For years promoting the U.S. releases of foreign films, again and again I heard them described as "quiet." Quiet and compelling. Quiet and taut. Quiet and affecting. It's no wonder so many worthy imports fail to reach a large audience. Who wants to spend two hours watching a lot of quietness - which ...
Watch this: I Am Not Your Negro
"Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced." -James Baldwin The hardest part about watching I Am Not Your Negro, easily 2016's best documentary and most essential viewing, is watching it. More than once, I cringed, winced, looked away, closed my ...
Without Voice(work)
Last spring, I made the decision to move back into the non-profit world, a career decision but also a personal one. I was ready to be back in film festivals, in the space I know and love so well without the burdens of the private sector. The change meant a new commute, new coworkers and, perhaps ...
Maybe Watch This: The Founder
There's a family story I've heard at holidays and cookouts since I was a kid. A joke, really. And that's the story that my great grandmother went to high school with Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald's. Had she played her cards differently, we might all be in very different circumstances today. Imagine! ...
Bechdel, DuVernay and Me
In 1985, Alison Bechdel included a few simple questions in her thoughtful, often poignant comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For. Far from mainstream then, that single strip has gone on to inspire a litmus test for all media - though it's most commonly used in regard to films. Distilled to its essence, ...
On Queue
Over my holiday break, I made an effort to keep busy. Between projects around my apartment and adventures around town, I mostly succeeded. I also made a resolution to put a dent in my Netflix queue, that all-too-often ignored list of films and series I'm interested in watching...someday. I made a ...
Bit of a (Chicago) Day
I took an extended break over the holidays; in all, I was off work from December 16 to January 3. With Christmas and the New Year in there, I had a few plans lined up, but generally the time was my own. I went to see a movie on a Tuesday afternoon. I finally washed the five loads of laundry I'd been ...
When Friends Are Family
So many words have already been written, I'm not sure mine matter. No, that's not what I mean. They matter. They matter to me. I want them to resonate with you, too, but maybe you've already found the words to do that. I haven't. I'm not sure I have even as I start typing this. I was fifteen and ...
2016 [in Film]
As with last year, I don't really see the point in building any suspense when it comes to sharing my favorite films. It's not like you've been holding your breath, wondering what I'm going to say. (And if you have, thanks for being such a big fan. And sorry for the lack of ceremony here...) The ...
(Just) 215 hours on screen
Back in November, I realized with dread that my annual list of films seen was falling behind where I was at the same time last year. Like, significantly behind. In 2015, I apparently found the time to see over 160 feature films. I have no idea how. On the last day of 2016, the year ends and I've fit ...
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