Long did I put off watching this film – it’s lonely watching foreign screeners with no companion and I kept hoping for a reprieve, until finally I had to complete my Oscar ballot. And yet I struggle still to find the words to describe this film. Marion Cotillard’s win? Totally justified. Best […]

Cynically, I thought War/Dance would be one of those documentaries that is nominated just by virtue of being about Africa (see also: Holocaust). It focuses on a group of Acholi tribe primary school children in war-torn northern Uganda who get to compete in the National Music Competition of 2005. The film highlights the […]

If you (like me) missed this in the theatre, this is a tender little ultralow budget movie about the intimate connection of making music. It could sort of be described as a musical, since 60 percent of it (per the director) is musical performance. However, the warm folkiness of the songs and their […]

Dewey Cox is a man whose life started hard, but the music carried him through. Walk Hard, if you couldn’t tell by the preview, is a parody of music biopics. These films, especially of late, have had a certain strange formula (despite the disparity of their subjects) that was indeed ripe for gentle […]

Director Julie Taymor made a splash with her wildly popular and visually original stage production of the Lion King. She brought her hyperreal artistic sensibilities successfully to Titus and Frida on screen. In Across the Universe, Taymor makes a sort of movie musical out of Beatles songs, sung live by the characters. […]

I love love love the Broadway soundtrack to Hairspray.  So much, in fact, that I went without dinner and still bounced a check in order to own it, it’s so infectious and cheerful and fun.  Marc Shaiman’s music (South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut, Down With Love) can capture a feeling in a bottle like […]

Filmmaker Dori Berinstein knows her stuff.  She began this documentary at the beginning of the 2003-2004 Broadway season, choosing four musicals to follow through to the 2004 Tonys.  She chose Wicked, Avenue Q, Caroline, or Change, and Taboo to follow from pre-production through the awards show.  Luckily, they were all nominated, though not equally.  If […]

This film was unavailable to me in my conservative military town, but Britt Augenfield at Special Ops Media was kind enough to provide me with a screening DVD. Thanks, Britt!
The filmmakers (Barbara Kopple and Cecelia Peck) wisely created a double movie with this documentary. On one side, it’s a detailed snapshot of America […]

Whether it wants to admit it or not, Dreamgirls wants to be this year’s Chicago – a splashy, gorgeous adaptation of a beloved 1970-80’s Broadway hit. Screenwriter/director Bill Condon (whose screenplay for Chicago was nominated for an Oscar) has the chops to adapt it, but the Dreamgirls show itself lacks the dark fantasy of […]

If you are not already a fan of this comedy folk-meta duo, then this movie may not be your best entertainment dollar spent. Cast in the same “Love Letter to the Fans” mold as Wayne’s World, The Pick of Destiny is a short and sweet warrior romp for the fans, charting the D’s humble […]