‘Seeking Mavis Beacon’ Review: Thoughtful Doc Pursues an Elusive Black Icon

It’s a weekend of well-reviewed indie openings with Bleecker Street’s Out Of Darkness, The Monk And The Gun (from the directors of Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom) and limited openings for The Taste Of Things, Perfect Days (Best International Feature nominated), Anthony Chen’s Drift, Bas Devos’ Here and Ennio by Giuseppe Tornatore, which premiered in Venice in 2021 and is finally getting a U.S. release.

Investigative documentaries are some of the most interesting films you can watch. There’s no need to create artificial drama, as the subjects are real, and you can’t help but get swept up in the investigation.

There’s a special type of frustration that comes with watching a film like Bruno Mourral’s “Kidnapping Inc.” It’s a frustration borne from a good place—you want the film to succeed—but around every corner, “Kidnapping Inc.” just can’t help but trip over itself. This is a film that showcases two really solid lead performances, highlights horrific injustice found in a country many people aren’t familiar with, and is shot in a way that makes its modest budget feel much bigger.

Twenty years ago, Ondi Timoner’s rock doc “Dig!” the wildly entertaining, sensationalistic portrait of the dysfunctional indie rock bands the Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols and their strange love/hate relationship and rivalry, was a smash hit, at least critically, winning the Sundance Prize Grandy Jury Prize for Best Documentary and squarely landing the filmmaker on the map.

It might come as a surprise to most that the skirmish between Russia and Ukraine has been active for nearly a decade. However, international headlines would raise awareness to new heights upon Russia’s invasion of its neighbor in February of 2022.

Over 50 years ago, the late and great George Carlin listed off the seven words you couldn’t say on television. Based on a lawsuit from the iconic comedian’s estate filed in federal court in California today, at least two of those words may apply to the creators of an AI generated special that uses Carlin’s style and voice to a 2024 effect.

Taraji P. Henson, Jeffrey Wright, Garrett Morris and Mara Brock Akil are the honorees of the 6th American Black Film Festival (ABFF) Honors.

Carlos Aguilar A backyard swimming pool tells part of the story in Colombian American writer-director Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio’s “In the Summers.” As it goes from refreshing site of joyful congregation to an ignored eyesore in mounting disrepair, the recreational amenity establishes itself as a potently grave motif for the passage of time in this unsentimental, and yet immensely affecting debut feature about a complicated parent-children relationship. Told in four elliptical segments, it spans roughly two decades.

Carlos Aguilar Political unrest, economic instability and rampant insecurity have plagued the Caribbean nation of Haiti for decades. That the small percentage of mixed-race (mulatto) population holds a disproportionate portion of the wealth and power over the 95% Black majority fuels the anger and distrust of the masses.

Ozzy Osbourne is planning “two more shows to say goodbye” before he fully retires from performing live.That’s according to the former Black Sabbath frontman’s wife and manager Sharon, who spoke about Ozzy’s future during her Cut The Crap show at London’s Fortune Theatre on Sunday (January 21).“He won’t tour again but we are planning on doing two more shows to say goodbye as he feels like, ‘I have never said goodbye to my fans and I want to say goodbye’,” she told journalist Jane Moore (via Music News).Sharon continued: “His voice is still absolutely perfect. And all the time he has been off he still does his singing lessons.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Unlike Cannes and Venice, Sundance isn’t a film festival that inspires too many standing ovations. But moviegoers at the Eccles Theatre were moved (more than once!) to stand up and applaud after the premiere of “Will & Harper,” a funny, heartbreaking and poignant documentary about Will Ferrell taking a road trip with his longtime friend, Harper Steele, who transitioned at 61.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Mavis Beacon taught the world to type. Starting in the late 1980s, a software program featuring the eponymous instructor drilled computer users on their keyboard skills, selling more than 10 million copies worldwide. But it often comes as a shock to find out that Beacon never really existed.

Lisa Kennedy The list of accomplishments high school student Emily Worthmore reels off early in “Girls State” sounds impressive at first. Then it becomes a bit concerning. It’s not that the personable teen from suburban St.

Hollywood Democrats again might be facing conflicting loyalties and affinities, this time the race to fill the seat occupied for more than 30 years by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Siddhant Adlakha Between fascist propaganda, harassment campaigns, AI-generated Google results, and the collapse of digital publishing, it’s hard not to think of the internet as a wasteland. “Ibelin,” however, is a defining film about the positive side of the modern web experience, and connections forged online.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director SPOILER ALERT: This story hints at a major cameo in the Sundance Film Festival premiere “Freaky Tales,” which debuted on opening night. Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden’s electrified the opening night of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival with “Freaky Tales,” a genre-driven anthology movie that tells four interconnected stories in 1987 Oakland, California. The movie is a return to indie filmmaking for Fleck and Boden, who made a name for themselves as the directors of indie hits like “Half Nelson” before they jumped into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with “Captain Marvel.” “It was great to come back to the indie film world in a lot of ways,” Boden said at the Variety Studio presented by Audible.

After five years away from Walford, EastEnders fans are in for a treat as soap legend Patsy Palmer has officially been spotted on set after agreeing to reprise her iconic role in the BBC soap. Patsy, who is best known to fans for playing Bianca Jackson in the soap revealed earlier this month that she had agreed to return to the soap and bring a touch of her trademark charm back to Walford.

the Telegraph reported.Harry now faces having to pay the newspaper’s $316,774.25 fees as well as his own attorneys – which could result in a bill totaling over $950,000.The California-based prince’s decision to drop the case was first reported by the Mail on Sunday’s sister publication, the Daily Mail.Harry had sued Associated Newspapers Limited over a February 2022 article that accused him of misleading the public about his willingness to pay for his personal security, the Telegraph explained.Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, famously lost their personal security when they stepped down from royal duties in 2020.In the article, the Mail on Sunday alleged that Harry only offered to pay for his own protection after he filed a legal complaint against the Home Office.In December, he lost his attempt to have the paper’s defense thrown out – meaning the litigation would proceed to the High Court, where Harry would have to prove that the story actually caused “serious harm,” the Telegraph said.The publisher, Mr.

There’s an odd tension and dichotomy coursing throughout the new documentary, “Frida,” an intimacy meets a standard-issue form: a lyrical, magical quality next to something just maybe too safely chronological for its own good. Carla Gutierrez’s new documentary, her directorial debut, is well-meaning and has a clear devotion and affection for her subject, the legendary Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, but as a primarily told cradle-to-grave story, it is doggedly linear and therefore often feels a little familiar.

Shane Black is hoping to launch a new franchise with his upcoming film, “Play Dirty.” And though Mark Wahlberg has already been announced to lead the cast (and potentially future films), it appears the filmmaker has finally found the co-star to stand opposite his lead and help carry the upcoming film. According to THR, LaKeith Stanfield has been cast opposite Mark Wahlberg in Shane Black’s upcoming film, “Play Dirty.” The film is based on Donald E.