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festivals and museums

Candyman movie review: say his name… and understand its power

Tue, Aug 24, 2021
10 comments

Strikingly original horror with a purpose: to delve into the mythologizing of the past, to explore the boundary between cultural appropriation and artistic inspiration, to heed the lessons of history.

| 10 Comments

One Night in Miami… movie review: the past, still prologue

Mon, Apr 19, 2021
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An electrifying philosophical fantasia that imagines four towering figures of 1960s America arguing over how to navigate racism as Black men. Enraging, but also thrilling, bursting with cinematic joy.

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Stray documentary review: a dog’s eye view of humanity, from the outside

Sat, Mar 20, 2021
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A bittersweet, multilayered vérité portrait of the street dogs of Istanbul. Startlingly immersive, howling with moral questions about what we owe these creatures of intelligence, dignity, and feeling.

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Farewell Amor movie review: family ties undone, and forged again (LFF 2020)

Fri, Dec 11, 2020
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Achieves that rare cinematic feat of being specific and universal at the same time. A lovely film, plaintive and poignant, with exquisite performances from a beguiling cast, and ultimately hopeful.

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Small Axe: Mangrove movie review: parties and protests (LFF 2020)

Tue, Nov 24, 2020
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A triumph. McQueen brings history to life and makes it sing with zest and passion, with a spirit that endures beyond the strife. A celebration of Black joy alongside a raging against Black oppression.

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Mogul Mowgli movie review: Riz Ahmed goes home and goes big (LFF 2020)

Tue, Nov 17, 2020
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An uneasy jolt of (pop) culture clash and assimilation angst. Unsettling and electrifying; near-nightmarish and absolutely mesmerizing. Riz Ahmed oozes sweat and rage, pride and power.

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African Apocalypse documentary review: Black perspectives matter (LFF 2020)

Fri, Oct 30, 2020
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In an intimate yet shattering documentary, Black British activist Femi Nylander searches for “the imperial history they didn’t teach at school,” and finds it. Heartbreaking, provocative, illuminating.

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Last and First Men movie review: a sobering message from the future (EIFF 2020)

Thu, Jul 23, 2020
7 comments

A mesmerizing, haunting contemplation of the headiest issues we ever confront: evolution and extinction, the depths of time, the meaning of life. Screams with ominous alarm for the human future.

| 7 Comments

Little Girl (Petite Fille) documentary review: what little girls are made of (EIFF 2020)

Thu, Jul 09, 2020
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Lovely verité documentary about eight-year-old Sasha, who was born into a boy’s body but is definitely a girl. An inspiring portrait of someone asking for so little: to be accepted for who she is.

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Anthropocene: The Human Epoch documentary review: the destruction of our planet, in pictures (EIFF 2020)

Mon, Jul 06, 2020
1 comment

Astonishing: sometimes oddly beautiful but mostly like sci-fi horror. An anti-meditation nightmare, a call to arms if only we were ready to finally address our thoughtless impact on planet Earth.

| 1 Comment
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