The P-Town Fest was the site of several first-rate documentaries.
Review
Classical Music Review: At BEMF, Benjamin Bagby and Sequentia Seduce with Charms and Riddles
Thanks to BEMF for once again presenting Benjamin Bagby, who seems incapable of serving up anything but a wonderfully memorable experience.
Jazz CD Review: Yoko Miwa Trio’s “Keep Talkin’ ” — Keep Listenin’
Keep Talkin’ further solidifies Yoko Miwa’s place on the list of pianists who can lift evolved spirits without resorting to stridency.
WATCH CLOSELY: Black Mirror S5: Now More Digital Than Ever!
All three episodes have intriguing storylines, with plenty of human pathos and drama: but I admit to finding the first and third episodes a bit too digitally-focused for my taste.
Video Game Review: “Rage 2” — Time to Rage on
This wide-angle richness — a world filled with things to do, myriad side-distractions — is the mark of exceptional game design.
Book Review: The Critic as Wildean Artist — Peter Schjeldahl’s Elements of Surprise
Peter Schjeldahl debunks (and praises) works of art, while also acknowledging the strategic importance of beauty.
Film Review: “The Complete Howard Hawks” — Making American Mythology
Director Howard Hawks’ signature statement was the depiction of the American (or mostly American) male group with a task to accomplish.
Concert Review: Perry Farrell at City Winery — Letting It Fly, For Better and Worse
The guy who once seemed dangerous and mysterious as frontman for Jane’s Addiction proved earnestly accessible to fans.
Visual Arts Review: Jack Shainman Gallery: The School — “Basquiat x Warhol”
Perhaps this review is an autopsy for which I offer an apology.
Film Review: “The Fall of the American Empire” — Corporate Cant versus Socialist Kant
For all its bite, Fall is oddly endearing, too, leavening its harsh portrait of money-madness with aw-shucks moments of solidarity and kindness.