Tag Archives: Film
‘Man on Fire’ Searches in Vain for the Truth About Racism in East Texas
The new documentary asks why a minister self-immolated in the town of Grand Saline, but doesn’t uncover any new answers.
On June 23, 2014, 79-year-old retired Methodist minister Charles Moore drove to the parking lot of a Dollar General store in his hometown of Grand Saline, east ...Read More
A New Pray-the-Gay-Away Drama Suggests Conversion is Possible (Just Not the Kind You Think)
Poignant awards-season fare, Boy Erased makes the case against the Christian “cure” for homosexuality.
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? That, more or less, is the question asked by the new Joel Edgerton-directed film Boy Erased, w...Read More
‘Sicario: Day of the Soldado’ Plays into Dangerous Borderland Tropes
Texan Taylor Sheridan created the 21st-century Western, but his attempts at political nuance are overshadowed by the failures of “Soldado.”
Taylor Sheridan’s movies are depressing. The native Texan has a knack for a script, and he’s largely responsible for bringing the modern Western into being,...Read More
Drag Queens and Churchgoers Find Common Ground in ‘The Gospel of Eureka’
With arms outstretched, the 67-foot-tall mortar Christ of the Ozarks sculpture towers over Eureka Springs, Arkansas, literally and figuratively. For decades, to...Read More
‘Lean on Pete’ Sheds Light on Youth Homelessness, but Not Its Main Character
Featured at SXSW this week, the film magnificently portrays the problems faced by homeless youth — but fails to develop its protagonist in a compelling way.
As attendees of this week’s SXSW festival rush from one sold-out event to the next, they’ll likely walk right past some of Austin’s approximately 2,000 ho...Read More
Oscar-Nominated Documentary Highlights the Routine Brutality of a Texas Traffic Stop
Breaion King’s arrest was quotidian to police, life-altering for her and reveals the chasm between police and the people they’re supposed to protect and serve.
“I’m in my car. Why do I have to put out my cigarette?” That’s what an irritated Sandra Bland asked the Texas Department of Public Safety trooper who pu...Read More
‘Disgraced’ Nails the Selective Amnesia That Follows College Sports Scandals
A new documentary on the 2003 Baylor athletics scandal sheds light on just how fleeting institutional memory can be. ...Read More
At SXSW, ‘The Work’ Builds Case for Prison Program That Breaks Inmates Down
"The Work" raises important questions about masculinity and violence, but the film’s ties to a controversial men’s movement cloud the picture....Read More
In ‘Loving,’ a Valentine to Marriage Equality
Jeff Nichols' new film takes a quiet, deeply personal approach to telling a political story.
Jeff Nichols' new film about the couple behind Loving v. Virginia takes a quiet, deeply personal approach to telling a political story....Read More