Selling Trophy Hunting as Conservation
There’s some beautiful footage of East Africa in the documentary film “Killing the Shepherd” about a struggling rural village in Zambia whose lives, we are told, is threatened by poachers…
Film Review: ‘The Last Days of Capitalism’
“The Last Days of Capitalism” is the wonkier-than-necessary title of Adam Mervis’ latest film. Its two characters do discuss and demonstrate some of the ups and downs of the free…
Film Review: Optimistic ‘Seeding Change’
The preponderance of documentaries on climate crisis are so deeply depressing, with the prospects for the future so dire, one can hardly make it to a conclusion where there might…
Film Review: From Raleigh, ‘Fever Dreams’
Rob Underhill’s “Fever Dreams” began as a series of episodes for a “Creepshow” type anthology that never got made. Largely written by producer Al Julian (who appears in three of…
Documentary Reminds: He’s Rick James
More than 20 years after his hitmaking heyday, Rick James became a household name to a whole new generation in 2004 when Dave Chappelle mocked his brash personality with the…
Film Review: The Story of the Band Luxury
The indie band Luxury from Georgia gained some mild regional attention in the mid-1990s for mixing the ferocity of punk with the Smiths-like melodicism of its lead singer. What might…
Film Review: Taking ‘Steps’ to Forgiveness
In the opening scenes of Eddie Harris’ screenplay for “Steps,” a man (Rob Morgan) is randomly shot in a robbery outside a Jersey City bodega, is injured enough to lose…
Film Review: ‘Marathon’ Mockumentary
Christopher Guest’s mock documentaries on dog shows and local theater groups are classics in the genre and are likely upper mind to the makers of “Marathon,” a new comedy that…
Film Review: A Sensual ‘Touch’ in China
Aleksandra Szczepanowska’s feature debut “Touch” is quite an astounding achievement. It is as once a sleek, seductive peek into a Western woman’s efforts to fit into contemporary Chinese society as…
Film Review: Victoria Justice in ‘Trust’
Though it has gorgeous shots of New York City and glimpses of Paris, with pretty people doing things in the worlds of fine art and broadcast journalism, there’s something of…