Author: Jonathan Eig
Straight Outta Compton: NWA, the Marx Brothers, and Artistic Expression
This is a story about anarchy. About how artists deal with a crazy, messed-up world. And as such, it a story about the value of art. The power of art. The danger of art. Three young men were searching for a place in a harsh terrain. They were outsiders, hailing from a segment of society…
SPOILER ALERT: Interpreting Joel Edgerton’s ‘The Gift’
Whenever a first-time writer director creates a finely-crafted and satisfying psychological thriller, as Joel Edgerton has done with The Gift, there is cause to celebrate. Edgerton’s movie, however, has an ending that is either troubling or brilliant – or perhaps both; an ending that makes us reconsider the very nature of how we view and…
For Young and Old: The Greatest Living Directors Sorted by Age
I recently wrote a piece choosing the four most significant directors from each of eleven countries. I referred to the lists as Mount Rushmores. (You can read it here, if so interested). The response I got, with dozens of fans telling me just how wrong I was, has inspired me to do it again. This…
Asif Kapadia’s Amy: Amy Winehouse and the Public Eye
Legend has it that when American blues artist Nehemah James (more commonly known as “Skip”) suspected a listener of studying the way he was performing a song, he would change up the way he played it on purpose. He needn’t have bothered. Even if some rival musician could figure out Skip’s intricate finger picking, there…
America’s Long Road: Remembering Amanda and Lillian Randolph
We’ve come a long way. We have a long way yet to go. I recently revisited an important American movie from 1950. The movie is called No Way Out – a tense crime story revolving around race riots in an unnamed city. Joseph Mankiewicz directed and top-billed actors included Richard Widmark and Stephen McNally. But…