For the sake of full disclosure, I will say right now that I am no fan of “Gangsta Rap.” I am not an advocate of an art form that glorifies and promotes violence, profanity and the degradation of women, no matter how many of those things are an everyday part of the rappers’ lives. Using…
Those days that see no sunset are bound to become myths. Amy Winehouse was once like one of those twilightless days that just faded away from view. She did, however, fade in front of our eyes. We saw her dissipating, slowly disappearing — we saw her vanishing only to never watch her die. Asif Kapadia’s…
Al Pacino is one of the most revered and respected actors in Hollywood history, and for good reason. For over forty years, he has graced our screens with his electrifying presence, creating some of the silver screen’s most memorable characters. From the chilling resolve of Michael Corleone in “The Godfather Trilogy” to the histrionics of…
Movies can’t always be cut and dry. It’s often easy to walk away from a film and declare whether or not you liked it or whether or not it was effective, but every now and then, there’s a project that cannot be so easily labeled. For better or worse, this is the case with Like…
Biopics are a bit of a conundrum, aren’t they? On one hand, they seem like ideal fodder for movie adaptations since the subject of the film will likely carry a guaranteed audience, especially when popular musicians and bands are the focal point. But on the other hand, how can one film possibly be adequately succinct…
Actor James Newcomb said, “There are individuals who come along in certain periods of time who advance the human spirit to the next level.” Such an individual was Polish violinist Bronsilaw Huberman, recognized, alongside that of Heifetz, Szigetti, and Kreisler, as among the great violin virtuosos of the twentieth century. What is not widely known,…
If you are thinking about engaging in some other activity after watching Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash, be sure to leave some time for decompression. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, the semi-autobiographical Whiplash is a visceral, adrenaline-pumping musical drama that raises — but does not resolve —…
