Spike Lee’s work has always been deeply concerned with issues of race and class. It’s most apparent in the acclaimed director’s iconic films like Do the Right Thing (1989) or Malcolm X (1992), which showcase the topics as their central themes, but he even manages to sneak them into ostensibly[Read More…]
Film and TV
20,000 Days on Earth: An artist finds fulfillment by losing himself
Like most projects Nick Cave pours his soul into, 20,000 Days On Earth is a gripping experience.
Spike Lee speaks at press conference after receiving inaugural MIBFF Pioneer Award
Legendary director Spike Lee was at Boulevard National Wednesday afternoon as part of the 10th annual Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF) to answer questions, promote his new film, and discuss the festival’s Pioneer Award—of which he’ll be the inaugural recipient. The award, as described in a MIBFF press release,[Read More…]
Through the looking glass: Perspective from the Lost writers’ room
If you’ve watched any high-quality TV drama in your life, then there’s a good chance that you’ve been taken aback by at least one perfectly executed scene or storyline—one that made you shake your head and marvel at the writers who were able to come up with something so brilliant.
The naked and the anonymous
Sometimes I wonder if anybody even deserves technology.
Fall TV previews
With the fall TV season underway, the Tribune A&E team has compiled five returning and five new shows we’re excited for. AMERICAN HORROR STORY Returning for its fourth season, mini-series American Horror Story is taking a walk on the wild side with its newest theme, “Freak Show.” Taking place in[Read More…]
From the Mainland to Montreal
This past weekend marked the premiere of the movie But Always (Yi Sheng Yi Shi), a 1970s drama that revolves around two former lovers from Beijing who meet by coincidence in New York City and rekindle their lost romance.
From prison to Hollywood
In 1972, New Yorker John Wojtowicz was captured attempting to rob a bank. Despite his arrest, he had no regrets—but why would he, now that he has two films made about him?
“Wait for it” no more: How I Met Your Mother gives its answer in lackluster last gasp
There are any number of ways to begin a review of the emotional How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM)finale, just as I believe there were several different tracks the writers could have chosen to cap off such a series. I was in no state to start writing until roughly 48[Read More…]
Eastern premises serve Wes Anderson well in The Grand Budapest Hotel
The central characters in Wes Anderson’s films have always had a deep and inextricable connection to the places they love: Max Fischer had Rushmore; Royal Tenenbaum had the house on Archer Avenue; Steve Zissou had his ship, the Belafonte. Despite their usually roguish natures, these connections hint at some kind[Read More…]