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Middleburg Film Festival Review: All Style and No Substance, “Spencer” Ruins Its Subject with Cinematic Excess

October 27, 2021

“The Taste of Mango” Savors Ambiguity
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
December 3, 2024
The Taste of Mango (Chloe Abrahams, 2023) 3½ out of 5 stars Tammy Wynette’s famous 1968 song “Stand by Your Man” was released in 1968 at a time of growing feminist consciousness and became both immediately popular and mired in some controversy about the significance of its lyrics. In her second verse, Wynette sings, “But if you love him you’ll forgive him/Even though he’s hard to understand/And if you love him, oh be proud of ... >>
Baltimore Mayor Is “The Body Politic”
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
November 25, 2024
The Body Politic (Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough, 2023) 4 out of 5 stars In The Body Politic, director Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough makes his feature debut with a documentary about the early days of Baltimore’s current mayor, Brandon Scott. It’s no easy task running a metropolis that has long struggled with the related issues of poverty and crime. Thanks to David Simon’s five-season HBO series The Wire—now two decades old—Baltimore has become ... >>
“Never Look Away” Holds Our Gaze
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
November 21, 2024
Never Look Away (Lucy Lawless, 2024) 3½ out of 5 stars Photojournalist Margaret Moth (1951-2010) lived about as full a life as one could hope for, in terms of adventures had and risks taken. An adrenaline junkie, she looked a bit like Joan Jett (who was younger, so maybe she stole Moth’s look …) and dashed around the world, camera in hand, to crash the latest warzone hotspot and gather striking images. Actress Lucy Lawless (of Xena: Warrior ... >>
DOC NYC Review: “Space Cowboy”
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
November 19, 2024
Space Cowboy (Bryce Leavitt/Marah Strauch, 2024) 4 out of 5 stars Sometimes, boys with toys grow up to be men with even larger toys. In the new documentary Space Cowboy, from directors Bryce Leavitt and Marah Strauch (Sunshine Superman), we meet one such lucky gent, Joe Jennings, who has built a life throwing large objects out of airplanes and skydiving after them with a head-mounted camera to film their descent. It’s exciting stuff, and also ... >>
“Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes” Delivers Goods
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
November 14, 2024
Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes (Kathryn Ferguson, 2024) 3½ out of 5 stars Born on Christmas Day in 1899, Humphrey DeForest Bogart would grow up to become, eventually, one of the most celebrated actors of Hollywood’s classic period. The American Film Institute lists him at the top of their Top 25 Male Stars of the 20th century, even though he died of cancer in 1957, barely halfway through that century. In her new documentary, Bogart: Life ... >>

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