If 2021 was a year of major documentaries, then 2022 is already shaping up to be even better for reality-based filmmaking. Sundance and Slamdance both had amazing documentaries to offer last month, but here are two other great documentaries to seek out post-haste. “The Conductor” Director: Bernadette Wegenstein Marin Alsop grew up admiring orchestral conductors and knew she had the chops to ... more >
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SUNDANCE 2022, “Mija,” “What They’ve Been Taught,” “Stranger Than Rotterdam” and SLAMDANCE COVERAGE, TOO | WRAP-UP
Oh, how optimistic we all were this time a year ago, when Sundance went online—as we hoped, just that one time. Twelve months later, and omicron continues to run around ruining pretty much everything. Thus it forced Sundance online once again this year, and I had to enjoy whatever films I could from the comfort of my home rather than the chill and elevation of Park City. So be it, and the focus ... more >
LAST OF SUNDANCE 2022 | The Jesse Eisenberg-directed “When You Finish Saving the World”
"Jesse Eisenberg has proven himself the astute filmmaker for these times"
Julianne Moore, Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk and Alisha Boe
Directed by Jesse Eisenberg
(this article closes our 2022 coverage of the 2022 Sundance Festival) This has been a very good year for films at the Sundance Film Festival for works by actors or actresses who have changed my opinion on their abilities. With the smart satire “When You’re Finished Saving the World,” actor Jesse Eisenberg has found his true calling, as writer and director. The film’s excellent title attests to ... more >
SUNDANCE 2022 | “We Need To Talk About Cosby” (REVIEW)
Premieres on the Showtime network January 30th
DOCUMENTARY
W. Kamau Bell is one of the smartest and funniest comedians working today and an important voice for social justice. His views on America are sharp and pointed and relevant. A three-time Emmy winner for his excellent CNN series “The United Shades of America”, Bell now directs the powerful think-piece miniseries, “We Need to Talk About Cosby.” Bill Cosby is many things, and his life holds many ... more >
SUNDANCE 2022 | “Alice”
What lays beyond
Alicia Witt, Jonny Lee Miller, Keke Palmer and Common
Directed by Krystin Ver Linden
Premiering in the U.S. Dramatic competition slate at Sundance, Krystin Ver Linden’s “Alice” is a film where fiction meets reality, as one woman straddles two different generations. Keke Palmer is Alice, a slave on a tucked-away Georgia plantation run by Old Testament-thumping Paul Bennet (Jonny Lee Miller). Alice secretly marries Joseph (Sinqua Walls) and tries to take solace in as much wedded ... more >
SUNDANCE 2022 | “Resurrection” and “You Won’t Be Alone”
Two worthwhile films from Day 3 at the fest
Writer/director Andrew Semans’ “Resurrection” is an unnerving thriller starring Rebecca Hall as Margaret, a single mother and businesswoman whose daughter Abbie (Grace Kaufman) will soon leave for college. Enter David (Tim Roth, in one of his best roles in years), a man from Margaret’s past. He is a soft-spoken and aging man but is revealed to be a dark reminder from Margaret’s past, very much a ... more >
SUNDANCE 2022 | “Speak No Evil”
Blissful weekend goes bad
Morten Burian, Sidsel Siem Koch and Fedja van Huêt
Directed by Christian Tafdrup
Directed by Christian Tafdrup and co-written with his brother Mads, “Speak No Evil” is a film where the kindness of strangers is something that should be sidestepped, as two families (one Danish, one Dutch) learn after meeting on holiday. Premiering as part of the festival’s “Midnight Selection” category, this is director Tagdrup’s first film (after two tries) to be selected for ... more >