SUNDANCE 2018 U.S. Documentary Competition: Dark Money Meet Kimberly Reed and why she made this movey abotu politics in Montana and across America,

SUNDANCE ALERT: Steve James is America's best living Documentary filmmaker and just nominated for an Oscar (Abacus: Small Enough to Jail). Lauren.Greenfield is an award-winning photo-journalist and provocative award-winning documentary filmmaker (The Queen of Versailles ) premiering her new doc Generation of Wealth..moderated by Carolyn Libresco Sundance Senior Programmer... this is special! (may start at 10:42)

Note: At Sundance, it was announced after its world premiere screening That the  10-part docuseries America to Me from the 'Hoop Dreams' director Steve James and Participant Media  Liongate'sStarz premium cable network had picked up the unscripted 10-part docuseries America to Me, from Hoop Dreams director Steve James, 

SUNDANCE 2018 Cinema Cafe chat betw/ NY Times contributing writer Logan Hill, DIrector Gus Van Sant, Danny Elfen re GVS new film Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot

I loved the new GUS VAN SANT film, DON'T WORRY, HE WON'T GET FAR ON FOOT which features JOAQUIN PHOENIX, JONAH HILL, ROONEY MARA and JACK BLACK . It is a story of a major fu*k-up, reality check, self-discovery, recovery, love, and redemption beautifully realized and acted. I made time for this NYTIMES sponsord chat between times contributor Loga Hill Gus Van Sant, and composer Danny Elfman chat .... NOTE STARTS 9:20 ...MOVE TO THAT POINT

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot - Official Trailer (2018) Joaquin ...

2018 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences + Octavia Spenser, Steve James, Yancy Ford, Sufjan Stevens r

Here they is the OFFICAL announcement of who is in the running for the Academy Awards for the best work in film in 2017.  click on link 

2018 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

I will reserve my reaction to another post. But I will say  I am so thrilled abiut a few of the nominations that Octavia Spencer has been nominated again.  She fills any screen frame she appears in with such an authenticity of an actual human being regardless of the character she is playing 

two of my favorite docs are in contention: both were at Sundance 2017

And look who is nominated for the best original song!  swoon!

Art fights back: Madboots Dance : GAY GUERRILLA In Process

ART is a weapon in the culture wars too


MADBOOTS DANCE : GAY GUERRILLA In Process Original score By Julius Eastman Jonathan Campbell +Austin Diaz

TOMMY KEENE gone but not forgotten.. A Musican's musican...

Tommy Keene master pop indie rocker and song craftsmen.. and my friend has passed in his sleep.

 He was as good a guitar player on the indie rock scene as anyone,  Please visit his song catalog .. in the usual places.  Now I can say what he wanted to keep quiet ... and I did. Tommy was gay,  Most people did not know and those in the industry kept it a secret. Why you ask in 2017?  Well, homophobia killed Darby Crash, keep the Screamers w/ Tomato DuPlenty from being signed by a major, isolated Sister Double Happiness. The closet nearly killed Mark Eitzel, and I could go on but stop here. It's just the same fear that closet that is just the  tip of the iceberg

Tommy was one of the kindest and sweetest indie rockers I ever met. His discipline and craftsmanship at songwriting is manifest on albums and cds. I am speechless at the moment to properly give him his due/

Tommy Keene was a musician that his peers resed and loved.

Tommy and Peter Holsapple  two friends and master song crafters

Last saw him play in Brooklyn with Ivan Julien at Union.Hall a few months back.

We chatted after, He showed me pictures of his dog. Was glad to hear that he and a lover visited Steve Fallon (Maxwell's) in Rehobeth Beach,,,,,,, tick tock...make sure you tell the ones you are pissed at the moment that you also love them .(the lesson AIDS taught me) .. so when suddenly they are gone you send them on their Bardo journey wrapped in love  To all who Tommy loved, speak up please. It's OK now

Loved you Tommy , my gay rocker brother.

here is a live video form the final tour .. a taste .. not perfec but now a memory to be cherrished




And here a goodbye song for us left stunned by the news This song by Carmaig De Forest speaks for me
Bad Things Happen Carmaig De Forest

 

BPM, a narrative film that tells the story of ACT UP Paris after New York Film Festival sold-out screenings opens in NYC  

BPM:  trust me this is a film not to be missed. It delivers on every level what David France's dishonest documentary HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE failed to deliver. A perfect balancing of the personal with the political and compliments Jim Hubbard's remarkable documentation of Act Up NYC's activist history "UNITED IN ANGER".  BPM  is a film for anyone who was in any ACT UP or anyone still alive fighting for their lives be it AIDS or any other disease with out a cure;  or anyone too young to actually have lived through what we did from 1981, (AIDS  it is not over) Or anyone who is living with loss or grie. BPM is authentic, emotionally truthful and not afraid to tell the whole truth of how a community was born inside ACT UPs. How we struggled with keeping people alive and how we keep hope alive by expressing our anger and rage. How we also made love with each other,  practicing safe sex as we ran in the streets 

Here is the trailer: https://youtu.be/VBPdx_iaQb

HERE IS THE NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL POST SCREENING Q&A( LIVE STREAM) of   BPM, a story about ACT UP Paris and the post/screening  Q&A with the director Robin Campillo and two actors Arnaud Valois and Nahuel Pérez Biscayart moderated by Amy T Taubin member of the selection committee. (109/17)  

-16:21