Film/TV

Tom Cruise in "Top Gun." (Courtesy Paramount Pictures)

35 Years On, Why I've Never Lost That Loving Feeling For 'Top Gun'

Released in 1986, the film offered an ecstatic escape into Reagan-era revisionism, removing all the death and despair from combat -- replaced by backlit beefcake shots and recruiting mottos about...

The ARTery

May 14, 2021

The marquee of the Coolidge Corner Theater announces their reopening on May 13 after being closed to the public for 14 months due to the pandemic. (JesseCosta/WBUR)

After 14 Dark Months, The Coolidge Corner Theatre's Big Screen Lights Up For In-Person Movies

Art house cinema lovers (especially those who've been vaccinated) have reason to rejoice. The theater -- a movie mecca -- is reopening on Thursday, May 13 for in-person screenings after...

The ARTery

May 13, 2021

Kafi Dixon is one of the producers of "A Reckoning in Boston" and a subject of the film. (Courtesy)

'A Reckoning In Boston' Asks Its Audience — And Filmmaker — To Examine Privilege

The consequences of Boston’s rapid, exclusive, and widespread real-estate development serve as an urgent backdrop to the many interrelated themes of inequity the documentary film addresses.

The ARTery

May 6, 2021

A still from Jane Shoenbrun's film “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair." (Courtesy IFFBoston)

10 Films To Stream At This Year's Virtual Independent Film Festival Boston

With shots in arms and restrictions beginning to lift as the city takes tentative steps toward reopening, the area’s annual springtime feast for cinephiles is staying at home for just...

The ARTery

May 4, 2021

Left to right: Vikash Bhai as Farhad, Kwabena Ansah as Abedi, Amir El-Masry as Omar and Ola Orebiyi as Wasef in "Limbo." (Courtesy Focus Features)

In Dramatic Comedy 'Limbo,' Refugees Are Allowed To Be Idiosyncratic Individuals

"Most movies concerning refugees depict them as faceless, huddled masses defined by their suffering," writes film critic Sean Burns. But that's not the case in writer-director Ben Sharrock’s film.

The ARTery

Apr 29, 2021

In this Feb. 26, 2017 file photo, Oscar statuettes appear backstage at the Oscars in Los Angeles. (Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

Thinking Of Watching This Year's Oscars? 'Thanks, But No Manks' Says One Film Critic

“Most of the nominations went to the same few titles...suggesting the august voting body didn’t make it very far down their stack of screener DVDs this year,” writes critic Sean...

The ARTery

Apr 23, 2021

Riz Ahmed as Ruben in "Sound of Metal." (Courtesy Amazon Studios)

Boston Area Crew From 'Sound Of Metal' Rooting For Oscar Wins

Loosely set in a tattered stretch that could be anywhere in the U.S., the film’s visual backdrop actually comes from the dated signage along Route 1 and spots like the...

The ARTery

Apr 23, 2021

Coolidge Corner Theatre announced it would reopen May 13. (Courtesy Art House Convergence)

Coolidge Corner Theatre Announces May 13 Reopening Date

The theater announced plans for a phased reopening with ticket sales beginning on May 7.

The ARTery

Apr 22, 2021

The Sentient.Omnibus project will screen "In Full Bloom" in June. The film follows a Vietnamese immigrant mourning the loss of her
partner. (Courtesy Maegan Houang)

Old, New, And Weird: New Boston Indie Film Company Brings Fresh Energy To Distribution

Intrigued by the modes of access filmmakers have (and don’t have) to get work seen, Keisha N. Knight says she became “really interested in distribution as a means of changing...

The ARTery

Apr 15, 2021

Mary Twala Mhlongo in "This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection." (Courtesy Dekanalog)

A Woman Stands Up To Sinister Forces Of 'Progress' In Film 'This Is Not A Burial, It's A Resurrection'

Director Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s debut feature is about the plunder of “men who arrived with iron cups that could never be filled” and a great flood that washed away any...

The ARTery

Apr 9, 2021

Inside the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum after the robbery, as seen on "This Is a Robbery: The World's Biggest Art Heist." (Courtesy of Netflix)

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Art Heist Gets Another Retelling In New Netflix Docuseries

“This Is a Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist" isn’t likely to put someone behind bars anytime soon, but it will potentially introduce a new audience to the remarkable event.

The ARTery

Apr 5, 2021

A still from director Éric Rohmer's "A Tale of Springtime." (Courtesy Janus Films)

Coolidge Corner Theatre Streams Director Éric Rohmer's 'Tales Of The Four Seasons'

All of the films include slight variations on recurring motifs of matchmaking, missed opportunities and what happens when lofty, abstract ideals about love have to compete with our more mundane...

