Wednesday, June 24, 2020
The new David Adjmi memoir
If you need a bracing chat, I highly recommend the playwright David Adjmi, whom I interviewed about his memoir, Lot Six. My Q&A is here.
Lost Bullet
French directors are doing to action movies what an earlier generation did to horror: they're brushing up the genre cobwebs. As American actioners have grown bloated and ridiculous, the French ones stick to 90 lean minutes. And the new Lost Bullet is a nifty example of the new school. Read my review then head to Netflix. Or vice versa.
Liz Garbus, true crime and women
Before talking to Liz Garbus for the Times, I did a deep dive into her career. It was often tough going — she tends to go for dark subjects — but never less than compelling. Click here for our chat, pegged to the new HBO series I'll Be Gone in the Dark.
Why you need to watch The Bureau
S5 of the French series The Bureau has just started streaming on Sundance Now. I talked to some members of its team — including Eric Rochant, Jacques Audiard and Mathieu Kassovitz — about what makes the show, and this season in particular, so special. Click here for the spy goods.
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Gay films that are not about coming out
The great arc of gay (in the widest sense of the word) characters over decades roughly goes like this: villain or pathetic characters, then coming of age/self-discovery, then the world is your oyster. I wrote about 9 films in the last category for the Times — and they're all from this decade. Click here, then stream away.
Monday, June 08, 2020
Tony's greatest moments
A few of the Times' finest theater mavens got together for this list of favorite moments from the Tony Awards. Prepare to click on a lot of YouTube links!
Streaming theater: underground and foreign edition
One of the very few upsides of lockdown is the opportunity to see shows that would have been difficult or even impossible for us to see — because they happened in Europe or because they had short, under-publicized runs in tiny spaces. I found some really good ones for my latest roundup so head thataway.
How to sing duets online
In good times and bum times, people like to sing together — but it's not so easy on Zoom. I wrote up a few tips for the Times' At Home section (first piece there!). Click here and sing out, Louise!
Friday, May 29, 2020
Seacoast Rep Theater goes live
The Seacoast Repertory Theater, in Portsmouth, N.H., almost went under five years ago so when the pandemic rolled around, these guys weren't going to go without a fight. I talked to them about what it means to put on a full production in a state of emergency. Click here for an uplifting story.
You'll Never Walk Alone
You'll never sing alone with "You'll Never Walk Alone": I tracked the stunning popularity of this Rodgers and Hammerstein song from Carousel all the way to its current status as a coronavirus anthem of sorts. Click here for a lot of videos.
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Streaming French movies
There's a recent French movie for every taste, and I unearthed some under-the-radar gems in addition to higher-profile entries like Portrait of a Lady on Fire (which very much deserves its hype, by the way). Click here and then get streaming.
Streaming roundup 4
As we settle into a weird new normal, some businesses talk about reopening. Theaters, on the other hand, are still months away from welcoming audiences back into physical venues, so for now we have to do with streaming. Fortunately, there is more and more of it, and the quality keeps improving. My latest roundup for the Times has quite the range.
Wednesday, May 06, 2020
Streaming roundup, part 3
The virus is not going away, and neither is streaming theater. I gathered some of what's available out there for the Times. Click here then follow the yellow link roads.
Acting classes go online
A lot of things have gone online in the past months, including acting classes. I dropped by several Zoom sessions at HB Studio and Carnegie Mellon to see how that works. Click here for my piece.
Blood Quantum
I reviewed the zombie movie Blood Quantum for the Times. I'm always game for twists on the undead formula, so read on here to see what this Canadian flick pulls out.
Sunday, April 26, 2020
My favorite cast album is Hair
I've loved the Hair cast album since I was a teenager. Needless to say, I listened to it on repeat while writing this article.
Docs that rock
There are music docs and then there are rock docs. I've put together a list of my favorites in the second camp, and they're all streaming. Read and watch!
Why I continue watching Grey's Anatomy
There are hot TV shows and there are long-running workhorses, still at it after many years. My go-to is Grey's Anatomy and I can't see myself ever dropping it. Why should I: the show has done everything to make me stop, including getting rid of some of my favorite characters, and I'm still there. Thataway for the good.
The Plagues of Breslau
Monday, April 13, 2020
More streaming theater
Another roundup of streaming theater for your stay-at-home pleasure. Click here for the goods.
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