Muscle Shoals

Muscle Shoals Review

Muscle Shoals Review

RATING: (4 STARS) “It’s like the songs come out of the mud.” That’s Bono, trying to explain how a small Alabama town of 8,000—the titular town of Greg ‘Freddy’ Camalier’s documentary—could produce some of the best, most soulful music in humankind’s history. Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, Etta James, Clarence Carter—not to mention rock acts like […]

The Best Movies of 2013

The Best Movies of 2013

Outstanding. That’s the simplest but most appropriate way to sum up the year in movies that was 2013. Outstanding. A more interesting way would be to discuss the year in movie themes. The American dream, in one way or another, was a noticeable theme in seven of my top ten movies movies this year. It […]

The Best Documentaries of 2013

The Best Documentaries of 2013

It’s been said plenty—by myself and more than a few others—but 2013 has to be one of the very best years documentary filmmaking has ever seen. It’s a sentiment I seem to come back to year after year, to be honest. Part of that is me discovering the form, but I don’t think it’s an […]

2013 Movies You Should Watch Right Now

2013 Movies You Should Watch Right Now

December is top-10 list month, which means most bloggers and journos will be spending the next few weeks catching up with some of the year’s smaller titles that are now available on DVD and streaming outlets. I’ve highlighted 20 movies that are worth your time and attention. 5…on Netflix Instant Three great docs and two […]

2014 Best Documentary Oscar Predictions: Digging Deep

2014 Best Documentary Oscar Predictions: Digging Deep

Click on over to my 2014 Oscar Predictions page to see everything I’m forecasting in the major categories. And check out my 2014 Oscar Predictions: Technical Categories page for projections in Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and more. Another year, another problem with the documentary branch of the Academy. The Wrap’s Steve Pond reported a […]