Daniel Gewertz
Janet Malcolm never brings up the possibility that her powers of memory have dramatically diminished in old age. If that were the case, such an admission would’ve strengthened the book, giving it context. It would have humanized it, too.
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I put Joni Mitchell on a short list of the most remarkable pop music artists of the ’60s and early ’70s. Longevity of excellence isn’t the point here, just peak incandescence.
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At points Greil Marcus’ digressive style can seem like nervy brilliance, at others, idle whimsy. What ennobles the book is the critic’s love for his underlying subject: the soulful search for a truer America.
Read MoreJazz Album Review: Catherine Russell’s “Send for Me” — A Deep Dig into the Jazz of the ’30s and ’40s
If you’re a fan of the Great American Songbook, but have grown weary of the warhorses, Send For Me is a treat.
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It was soon clear what Oscar was after: two separate younger demographics — one with plebeian cinematic tastes, the other with hip politics.
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The conveniently tidy endings do turn killing into an entertainment. They also allow us to briefly believe in redemption. And that is not the vainest of hopes.
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Mel Brooks called Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club “a little nest of happiness. All our recent wounds are healed there.”
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The primary interest of Reframed isn’t film history; it is revisionist social statement, and a new twist on the celebrity documentary: star bio-cum-feminist essay.
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The knee-jerk, hateful reviews of Don’t Look Up possess comments so outsized, and so beside the point, that they bear a resemblance to the oblivious thinking of the movie’s anti-science ostriches.
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Film Commentary: A Trio of Terrific Films Turn 50
Our critics salute three memorable films — anti-fascist (Cabaret), anti-capitalist (The Ruling Class), and anti-war (Slaughterhouse-Five) — that turned fifty this year. Perfect viewing for the holidays.
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