Writer for Turner Classic Movies. Ex Daily Show/Colbert Report. Bring on the weird ones.
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David Byrne's American Utopia 2020
Enjoyable repurposing of Talking Heads and Byrne solo music that offers up some political commentary that feels both hopeful and sad for a film made prior to the 2020 election and finally viewed by me in 2025. Sort of a broad theme/idea trying to tie it all together, but a lot of the Talking Heads songs are not really recontexualized and kind of just saying the same things they’d said 40 years earlier. Spike Lee does a pretty good job of letting the action play out while making it visually interesting, outside of a half-dozen shots with awkward zooms.
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Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story 2024
Interesting and breezy doc - a bit of a shuffle as it tells its story so it comes across a little unfocused. Would have liked to have known more about her mysterious life with husband #3 (her longest and seemingly most normal marriage.)
The trainwreck David Gest years are barely glanced on but it would have been interesting to hear about his attempts to revive her career including the disastrous VH1 reality show. Not that it only neglects the embarrassing things- her successful late 80s pop star turn (courtesy of Pet Shop Boys) is completely ignored.
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SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) 2025
A absolute must-watch for any fan of pop music from the last 60 years. What Questlove has done with “Sly Lives!” Is miraculous, as well-structured and thought-provoking as his stunning “Summer of Soul.” Full of amazing clips and worthy insight from some usual suspects as well as unexpected places (my jaw dropped when one of my favorite obscure/cult singers, Ruth Copeland, appeared onscreen.) Glad that the right person has finally told Sly’s story.
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