Film/TV

A still from director Skip Shea's horror film "Seeds," screening virtually at the Salem Horror Festival. (Courtesy Salem Horror Festival)

17 Fall Film Festivals To Check Out In (And Around) Greater Boston

Despite COVID-19 uncertainty wreaking a bit of havoc on independent film festivals and series, nearly all that typically happen in the fall have found a way forward.

Brattle Theatre Joins Other Venues Requiring Proof Of Vaccination Or Negative COVID Test

The requirement go into effect on Oct. 1. Guests should be prepared to show proof of vaccination, or a recent negative COVID test.

Series At The Brattle Highlights Early 1990s Black Filmmaking Boom

The theater's “African-American Neo-Noir” series showcases four terrific films that brought issues of race to the forefront of twisty, throwback crime stories.

Coolidge Corner Theatre Celebrates Martin Scorsese With Monthlong Retrospective

The series kicked off with the director's 1976 masterpiece "Taxi Driver" and continues with eight more favorites, including "Raging Bull" and "Goodfellas."

In 'The Card Counter,' Oscar Isaac Plays A War Vet In A Self-Made Purgatory Seeking Redemption

In Paul Schrader’s film, Isaac stars as an Iraq vet anguished by the atrocities he committed at Abu Ghraib, self-sentenced to a purgatorial, joyless existence haunting the tables of mid-tier...

Three New Documentaries Confront America 20 Years After 9/11

While varying dramatically in focus and form, the programs share the core tenet that one crisp, blue-sky morning 20 years ago has influenced everything since.

Cyber-Psychodrama 'Who You Think I Am' Delves Into Consequences Of Catfishing

In director Safy Nebbou’s film, Juliette Binoche plays a recently divorced professor who pretends to be a 24-year-old fashion intern in order to find out what happened to a guy...

Coolidge Corner Theatre Announces Vaccination Requirement

On Sep. 3, the Coolidge will become the first Boston-area movie theater to require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.

Documentary 'What We Left Unfinished' Explores Brief Heyday Of Afghan Movie Industry

Director Mariam Ghani’s revelatory film chronicles the heady years from 1978 to 1992 when Communist regimes were investing heavily in propaganda movies, offering limitless resources to up and coming artists....

WBUR News

Aug 24, 2021

Left to right, theater owner Donald Rugoff with film director and writer Robert Downey Sr. (Bob Peterson/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images)

A Forgotten Figure Of Film History Remembered In Documentary 'Searching For Mr. Rugoff'

Director Ira Deutchman’s film is a portrait of his cantankerous old boss, culled from interviews with former Cinema 5 employees and filmmakers like Lina Wertmüller and the late Robert Downey...

WBUR News

Aug 19, 2021

Jennifer Hudson stars as Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige as Dinah Washington in "Respect." (Courtesy Quantrell D. Colbert/MGM)

Jennifer Hudson Shines As Aretha Franklin In Otherwise Formulaic 'Respect'

There are worse ways to spend two-and-a-half hours than listening to Jennifer Hudson sing Aretha Franklin songs, writes critic Sean Burns.

WBUR News

Aug 12, 2021

Lily Hevesh in a still from the documentary "Lily Topples the World." (Courtesy Steve Price)

New Documentary Celebrates Young Woman At Center Of Domino Sub-Culture

“Lily Topples The World” captures the wonder of Lily Hevesh’s mind-bending creations as well as the painstaking patience and careful handiwork domino artistry requires.

WBUR News

Aug 4, 2021

Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard in "Annette." (Courtesy Amazon Sutdios)

Rock Opera 'Annette' Is A Passionately Overheated Melodrama About Creativity And Cruelty

Eight years in development, writer-director Leos Carax’s angsty, unclassifiable musical whatzit features Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard performing songs by pop art duo Sparks.

WBUR News

Aug 3, 2021

Matt Damon in director Tom McCarthy's "Stillwater." (Courtesy Jessica Forde/Focus Features)

Director Tom McCarthy's 'Stillwater' Is A Glum, Ripped-From-The-Headlines Mystery

Starring Matt Damon, the film is a lurid rewrite of the Amanda Knox story that is “practically choking on its own sense of societal import,” writes film critic Sean Burns.

