatic license is necessary and sometimes warranted. The new film, “Shirley,” tells the story of horror writer Shirley Jackson that features events that never took place. And that is just fine. Jackson is best known for her 1960 horror novel, ... more >
