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TIFF Journal: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Jason Gorber — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 12:00:16 +0000

Fred Rogers is an extraordinary subject for a movie, as proven by Morgan Neville’s phenomenal 2018 documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor?. Marielle Heller’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood takes a different tack, placing Rogers almost at the sidelines of his own story. Generations of children grew up to the sights of a lanky...

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NYFF Journal: The Irishman

Jason Gorber — Sat, 28 Sep 2019 00:00:22 +0000

With a running time of just under 3 ½ hours, I’m less time away from The Irishman writing this review than it took to watch the film, yet even in these moments following the first screening, it feels like if I’ve witnessed something truly special. In a year where numerous movies feel like the culmination...

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Judy Review: This Can’t Be Love

Jason Gorber — Fri, 27 Sep 2019 12:00:51 +0000

In many ways, Judy is a run-of-the mill bio-pic that tells the tale of a beloved Hollywood star hoping for a last glimpse of glory at career’s end. Settling somewhere between Paul McGuigan’s underappreciated Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool and last year’s warm if egregiously maudlin Stan & Ollie, the film serves as a...

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TIFF Journal: Ford v. Ferrari

Jason Gorber — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 17:00:20 +0000

When the film ended at the festival premiere of Ford v. Ferrari, director James Mangold and stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale took the stage and proudly declared that they didn’t know (or care) anything about racing. I thought, immediately, “No kidding.” Their point, of course, was that the film is meant to be for...

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Now Streaming: The Spy

Josh Zyber — Thu, 12 Sep 2019 12:00:19 +0000

The prospect of Sacha Baron Cohen playing a secret agent practically begs for a “Borat Does Bond” headline. Surprisingly, Netflix’s The Spy is a very serious story, played completely straight. Even more of a shock, Cohen makes a terrific dramatic lead. Set during the early 1960s, the series is based on the true story of...

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TIFF Journal: Dolemite Is My Name

Jason Gorber — Mon, 09 Sep 2019 16:00:25 +0000

Dolemite Is My Name is a delightful deep dive into the world of indie film production and the Blaxploitation genre. The movie feels like a spiritual sequel to Tim Burton’s Ed Wood (also scripted by screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski). Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow) helms this bio-pic about a tenacious man, his retinue...

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Weekend Roundtable: Make Your Own Music Bio-Pic

Josh Zyber — Fri, 31 May 2019 19:00:01 +0000

In addition to the fame and the groupies and (for a lot of singers) all the drugs, one of the main perks of being a musician of any note is the assurance that, inevitably, a famous actor will play you in a bio-pic. For this week’s Roundtable, let’s cast some of the music bios that...

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Cannes Journal: Rocketman

Jason Gorber — Mon, 20 May 2019 16:00:28 +0000

The rise of Elton John to superstardom is indicative of much of the 1970s music industry. Rocketman is a tale of raunchiness and excess, hubris and humiliation, told many times before about many artists. What sets the film apart from, say, last year’s Bohemian Rhapsody (which was completed without credit by the same director, Dexter...

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Tolkien Review: An Expected Bio

Jason Gorber — Fri, 10 May 2019 12:00:55 +0000

From his birth in Southern Africa, the loss of his mother, his academic rise, his service during the Great War, and his subsequent fame, the story of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s life is nearly as adventurous as the characters he invented. The bio-pic Tolkien merges all these aspects to show how they echo with the...

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Fosse/Verdon Pilot Recap: “I’m the Guy, I’m Sure of It”

Josh Zyber — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 12:00:26 +0000

The FX network’s new bio drama Fosse/Verdon examines legendary choreographer and filmmaker Bob Fosse, dissecting his life, his loves, his career and all that jazz. At least, I assume it will eventually get to All That Jazz, Fosse’s own semi-autobiographical musical extravaganza. The TV version’s premiere episode focuses mainly on his earlier work. Recent Oscar...

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Now Streaming: The Dirt

Deirdre Crimmins — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 16:00:03 +0000

Musical bio-pics are always welcome to ascend above the production value of Lifetime movies and VH1’s Behind the Music, but not all accept the invitation for the elevation. Netflix’s The Dirt runs, kicking and screaming, away from any semblance of quality and depth, but is partially saved by some decent performances and larger than life...

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Blu-ray Highlights: Week of February 10th, 2019 – Beelzebub Has a Devil Put Aside for Me

Josh Zyber — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 13:00:28 +0000

From rocking musicians to disgraced politicians, bio-pics take center stage on Blu-ray this week. Don’t stop me now. I’m having such a good time. New Releases (Blu-ray) Bohemian Rhapsody – After director Bryan Singer was fired in the middle of production, forcing Dexter Fletcher (Eddie the Eagle) to step in and finish the shoot, and...

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