WBUR News

Jul 29, 2021

A still from Charlie Ahearn's 1982 film "Wild Style." (Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

Semi-Documentary 'Wild Style' Is An Essential Look At The Subculture Of 1980s Hip-Hop

Screening at the MFA, director Charlie Ahearn’s seminal film about an aspiring young graffiti artist and the breakers and b-boys he runs with is widely acknowledged as the first (and...

WBUR News

Jul 22, 2021

Val Kilmer in the documentary "Val." (Courtesy Amazon Studios)

Actor Val Kilmer Pieces Together Home Videos In Wistful Autobiographical Documentary

Culled from hundreds of hours of Kilmer’s home videos, “Val” is constructed like a scrapbook, drifting from past to present, cutting from contemporary footage of this frail figure to memories...

WBUR News

Jul 21, 2021

Anthony Bourdain in a still from the documentary "Roadrunner." (Courtesy CNN/Focus Features)

Documentary 'Roadrunner' Is Less A Portrait Of Anthony Bourdain And More A Petty Tell-All

Director Morgan Neville’s new film picks and prods through acres of archival footage and new interviews with the late chef’s friends and family to try and cobble together some sort...

WBUR News

Jul 15, 2021

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

With A Fresh Coat Of Paint And A Few Adjustments, The Brattle Theatre Reopens July 2

There’s no more walk-up box office, tickets and concessions are online only, but it’s still the same old, cozy Brattle, with a few slight adjustments calling to mind our current...

WBUR News

Jun 30, 2021

Playland Cafe, photographed in the 1960s, would have been Boston's oldest gay bar had it not closed down in 1998. (Courtesy of Boston City Archives/Mayor John Collins Collection)

Upcoming Film 'Playland' Serves As Memorial To Boston's Lost LGBTQ Spaces

Georden West had been developing an idea about LGBTQ nightclub workers for years. The pandemic shutting everything down made the task of writing the film even more urgent, as they...

WBUR News

05:30Jun 29, 2021

The second floor of the Somerville Theatre is under renovation to restore it's original ballroom. (Courtesy Ian Judge)

The Somerville Theatre Is Renovating, And Bringing Back A Ballroom

The new Crystal Ballroom will hold 500 people and offer a sweeping view of Davis Square.

WBUR News

Jun 28, 2021

Marketplace

17 Fall Film Festivals To Check Out In (And Around) Greater Boston

Brattle Theatre Joins Other Venues Requiring Proof Of Vaccination Or Negative COVID Test

Series At The Brattle Highlights Early 1990s Black Filmmaking Boom

Coolidge Corner Theatre Celebrates Martin Scorsese With Monthlong Retrospective

In 'The Card Counter,' Oscar Isaac Plays A War Vet In A Self-Made Purgatory Seeking Redemption

Three New Documentaries Confront America 20 Years After 9/11

Cyber-Psychodrama 'Who You Think I Am' Delves Into Consequences Of Catfishing

Coolidge Corner Theatre Announces Vaccination Requirement

Documentary 'What We Left Unfinished' Explores Brief Heyday Of Afghan Movie Industry

A Forgotten Figure Of Film History Remembered In Documentary 'Searching For Mr. Rugoff'

Jennifer Hudson Shines As Aretha Franklin In Otherwise Formulaic 'Respect'

New Documentary Celebrates Young Woman At Center Of Domino Sub-Culture

Rock Opera 'Annette' Is A Passionately Overheated Melodrama About Creativity And Cruelty

Director Tom McCarthy's 'Stillwater' Is A Glum, Ripped-From-The-Headlines Mystery

Semi-Documentary 'Wild Style' Is An Essential Look At The Subculture Of 1980s Hip-Hop

Actor Val Kilmer Pieces Together Home Videos In Wistful Autobiographical Documentary

Documentary 'Roadrunner' Is Less A Portrait Of Anthony Bourdain And More A Petty Tell-All

With A Fresh Coat Of Paint And A Few Adjustments, The Brattle Theatre Reopens July 2

Upcoming Film 'Playland' Serves As Memorial To Boston's Lost LGBTQ Spaces

The Somerville Theatre Is Renovating, And Bringing Back A Ballroom