Review: Boaz Yakin’s ‘Aviva’
“Aviva and Eden’s dances — together and apart — mobilize Yakin’s film, and function as bodily mirrors and emotional mirages; gain and loss, self and love.”
World Cinema Project: The Sights and Sounds of a Nation – ‘Trances’ and ‘Redes’
“As with the underlying creed of Trances, the unambiguous intent of Redes’ communal message resonates in its country of origin and around the world, communicating the pleas for justice, egalitarianism and independence that are vital facets of life and are so often central to the best of all cinematic documentaries.”
Review: Marc Collin’s ‘Le choc du futur’
“One of the most accomplished elements of ‘Le choc du futur,’ which is Collin’s feature debut (he is better known as covers project Nouvelle Vague’s co-founder), is the way the film engages in an ongoing conversation on the nature of art and how we consume it as well as create it.”
Review: Pablo Larraín’s ‘Ema’
“‘Ema’ is a challenge to the walls we build around ourselves, to the baggage we leave behind for our children and the folly of the damage we can do to each other.”
Album Review: JG Thirlwell and Simon Steensland ‘Oscillospira’
“In conjunction with the religious references of the track names, the music on ‘Oscillospira’ evokes the drama of creation and destruction on a grand scale.”
The Cinematic Stylings of The Weeknd
“Many pop artists, both past and present, take cinema as inspiration in crafting their sound, but few modern performers have created music videos that are as truly distinctive and influential as The Weeknd’s collective videography.”
Album Review: Wasted Shirt ‘Fungus II’
“‘Fungus II’ is another reminder that not only is Segall one of the most hard-working and talented artists of the last decade, but also a genuine musical omnivore.”
Album Review: Bambara ‘Stray’
“Stray’s expanded timeline, along with Bambara’s skill in conjuring a distinctly Southern kind of horror, feels akin to True Detective’s spectacular first season.”
Interview: Director Noah Lerner on Murray Lerner’s ‘Festival!’
Bill Bria Interviews Noah Lerner About Murray Lerner’s 1967 Documentary Festival!
Album Review: Ty Segall ‘First Taste’
“If ‘Manipulator’ is Segall’s White Album, and ‘Emotional Mugger’ his ‘Magical Mystery Tour,’ then ‘First Taste’ might be his ‘Abbey Road’: brazenly eclectic yet wonderfully cohesive; deeply personal yet superbly tuneful.”