biography

THE CATCHER WAS A SPY: Rudd Offers Another Strong Dramatic Turn

With an engaging but slightly sluggish story, fine acting, and a committed crew, The Catcher Was a Spy mostly succeeds as both a tense espionage film and a biopic.

WOMAN WALKS AHEAD: An Unimposing, By-the-Books Biographical Drama
WOMAN WALKS AHEAD: An Unimposing, By-the-Books Biographical Drama

Despite its empowering story, and fine performances by Michael Greyeyes and Jessica Chastain, Woman Walks Ahead is an unfortunately forgettable endeavor.

BOOM FOR REAL: A Time Capsule Of The Early Days Of Basquiat
BOOM FOR REAL: A Time Capsule Of The Early Days Of Basquiat

Boom For Real is an eye-opening look at how one unique artist was molded and inspired by the time and place in which he lived.

MCQUEEN: Making A Man Out Of An Icon
MCQUEEN: Making A Man Out Of An Icon

McQueen joins the pantheon of documentaries that not only retell a life story, but delve under the skin of the subject to present new layers.

GOTTI: John Travolta Is A BadFella
GOTTI: John Travolta Is A BadFella

Aside from an occasional spark from Travolta, Gotti is a wholly derivative affair, and under Connolly’s guiding hand, a crudely executed and completely incoherent one at that.

THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES: A Film That Found Beauty Everywhere
THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES: A Film That Found Beauty Everywhere

The Color of Pomegranates offers an experience of careful, questioning celebration that combines appreciation of artistic beauty with cognizance of worldly suffering.

THE TALE: Harrowing & Necessary Study Of Abuse
THE TALE: Harrowing & Necessary Study Of Abuse

Many audiences will likely shy away from the graphic depiction of abuse within director Jennifer Fox’s autobiographical film The Tale, but the film’s frankness is often its greatest asset.

MARY SHELLEY: An Exquisite Elle Fanning Owns This Lush Biopic

Haifaa al-Mansour’s Mary Shelley, helped along greatly by Elle Fanning’s powerful performance, will summon up all of one’s righteous feminist anger and make one appreciate the accomplishments of Mary and those like her all the more.

RBG Trailer
RBG: Supremely Courting My Affection

Supreme Court justices are probably the least known about relative to their immense significance, and RBG helps to humanize one of the nine most powerful people in America.

Interview With RBG Directors Julie Cohen & Betsy West
“We Never Wanted to Shy Away From the Fact That You’re Seeing a Story About a Very Active Now 85 Year Old.” Interview With RBG Directors Julie Cohen & Betsy West

Arlin Golden had the opportunity to speak with directors Julie Cohen & Betsy West, who created the beautiful biopic of the “Notorious RBG”, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

REDOUTABLE (GODARD MON AMOUR): The Emperor with No Clothes
REDOUTABLE (GODARD MON AMOUR): The Emperor With No Clothes

Redoutable is an irreverent take on the biopic that gleefully flips the bird at its subject, and takes delight in making him conform to a conventional narrative of the type he grew to detest leading to some of the finest moments of cringe comedy in recent memory.

MY FRIEND DAHMER: Home is Where The Heart Is - A Murderino's Take
MY FRIEND DAHMER: Home is Where The Heart Is – A Murderino’s Take

As I flip through my senior year high school yearbook, I see the familiar faces…

GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT AND BAMI: Portrait Of The Artist As An Uncompromising Queen
GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT AND BAMI: Portrait Of The Artist As An Uncompromising Queen

Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami highlights the unique life of the legendary singer, delving into her personal background and daily activities, and of course showcasing several of her mighty performances.

The Nominated Film You Might Have Missed: THE POST
The Nominated Film You May Have Missed: THE POST

The Post will likely be overlooked at this year’s Oscars, but with its historical depiction of the fight for the press and democracy, as well as its similarities to present day, it is still worth watching.

QUEEN OF THE DESERT: The World Owes Another Film To Gertrude Bell
QUEEN OF THE DESERT: The World Owes Another Film To Gertrude Bell

With its shallowness of character and its failed continuity of plot, Queen of the Desert is a film made as if to remind us of why we call films ‘pictures’, since the only good thing about the film is its mise-en-scenes.