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…
The Sublimely Weird ‘Ultra City Smiths’
It seems I’ve spent a lot of my time as a TV critic talking up the series of Steven Conrad, because his “Patriot” and “Perpetual Grace LTD” were so quirky…
Bob Dylan Streams ‘Shadow Kingdom’
Out of all the musicians knocked off the road by the pandemic, it must have been a real strain on Bob Dylan. A guy who has essentially played one tour…
McCartney Considers His Beatles Role
Given the size and power of the Baby Boomers demo, it's a wonder the whole of TV isn't back to back classic rock documentaries. But there are actually quite a…
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…
The Prince, Elvis Facsimilies of Vegas
Rising like a shimmering fever dream in the middle of the desert, Las Vegas has always been about fakery. Magicians and impersonators continue to be top draws in showrooms, the…
Laurie Anderson Muses Under a Tree
On a splendid summer’s night in the shadow of Rodin’s greatest work, Laurie Anderson sat with her electric CR violin before a laptop before two invited audiences of a couple…
Film: Comedy Meets Horror in ‘Too Late’
For a business aligned with mirth, standup comedy uses an awful lot of terms associated with violence: “You killed out there.” “I bombed.” “I murdered ‘em.” So it might make…
How the Music of 1971 Changed Things
Picking an epochal year in music can be tricky. While 1954 or 1977 may be easy choices for turning points in rock, I was always partial to 1966. Ronald Brownstein’s…
The Bengsons’ ‘Joy is Heavy!’ for Arena
As we enter the second year of pandemic, theater companies have largely shifted from live performance spaces to film and video producers. When new work is offered, it streams online,…