The ARTery

Apr 1, 2021

The interior of the Brattle Theatre. (Courtesy Brattle Film Foundation)

20 Years On, The Brattle Film Foundation Sticks To Its Creative Beginnings

The Brattle is celebrating with a yearlong, virtual retrospective of favorites that premiered at the theater over the past two decades.

The ARTery

Mar 26, 2021

Detail of “Self-Portrait of David Wojnarowicz,” 1983–84. (Courtesy David Wojnarowicz and Tom Warren)

Documentary 'Wojnarowicz' Captures The Urgent And Short Life Of An Activist Artist Battling AIDS

The film is a riveting recollection of an artistic eruption amid the crumbling ruins of New York City’s Lower East Side in the late 1970s.

The ARTery

Mar 19, 2021

Stills from six documentaries streaming at this year's Salem Film Fest. (Courtesy Salem Film Fest)

Six Documentaries To Stream At Salem Film Fest

From witch craft to motivational speakers, this year’s lineup at the all-virtual Salem Film Fest is packed with thought-provoking films.

The ARTery

Mar 18, 2021

Artist Chris Taylor on the reality art competition show "Blown Away." (Courtesy Netflix)

Artist Chris Taylor’s Hyperrealistic Glass Creations Will Blow You Away

The Rhode Island glassblower -- who was a contestant on Netflix’s reality art competition “Blown Away” -- reflects on his process, inspiration and experience on the show.

The ARTery

Mar 17, 2021

A still from the documentary "Katie." (Courtesy Irish Film Fest Boston)

Irish Film Fest Brings Women Storytellers To The Fore

Streaming March 17-21, the festival's commitment to women -- and Ireland’s changing tides related to women’s rights -- can be seen throughout this year’s program.

The ARTery

Mar 16, 2021

Jane Fonda in a still from the documentary "F.T.A." (Courtesy Kino Lorber)

1972 Antiwar Documentary 'F.T.A' Returns To Screens Almost 50 Years After It Was Pulled From Theaters

Directed by Francine Parker, the film chronicles the Pacific Rim stretch of Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland’s “Free The Army” tour.

The ARTery

Mar 4, 2021

Laure Calamy in "My Donkey, My Lover, and I." (Courtesy Boston French Film Festival)

Five Fresh Takes From The 25th Boston French Film Festival

This year’s festival has found a new home, new partners, and features an abundance of new takes on French cinema.

The ARTery

Mar 2, 2021

A still from the short film collection "Our Right to Gaze: Black Film Identities." (Courtesy ArtsEmerson)

New Film Series 'Shared Stories' Centers The BIPOC Experience

Three Boston independent film festivals have joined forces to create the new series that finds commonalities across the human experience.

The ARTery

Feb 25, 2021

TED Radio Hour

35 Years On, Why I've Never Lost That Loving Feeling For 'Top Gun'

After 14 Dark Months, The Coolidge Corner Theatre's Big Screen Lights Up For In-Person Movies

'A Reckoning In Boston' Asks Its Audience — And Filmmaker — To Examine Privilege

10 Films To Stream At This Year's Virtual Independent Film Festival Boston

In Dramatic Comedy 'Limbo,' Refugees Are Allowed To Be Idiosyncratic Individuals

Thinking Of Watching This Year's Oscars? 'Thanks, But No Manks' Says One Film Critic

Boston Area Crew From 'Sound Of Metal' Rooting For Oscar Wins

Coolidge Corner Theatre Announces May 13 Reopening Date

Old, New, And Weird: New Boston Indie Film Company Brings Fresh Energy To Distribution

A Woman Stands Up To Sinister Forces Of 'Progress' In Film 'This Is Not A Burial, It's A Resurrection'

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Art Heist Gets Another Retelling In New Netflix Docuseries

Coolidge Corner Theatre Streams Director Éric Rohmer's 'Tales Of The Four Seasons'

20 Years On, The Brattle Film Foundation Sticks To Its Creative Beginnings

Documentary 'Wojnarowicz' Captures The Urgent And Short Life Of An Activist Artist Battling AIDS

Six Documentaries To Stream At Salem Film Fest

Artist Chris Taylor’s Hyperrealistic Glass Creations Will Blow You Away

Irish Film Fest Brings Women Storytellers To The Fore

1972 Antiwar Documentary 'F.T.A' Returns To Screens Almost 50 Years After It Was Pulled From Theaters

Five Fresh Takes From The 25th Boston French Film Festival

New Film Series 'Shared Stories' Centers The BIPOC Experience